Word: cressida
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1950-1959
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
Troilus, the illegitimate son of Priam, declares himself a "happy little warmonger" and so he is until Cressida (or Crisseyida, as Ashton would have it) appears in Priam's court. The reason Cressida is in court is that her father, Calchas, has deserted to the Greeks, and Cressida is therefore in danger of being adjudged a security risk. Troilus naturally defends her against the ancient Committee on Un-Trojan Activities and, naturally enough, the two fall in love...
Ashton, who also directs the play, has taken the overworked Troilus and Cressida theme, retained the Trojan setting, and come up with two acts that purport to depict the horrors of war. By war, Ashton means War, and he has underscored the universality of his theme by a sometimes clever juxtaposition of the ancient and the modern...
Incest with her father, however, has left Cressida with a guilty conscience and she feels unworthy of Troilus, until he proves his love in bed. Love's victory is Pyrrhic, however, and Cressida soon succumbs to a Prince of Greece, who can provide security and a house in Connecticut. The Greek is nevertheless the tool of Mars, who is the real villain, and provides the climax, which is tragic for Ashton and perhaps slightly comic for the audience...
...cast, headed by Jean Concannon as Cressida and William Siebert as Troilus, gave an earnest but uneven performance. At times, overacting marred scenes that required emotional intensity rather than emotional exhibition. Cressida often shouted, like a querulous child in a tantrum. Siebert gave a sensitive interpretation of Troilus, showing an understanding of his composite personality. Regina Oliver was commendable as Cassandra, although she needed more variety of voice. William Harris, as Cressida's father, suffered most from overacting and a reliance on stick gestures. The Prince Regent, Hector, was strongly reminiscent of Marshall Tito, but needed a more imperial...
...tools, are merely pretty toys; in general, he is too gaily farcical for Shakespeare's guilty merriment; and often, by smothering the words, he refuses to let Shakespeare speak for himself. Yet, though brightened, his Troilus is not bowdlerized: at the big moments Achilles is gangster enough, and Cressida (well played by lovely Rosemary Harris) enough of a bawd. Guthrie's Troilus is like a very free but very robust translation-a fair exchange if not an exact equivalent...