Lily Cole stars as Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships, in Simon Armitages vivid, visceral adaptation of Homers Iliad and Virgils Aeneid
For ten years, the Greeks have been laying siege to Troy to win back their abducted queen, Helen. But as the war drags on, and the battlefields run scarlet with blood, the opposing forces are entrenched in a bitter stalemate. As Gods and mortals squabble amongst themselves for the spoils of war, the exhausted warriors go to extreme lengths in a desperate grab for victory
Dramatised by multi-award-winning poet and playwright Simon Armitage, The Last Days of Troy was first produced as a stage play at the Manchester Royal Exchange and Shakespeares Globe, and this radio version features the original cast. Both a tense action adventure and a powerful commentary on the futility of war, it brings Homers ancient myth to dynamic life and explores themes that still resonate today, in a world locked in cycles of conflict and revenge, East versus West and with the same dangerous combination of pride, lies and self-deception that fuelled the Trojan War.
Armitage was the real star, with his vivid and muscular dialogue and occasional flashes of humourThe Last Days of Troy was a powerful reflection on the folly of men and the cruelty of war. Independent
Cast and credits Agamemnon..................................................................Da vid Birrell Achilles..................................................................Jak e Fairbrother Zeus..................................................................Richard Bremmer Odysseus..................................................................Col in Tierney Hera..................................................................Gillian Bevan Andromache/Thetis................................................Claire Calbraith Hector..................................................................Simon Harrison Helen..................................................................Lily Cole Paris..................................................................Tom Stuart Athene/Briseis............................................................... ...Francesca Zoutewelle Priam..................................................................Garry Cooper Patroclus..................................................................Br endan OHea Astyanax..................................................................Luc a Rawlinson
Original music by Alex Baranowski Directed for radio by Susan Roberts First directed for The Royal Exchange Theatre by Nick Bagnall
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