Theatre Review: Hecuba (2011)

"Hecuba is Mad Againe"

By Jordan Overstreet

While many consider Anson Mount to be the most notable alumnus from the Theatre Sewanee program, it appears a woman has entered the theatrical wrestling ring and may possess the power to uproot Britney Spears’ leading man from his throne. This tour-de-force is Tarashai Lee, who triumphs as Hecuba in Theatre Sewanee’s recent production of Euripides’ classic tragedy.

Shedding her “Flavor of Love 2” television persona, Miss Lee adopts the trappings of a Trojan slave woman caught in a masculine chess game of violence where women are merely sacrificial pawns. While once the Queen of Troy, Hecuba’s majesty is nowhere to be found on the stage: she is dressed in rags, the set—minimal in its elements—has been stripped of regality by Grecian invaders, and the only possessions of value left to Hecuba are here children, Polydorus (Oliver Crawford) and Polyxena (Rebekah Hildebrant). As she loses both of her children over the course of the play, Miss Lee expertly channels the both grieving mother, embodying ever aspect of grief be it hysterical tears of cries of anguish, and the femme fatale, cleverly avenging her son’s death by puppeteering her male counterparts into submission.

But the power of Miss Lee’s performance is in her ability to completely transform into Hecuba down to her fingertips. When she cries, her face actually swells from the constant outpour of tears; when she lets out crescendos of grief, her shrieks are so natural that they become disturbing to witness; when she is forced to listen to the greedy soliloquies of Agamemnon (Anthony Caskey) or the King of Thrace (Buckner Hinkle), she listens like Hecuba, fully remaining in her character.

Consequently, when juxtaposed with Miss Lee, the abilities current Sewanee students involved in the production get diminished; they cannot eclipse her talent. However, Miss Lee does find equal scene partners in seniors, Tory Nettleton and Mr. Hinkle. Miss Nettleton, last seen as Kate in “Dancing at Lughnasa,” brings a mature, worldly reading to her role as the Chorus Leader, surpassing her choral companions in emotional depth and range.

Mr. Hinkle proves to be a match for Miss Lee. Identifying the King of Thrace as her son’s murderer, Hecuba lures the glutton to his doom with whispers of riches. As Miss Lee channels a siren as she sings these false prophecies into Mr. Hinkle’s ear and he slyly lies about her son’s whereabouts, the two fall into a duplicitous dance that ultimately leads Thrace to blindness. It is marriage of talents and their scenes together are the highlight of the play.

“Hecuba” from its first lines demands your focus. Director David Landon aesthetically layers the performance with fresh dialogue penned by Brown Foundation Fellow Poet-in-Residence, Marilyn Nelson, engaging visuals details, and an intriguing musical score by James Carlson; yet, despite being a true collaboration of the Sewanee community, “Hecuba” remains Tarashai Lee’s vehicle. Miss Lee’s honing of her skills since graduating in 2000 is further evidence of Sewanee’s capabilities as an institution; her divine performance is comforting and inspiring reminder that we, as a University, must be doing something right.