Milwaukee Chamber Theatre presents AN ILIAD

Kellen "Klassik" Abston and N'Jameh Camara in Milwaukee Chamber Theatre's production of AN ILIAD, through October 6, 2024, at Milwaukee Youth Arts Center. Photo by Michael Brosilow.

By Mary Boyle

When those who haven’t experienced war think about war, we mostly come to the same conclusion: it’s bad.  Most people, if asked, would say that war should be avoided; that they wish they could stop all wars, and yet, we have always had a cultural fascination with war.  In fact, one of the oldest pieces of literature that is still widely read is The Iliad by Homer, the ancient Greek poem written in 800 B.C.E. that tells the tale of the Trojan War.  Handed down through the centuries, Hector and Achilles are fashioned into great warriors and made heroes to each new generation; heroes whose deeds mainly consisted of killing other men in unimaginable quantities.  But what if they aren’t heroes?  What if they’re just men full of misdirected rage? And what if all wars were built on that same misdirected rage?  One can’t help but wonder what would happen if we changed the narrative.  This is what playwrights Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare did when they wrote AN ILIAD, and you can experience it for yourself, thanks to Milwaukee Chamber Theatre, through October 6th at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center’s Goodman Mainstage Hall.

A poet and a muse are all it takes to tell an epic Greek poem, and this tale is no different.  The Goodman Mainstage Hall at MYAC is a theater in the round, like the Greek amphitheaters of old, which makes a perfect setting for such a play.  The poet begins in the tale in Greek, as it was originally told; metered and forceful, the language holds an undeniable power even when it’s not understood, as if it has always been a part of us, somehow.  The poet, we learn, has told this tale thousands of times; too many times.  Weary and worn, the poet begs assistance from the muse and downs a shot of liquor for courage, then begins the story once more.  Paris of Troy stole Helen, “the face that launched a thousand ships,” from Greece, igniting a war outside Troy’s city walls that would wage on for nearly a decade.  The gods took their sides, of course, poking and prodding for the fun of it.  One day Troy’s warriors, led by Paris’ brother Hector, would run the Greek army to the water’s edge; the next, the Greeks, led by the mighty Achilles, would run the Trojans behind their walls, but the war just wouldn’t end. 

Written in 2013, I first saw An Iliad at the Milwaukee Repertory Theater in 2014; the poet was played by the incomparable James DeVita, a universal soldier on a bombed-out set; his power, undeniable, but his grief and urgency, even more so. His muse was cellist Alicia Storin, who only appeared in shadow. This production remains one of the most powerful plays I’ve ever seen.  Then, in 2021, I saw both DeVita and Storin reprise their roles at American Players Theatre, but this time DeVita played it as a History Professor in a ruined classroom to great effect.  I was more than curious to see what the play would be like with a woman in the role of the poet, and N’Jameh Camara was absolutely the right woman for the part; after all, the domain of war has nearly always belonged to men, so who better to scorn it than a woman? Powerful and compelling, Camara embodies the voice of the Trojan women wailing over the death of Hector in a way few others could, yet she can also embody the warrior.

Directed by Brent Hazelton, MCT’s Artistic Director, the muse in this production of An Iliad is Kellen “Klassik” Abston, a Milwaukee born and bred musician, singer, producer, emcee, and more who was named the City of Milwaukee’s Artist of the Year in 2020.  Abston is just off stage, visible, but not distracting from the poet, and uses electronic music to fuel this tale, which gives it a thoroughly modern, almost dystopian feel. There were times when I felt that the music didn’t fit with what was happening in the story, but other times when it aligned perfectly.  MCT has a strong commitment to hiring local performers and Camara, who is originally from Milwaukee, and Abston came across as perfectly matched.
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Pride. Jealousy. Fear. Rage. This is the story of the Trojan War, yes, but it is also the story of all wars, and the poet will remind you of each and every one of them.   When the poet has finished the tale, the audience won’t just think war is bad, they will feel it at their core.  Please see it.  Perhaps, when enough people have seen this play, the poet might finally rest; and, when the poet finally rests, we will all know peace.
 
AN ILIAD runs through October 6, 2024 at the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center’s Goodman Mainstage Hall, located at 325 W. Walnut St. in Milwaukee.  Tickets may be purchased by calling the Box Office at 414-291-7800 (M-Sa, 12-6pm and 2 hours before BTC showtimes) or online at https://www.milwaukeechambertheatre.org/an-iliad
 
About Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
This is Milwaukee Chamber Theatre’s 50th Season!  To celebrate, they’ve curated a lineup of plays that reflect MCT’s traditional values as they express them today as a part of a “Past, Present, and Future” theme:  

• Exceptionally well-written comedies and dramas from unique voices including two Pulitzer Prize winners in Lynn Nottage and Suzan-Lori Parks, and two of Western literature’s most influential and impactful authors in Homer and Henrik Ibsen, both of whose words are brought to life through pulse-pounding contemporary adaptations.  
• Strengthening and developing the local professional artist community as they continue their four-year track record of more than 90% of season artists residing in Milwaukee or Wisconsin. 
• A commitment to reflecting the multiplicity of Milwaukee’s voices and perspectives with nearly 50% of season artists identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color and more than 50% as women since 2020.

Don’t miss your best chance to join MCT for their season-long birthday celebration kicking off with AN ILIAD and followed by CLYDE’S, A DOLL’S HOUSE, EVERY BRILLIANT THING, and TOPDOG/UNDERDOG – subscribe today!