The Trojan Women and Lysistrata, Ilkley Playhouse

For the traditional Greek anti-war plays were staged days after angry rioters swarmed through central Athens to protest against the government's austere plans to tame the country's spiralling debt.

The first play of the evening, The Trojan Women, began against a backdrop of disturbing WW2 images depicting the horrors of conflict but could just have easily been replaced by footage from last week's uprisings with the country once more on the brink of social and economic meltdown.

The plot of Trojan Women follows the fate of the women of Troy following the catastrophic demise of the city.

Facing slavery, prostitution and destitution, the women group together to ponder their fate as the city crumbles beneath them.

The play itself is heavy in its subject – the once vibrant women of Troy, now prisoners of war in squalid camps, await their fate at the hands of the Greeks.

The production speaks of the countless women who have endured loss in their lives during war and peace and as such can easily translated into a modern scenario ; as the women watch their homeland burn, completely without control, we are reminded of the hopelessness facing thousands of civilians in modern day Greece as their economy crumbles beneath them.

Overall the production worked well with particularly moving performances from actresses Pam Gresty (Hecuba) and Carol Southby (Andromache). Both women managed to convincingly convey the confusion and hopelessness faced by female victims of war.

The women of the play, clad in traditional shawls were in stark contrast with the appearance of a modern day soldier (clad in combat pants) who arrives to claim the child of Andromache. The contrast illustrated perfectly the timelessness of Greek playwright Euripides' original work- as relevant to modern day war as it was back then.

The production ended well with the red glow of the fallen city of Troy flickering behind as the soldier smashes the last remaining structure and symbol of hope – a toy building built by Andromache's tragic son Astyanax (Harvey Sutcliffe).

The sombre atmosphere of the first production was beautifully counterbalanced by the group's modern adaptation of Lysistrata.

The play opened with scenes from a music festival such as Glastonbury, with a babble of hippy chicks basking in hedonism.

They are called to task by the formidable rock chick Lysistrata (played by Ellen Shorrock) who demands that the women of Greece withhold sex from their husbands in a bid to secure peace.

The play centres on the Pelopneisian War and focuses on both the human and economic cost of war with the treasury facing bankruptcy as a result of paying for battle.

Lighthearted and convincing, the female cast cut a formidable force against their male counterparts who entered on stage complete with fully inflated balloons tied to their pelvis to show the extent of their frustration and lust.

A number of witty one-liners were included in the adaptation, worthy of any decent 'Carry On' film.

Men were accused of being left 'High and Dry', and told in no uncertain terms that if the were 'Sick of self abuse, now was the time to call a truce.'

The production was fun, lighthearted and successfully adapted to modern day times.

To Saturday May 15, 2010