BWW Reviews: AJAX at Open Circle Theater

The aftermath of war is never pretty, especially when some feel betrayed by the people they fought beside.  That is the central theme of Open Circle Theater's latest production, "Ajax".  And although it had a few uneven performances, overall it's a stirring adaptation with some powerhouse moments.

Based on Sophocles' play "Ajax" with adaptation by Todd van der Ark and directed by Linda Lombardi, the play picks up in the aftermath of the Trojan War.  Achilles (Ryan Higgins) has been slain and the distraught Ajax (Ryan Fields) is even more so since he lost the contest to win his friend's armor to Odysseus (Ashley Bagwell).  In his sleep, Ajax is bewitched by the goddess Athena (Hannah Schnabel) to commit an unspeakable act.  When he awakes and realizes what he has done, his anguish takes him to the point of madness. 

Told through flashbacks and dream sequences, the show has some amazingly powerful moments.  Unfortunately most of them are in Act One.  Act Two comes across as a lot of political cleanup and results in a bit of an anti-climax when compared to what preceded.  In fact the ending of Act One was so powerful and had such finality that I questioned whether I was mistaken of this being a two act play.

There are some wonderful performances in the piece.  Ashley Bagwell as Odysseus, Curtis Eastwood as Agamemnon and Luke Sayler as Teucer each have their own moments to shine in Act Two and each are exhilarating.  But there are not enough of them, especially in Act Two as they seem to disappear for much of the play.  Schnabel is gorgeous as the Goddess you don't want to mess with and is deliciously malevolent.  But I wish I got more of why she was messing with the mortals.  And Maridee Slater as Ajax' wife, Tecmessa, has some lovely moments of grief but only after she gets worked up to them.  Leading up she comes across as a bit stiff and unsure of her intentions.

But the two most incredible performances I saw in the show, and some of the most riveting I've seen this season, came from Higgins and Fields.  Higgins is laser focused as the cocky Achilles.  Every intention and nuance is perfectly clear yet comes across as natural as can be.  And Fields as the titular Ajax has one of the subtlest and most brilliant descents into madness I've seen especially considering with the flashbacks the descent is seen out of order.  Both performances alone are worth the price of admission.  But then there's the big problem that they are gone after Act One.  This fact above all I think is why Act Two seemed a little lackluster.  It's like getting your dessert before you have to eat your veggies.  I wonder, since a lot of Act One is told out of order, if the adaptor couldn't tell the whole thing out of order so we could have more of that power throughout.  Just my two cents (or gold pieces in this case).

All told, it's a fine adaptation with some excellent performances.  I just think structurally (if you'll pardon the expression) it blew its wad a little too early.  But then amped up men in the heat of battle have that problem ... I'm told.

"Ajax" performs at Open Circle Theater through May 21^st.  For tickets or information visit them online at www.octheater.com.

Photo credit: David Wulzen

 

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