Shadows of Troy is a presentation of two Ancient Greek plays: Iphigenia at Aulis by Euripides and Ajax by Sophocles, produced together in original translations, and set in times before and after the Trojan War. Agamemnon, the leader of the Greek coalition, waits to sail across the Aegean with his “thousand ships” to rescue the face, and the rest, of his sister-in-law Helen, who is now living with Paris, a Trojan prince. However, there is no wind. The Greek army gets restless and wonders what Agamemnon is going to do about this unexpected delay. He consults a seer, who comes up with the brilliant idea that to appease the gods, Agamemnon must sacrifice his daughter Iphigenia. He discusses this with his wife, Clytemnestra, who is not best pleased.But then neither are the warriors, waiting with the boats. Agamemnon fears that if he does not kill his daughter, then they will take out their bloodlust on all his family. Sophocles’ much adapted tragedy Ajax continues the story in the shorter second act. The writers switched Agamemnon into the role of Ajax, to track his descent into insanity, as he tries to rationalise his actions in the first act.

The writing is very interesting, starting with the many translators, who deciphered the originals, then to the Director/Writer, Jamie Murphy, who worked up the English text, then to the cast who shaped it further in rehearsal. A cooperative effort, which works wonderfully well, and makes for a very interesting pair of plays. The performances are uniformly of a high standard and very professional. The Chorus is particularly impressive, as they propel the action along, with clear diction and brilliant choreography. The set for the first half is an arc of monoliths, which are then repositioned to form part of the destroyed walls of Troy in the second. Very effective. The sound creates a range of atmospheres, from the incessant drum beat at the very beginning, to bird song and bees humming, and some arresting singing by the Chorus. There are simple but effective costumes, and there’s a good deal of blood.

This student production from the University of Oxford company, Stupid & Brave Productions, is certainly brave and not at all stupid. In fact, everyone connected to this show can feel justly proud of their achievement.It’s well worth an evening of anyone’s time. Five stars, I think.