BWW Reviews: The Art of War Found In AN ILIAD

When the lights went out, there was no sound. No applause, no cheering, and no uncomfortable laughing.

Jim DeVita had silenced the audience in the Touchstone Theatre.

That is the power of Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare's An Iliad.

A new twist on Homer's Iliad, this production takes place in a classroom. The teacher, a poet, recites the epic tale from memory. Losing his place every few chapters, The Poet gets caught up in the insanity of war and the loss it creates. Looking on is his muse (Alicia Storin) who accompanies his story on her cello with haunting notes and looks of discontentment.

With hidden troves of treasures and books behind him, The Poet is in the perfect position to derive a lesson from Homer's classic tome. Combining the original Greek text (expertly coached by Gigi Buffington) with modern colloquialisms, An Iliad expresses its relevance.

In collaboration with Brian Sidney Bembridge's scenic design, director John Langs' production really drives the point home - what good can come from war? And "how do you know if you've won?"

Reprising the role that won the heart of Milwaukee last fall, DeVita's poet is a marvel to behold. A show with

dialogue given only to him, DeVita's task is to carry the epic tale all on his own. Not only is he able to do this, and do it well, but he is also able to own his place as The Poet. With humor, that often appeared to be modeled after the late Robin Williams, winding around his dramatic undertones, DeVita won over the audiences at American Players Theatre.

It's unfathomable that anyone else could ever be billed in this role - Jim DeVita was born to play this part.

For many, likely including The Poet, war is a reality far removed from the familiarity of home. As he points out in the production, a photo of war's carnage is not simply a field full of dead men - they have names, families, and lives far away from the battlefield. Helen, "the face that launch'd a thousand ships" whose decks were strewn with thousands of human beings that would never make it home.

An Iliad brings to light so much about our intimate, human relationship with war. Our reliance on its power is overwhelming while our ability to forgo its dark temptation is virtually nonexistent.

As the natural world surrounding The Touchstone blooms and thrives, An Iliad demonstrates how quickly a world can turn to sand.

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