The Trojan War: A hilarious epic comes to The Q
Posted on
If you like your historical drama with a creative, energetic, interactive, and some may even go so far as to say completely chaotic slant, then New Zealand-based theatre company A Slightly Isolated Dog is just what you need.
Their upcoming production The Trojan War is, at the very least, a most rambunctious theatrical interpretation of the fall of Troy, although actor Susie Berry says it is “hilariously accurate for the most part”.
Playing at The Q (Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre) from 14-15 May, this is the third instalment in A Slightly Isolated Dog’s trilogy of highly interactive shows that retell well-known stories in a unique and playful way.
The first two shows in the series, Don Juan and Jekyll & Hyde, were hugely successful, taking the company across Aotearoa, overseas to the Edinburgh Fringe, and then to appreciative audiences in Australia.
The Trojan War is a riotous celebration of our ridiculous lives: using this classic tale of gods and heroes to poke fun at the current chaos of our times.
With the cast of Susie Berry, Jack Buchanan, Andrew Paterson, Jonathan Price, and Comfrey Sanders employing their signature faux-French accents, this is best described as “theatre meets a wild dress-up party set to twisted pop songs”.
Since 2005, A Slightly Isolated Dog has been creating highly comedic devised theatre, delivering frantic and hilarious works in the style of Monty Python meets The Mighty Boosh. The company’s innovative theatrical style – a mashup of sketch comedy, improv, music, and physical theatre –makes for an unforgettable experience.
Directing this hilarious and boundary-pushing telling of events is the company’s Artistic Director Leo Gene Peters, who draws a few similarities between our recent pandemic-governed times and Ancient Troy.
“We were drawn to the presence of the fates in the story and how it controls everything, even the Gods,” says Leo.
“The will of the fates must be answered, regardless of how unjust or unfair it may be. Also, the battle of Troy itself was a 10-year-long stalemate and then a very bloody burst. The story offered us a lot of parallels to our time: a lot of waiting and isolation, being at the whim of the Gods or the kings who are just self-centred egotists making selfish decisions that cause tremendous harm to the people they are ruling over, finding ourselves overwhelmed by all of these things that are out of our control but still having to go about our lives and pretend it’s all ‘normal.’”
Susie says the performance is very adult-centred although mature theatre-goers 15 and above will get a kick out of it and while more staid theatre-goers may come out in a rash at the thought of being whisked into the action as impromptu cast-members, Susie says the lead actors are sensitive to the emotions of their audience.
“Yes, we are known for getting the audience actively involved. But everything we do is consensual fun. Often you will see audience participation consisting of people being made an example of, but we give the best bits to the audience and if people say no, we move along. It’s all about a fantastic theatrical story and about having fun and celebrating life.”
Images by Brig Bee Photos
THE ESSENTIALS
What: A Slightly Isolated Dog performs The Trojan War
Where: The Q, Queanbeyan Performing Arts Centre, 253 Crawford Street, Queanbeyan
When: Tuesday 14 May and Wednesday 15 May, 7.30pm (approximately 70 minutes, no interval)
Tickets: Tickets are between $30 – $59.90 and can be purchased here.
