Our Trojan War

See it if You like shows that try to mix classic tragedy with today real war stories

Don't see it if You are not into overly intellectual and pretentious theater pieces. This show will leave you totally bored and confused

See it if You are well-versed in the Greek classics and are interested in relating them to modern war stories.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy extensive monologues or are not interested in classic Greek plays.

See it if you like very overblown language and straightforward delivery with very little relation to your lines.

Don't see it if you do not like very talky plays.

See it if You like Greek dramas and have a working memory of most stories/myths.

Don't see it if You want action. Nothing really happened, felt more like an academic exercise.

See it if war protest is your idea of good theater.

Don't see it if you love the Greek classics. Long monologues seemingly choosen at random are intermixed with scenes of current day American soldiers.

See it if you have a decent background in Greek History and mythology and want to see the relevance to our modern military choices.

Don't see it if you know nothing about Greek history and mythology. You will be lost and confused but hopefully inspired to learn more.

Also Kudos to the Aquila Theater and the Warrior Chorus. It was also my first visit to the BAM Fisher for a performance. Love the space.... Read more Read less

See it if You want an ethereal view of the state of our wars right now...where we might be heading.

Don't see it if You can't let your mind wander with narrative. This piece sort of meanders it's way to its rather stunning point.

See it if you know Greek mythology. Long time since high school & the constant weaving between the present & the classics was too confusing for me.

Don't see it if you don't remember your Greek mythology. Pity because it's a great cast and gorgeous production.

See it if need clarification between the ancient Greeks and toady's world. Some good acting but not all Nice seating.

Don't see it if you are ready for some thinking. It may be distressing or it may remind. you of some family disasters. Some actors need more training.

See it if a play trying to compare the Trojan war to our war in the Middle East..

Don't see it if you are looking for a clear cut parable between the Trojan and Mid-East wars.

Also I found myself more confused by both wars after this exercise ended. Luckily it runs for less than 90 minutes.... Read more Read less

See it if You would like to delve into the lives of veterans, and see how ancient texts resonate with their experiences.

Don't see it if You are unfamiliar with classical texts, you don't like shows of confusing lines with little actions.

Also The postshow discussion is much better than the show itself. Although they mean well, citing too many ancient texts makes the show too confusing.... Read more Read less

See it if you dont mind waiting 75 minutes to hear modern words spoken (mostly) with meaning and clear delivery.

Don't see it if you love beautiful words spoken well. you dont think theater should be work. sorry there was some really bad acting and staging.

Also I get why this was supposed to be good. I even sort of like the juxtaposition of Greek tragedy on modern conflicts, but this was a mess wandering through Oedipus and Odyseus with allusions to Circe and Cyclops but no real payoffs. But the worst thing was it was boring. I can forgive bad but not boring.... Read more Read less

See it if You are familiar with the ancient texts and can figure out the purpose of the disjointed snips and snatches. Pompous and confusing

Don't see it if You like good acting and/or something new and thought provoking.

See it if You are interested in Greek classics like the Iliad and the Odyssey

Don't see it if You have no interest in Greek classics like the Iliad and/or the Odyssey or if you are offended by profanity

See it if You want an unsuccessful/confusing mixture of Middle East warfare & The Trojan War-w/a wrap up out of a high school humanities excersize.

Don't see it if By casting ex military, not actors, audience can never become immeresed-too amateur. "A" for thought, but disappointing esp given it is BAM.

See it if For Interweaving of ancient history and modern war, democracy and leadership

Don't see it if juxtapositions aren't your thing

See it if you are very familiar with these Greek stories; Long monologues with very little context

Don't see it if you are expecting a play with coherent linear story

See it if You know your Greek tragedies and like to see interesting works using these great texts to tell a story or make a point.

Don't see it if You don't know your Greek tragedies. Also it is quite slow, a lot of actors standing around watching one person speak. And often confusing.

See it if you like the idea of ancient stories juxtaposed with current events.

Don't see it if you're expecting any new insight on how people of different cultures (especially American and Middle Eastern) relate to each other.

See it if combining classical text/stories with experience of combat veterans in the Middle East seems worthy endeavour + excellent acting co & text

Don't see it if examining combat/military/ hospitality issues distress u or u need something mindless to entertain you also questions leadership & knowledge

See it if you enjoy comparing ancient Greek epics to modern-day conflicts, if you don't think cohesive plots or linear story lines are important.

Don't see it if you tend to tune out when there is no driving action on stage, if you prefer concrete characters.

Also I think the premise of this project was interesting, but ultimately unsuccessful. Even after mulling it over for a week post-show, I'm not really sure what the thesis was here. It seems that the show's creators were trying to draw some sort of parallel between the ancient Greeks form of democracy and our own here in the United States in order to call attention to the imminent danger of our government, as we know it, crumbling. However, the comparisons seemed pretty flimsy. Besides the gaps in logic, the production itself was not all that entertaining. There was a lot of stand-and-deliver monologuing with some creative devised staging thrown in. I feel like this piece needs some further workshopping before it gets another mounting.... Read more Read less

See it if you'd like to see important scenes from several Greek tragedies. You support theater for or by war veterans.

Don't see it if you're expecting clear lessons we can apply to current times. You want a cohesive plot.

Also The vision behind this play was excellent, important, & highly relevant, but this production failed to deliver.

This is mostly excerpts from various Greek classics. While the lead actors in those excerpts were high caliber, the play didn't connect the dots between those ancient tragedies and our modern-day ones. Perhaps they wanted to stay neutral (making a clear analogy between Oedipus's arrogance & Trump's would be bad politics, for instance, assuming that's what they meant), but the result was a play that felt like a bunch of disconnected snippets.

The chance to see such past-to-present parallels drew me to see this. Since they weren't there, I left disappointed.

I'd love to see the script rewritten to be tighter & more focused. As the saying goes, if we don't learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. There is huge potential here for a play that really brings home that message.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy Greek dramas and how they relate to modern war.

Don't see it if you're looking for an interesting play. The connections between the greek stories and modern war didn't seem completely there.

See it if you like mash-ups of classical texts in a new setting with contemporary context

Don't see it if you aren't interested in ancient Greek and Roman stories

See it if you want to revisit the Iliad & Odyssey in an updated relevant setting & context. The talk back also adds to appreciating the cast & story.

Don't see it if you are expecting a fancy production. Its bare set w/ just a screen actually works to focus on the dramatic well delivered intense speeches.

Also It could be 'confusing" if you forgot the characters & plot of the Iliad & Odyssey so I suggest a review of them first or even just watching Brad Pitt's movie Troy.
The play reminds me of DiCaprio's movie "Romeo & Juliet" when the classic lines are delivered by modern characters - they become more interesting, absorbing & relevant. And learning in the talk back that some of the "acting" soliders in the play were actual war veterans added even more appreciation to this work.
It was a different play as it was like watching declamation pieces one after another which was a delight!... Read more Read less