Two opposing worlds clash in the Globe Theatre in Shakespeare’s genre-defying and rarely performed satire, Troilus and Cressida.
The legends of Troy and Greece fight for honour and bravery and are gripped in an epic war. As an action-packed battle rages around them, Trojan prince Troilus falls madly in love with Cressida, and they swear eternal love to each other…
But hang on a minute! That’s NOT the play we’re going to see. We now fast forward eight years, and things have ground to a shuddering halt in a seemingly pointless, and exhausting conflict with still no resolution in sight. The rose-tinted glamour of war is now losing its sheen in Troy, and an apocalyptic wasteland is all that is left of the Greek camp.
What happens when the heroes we have worshipped, and the stories that have driven us no longer live up to their mythical narratives?
Director Owen Horsley explores the cult of celebrity and the egos that propel wars forward in his Globe debut in Shakespeare’s satirical, cynical study of appearance versus reality.