Memnon: as the gods will it

Reluctant warriors

“Memnon” at the Getty Villa, a review

by Bondo Wyszpolski

Every September for nearly two decades, the Getty Villa has presented a new production of an ancient Greek or Roman play, some of them comedies, some tragedies, and the performances take place in the courtyard between the open-air amphitheater and the museum's entrance. Gods and goddesses, heroes and heroines, they have all paraded before us. This year, however, “Memnon,” a coproduction of the Getty and the Classical Theater of Harlem, is the first time we've encountered a play not based on an extant text.

Memnon was an Ethiopian king who brought an army of 10,000 men to Troy after the Trojans had been in a stalemate for ten years, trying to repel the Greeks (the Achaeans) who were besieging the city, mainly because their beauty queen Helen had been kidnapped by Paris and they wanted her back.

It is quite possible that Memnon, who is mentioned several times in the Iliad, was the subject of several plays, but in this case none survive. Director Carl Cofield and playwright Will Power felt he deserved to be brought back from obscurity, so they put their heads together. The result is Memnon, and a thoroughly satisfying one at that.

On the surface, the play seems as authentic as those that have survived two millennia. Power attempted to imitate the original meter of classical Greek drama, using iambic hexameter instead of dactylic hexameter.

As mentioned, this war has been a bitter struggle for ten long years, and as the story opens, it has been three days since Hector, the princely son of King Priam, was laid to rest after being slain by Achilles and, to make matters worse, his body being dragged around the city walls. We are informed of this by Polydamas (Daniel José Molina), who delivers an opening monologue that scared me a little because it is so wordy. It also seems quite Shakespearean, and I wonder if we are interpreting classical drama through Elizabethan eyes.

With Hector out, things aren't looking so good for Troy. It's like having Shohei Otani on the injured list right before the World Series. Or as Priam says, “As Hector goes, so goes this war.”

Aside from giving the backstory, Polydamas tries to convince Priam (Jesse J. Perez) to call Memnon (Eric Berryman) and ask him for military assistance. Even though Memnon is Priam's nephew, he rejects the idea, saying that Memnon is “related to us only in lineage, not in spirit,” which may not be necessarily true. What emerges, despite the relationship, is that there is some animosity between the two men, and that is because Priam – at a much earlier stage in the war – planned to hand Memnon over to the Greeks so they could stop Hercules from tearing down their walls. Memnon was not pleased to hear of this.

Jesse J. Perez as Priam in the foreground, Daniel José Molina as Polydamas and Andrea Patterson as Helena in the background. © Craig Schwartz Photography

But Polydamas persists, and Helen herself intervenes, and so Priam gives in. Memnon doesn't really forgive his uncle, but he comes with his huge army. Since there are only five actors in this play (and two of them have a double role), we must of course imagine the close presence of the warriors – perhaps they've gathered in the parking garage below, or are waiting on the shore across the Pacific Coast Highway.

From his speech and behavior, we can conclude that Memnon (as Berryman portrays him) is a balanced and conscientious warrior king. Robert Graves says that Memnon “was black as ebony, but the most beautiful man in the world, and, like Achilles, wore armor forged by Hephaestus.” But Memnon is also a reluctant fighter: “I once slaughtered 200 men myself,” he says, “in a single battle. I am not proud of that.”

He explains why he left the first time, reminding everyone that “Troy and I are not the same, that I was Troy but not quite Trojan, kinsman and unkinsman.” Priam apologizes. “Not one of my best moments,” he says, referring to his earlier plan to underestimate Memnon. “Very well,” Memnon replies, “I will only serve you for two days and then I will take the band and go home.”

It's a well-known story: When the top dog is in town, there are always promising young talents who want to take his place. And so Antilochus (Molina in his second role), son of the great warrior Nestor (Perez, also in his second role), challenges Memnon to a single combat. I don't know about you, but if I had been told that someone here once slaughtered 200 men as part of his daily work, I would think twice about taking up arms against him. Memnon sees that the boy is hardly a serious opponent and says so. But when Antilochus strikes the first blow, he has sealed his own fate. Nestor begs Memnon to spare his son's life, but ultimately in vain. Nestor then vows to avenge the boy's death, but the Ethiopian king is not prepared to parry a sword fight with an old man. So Nestor calls Achilles for help, who, as we all know, is a heavyweight contender himself. But Achilles also views this endless cycle of revenge killings with suspicion.

Jesse J. Perez as Nestor and Jesse Corbin as Achilles. © Craig Schwartz Photography

OK, he finally agrees, but with about the same enthusiasm as someone being asked to empty the cat litter, I'm going to meet this Memnon and finish him off quickly. Take it easy, says Nestor, this Memnon is no ordinary enemy, and he points out that Memnon's shield was also made by Hephaestus, the god of fire, who doesn't forge shields for just anyone. He then describes the shield in such detail that you have to wonder why it isn't already hanging in a museum somewhere. Achilles is impressed and now admits: This could be my greatest fight.

The scene changes to Memnon and Helena (Andrea Patterson). The warrior confesses that he is tired of killing: “Even in victory, men are slaughtered.” Helena urges him on anyway. Where is your heart? And he replies rather irritably: Where is your conscience? – because Helena is seen as the sole cause of all the bloodshed.

This brief exchange allows Cofield and Power to provide Helen with a few lines in defense of her predicament. “Yes, I am cursed,” she says, “but the root of this ongoing conflict is not so much Helen herself as the ego and pride of men, with woman herself reduced to the status of property or trophy. In other words, she is more of a pawn to be fought over, and that is important because other characters in this play also sense, if not entirely, that they are playthings in the hands of the gods and subject to the whims of fate. There is an anti-war sentiment here, brought to the surface just enough to allow us to grasp the tragedy of the situation in which each character is involved.”

Eric Berryman as Memnon and Jesse Corbin as Achilles in the foreground with Jesse J. Perez as Nestor and Andrea Patterson as Helen in the background. © Craig Schwartz Photography

The showdown itself is an impressively choreographed fight (by Emmanuel Brown) between two powerful warriors, a battle in which only one will emerge victorious. But since this is Memnon's play, we hear his brief monologues as he and Achilles cross swords. And it's quite a duel, replete with “The Matrix”-esque slow motion. Off to the side, Helen pleads with Zeus to let Memnon win. “Kill him, Achilles!” says Nestor; “End him, Memnon!” says Helen. And who emerges victorious?

Maybe you've already guessed the answer. “There is no victory here,” says the one still standing.

The play is tight and concise, aside from a few expository monologues, and runs for just 80 minutes without an intermission. In addition to the five actors, there are three dancers (courtesy of EMERGE125) who are performed as a chorus and are played by Holly Hwang Belshaw, Kat or Katherine Files, and Jenna Kulacz. They occasionally take on various wordless supporting roles as maids and guards, etc.

In addition to Cofield and Power, the production team includes choreographer Tiffany Rea-Fisher, set designer Riw Rakkulchon, costume designer Celeste Jennings, composer and sound designer David R. Molina, projection designer Yee Eun Nam and lighting designer Brandon Baruch.

Not all of the plays performed outdoors at the Getty Villa were memorable (as far as I can remember), but Memnon is one of the best, especially because all of the actors are convincing in their roles: Memnon seems noble and wise, Achilles looks strong, Helen is attractive; and therefore bravo to the cast.

Memnon is performed every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. through September 28. Ticket prices vary slightly: $45 on Thursday ($40 for seniors and students, Thursday only), $50 on Friday and $55 on Saturday. Audiences are encouraged to arrive two hours early, as there are food options, one that's a little more upscale on weekends and another where you grab a pre-packaged meal or two from the cafe, such as moussaka with béchamel sauce ($26.50) or panini with grilled vegetables ($19.50). There's a specialty cocktail called The Glorious Shield for $15, an Ethiopian honey wine that's even mentioned by Nestor in the play. I'm not saying it's not delicious, but there's a better one in Little Ethiopia on Fairfax. And when you do, raise your glass to King Memnon.
For information and tickets, call (310) 440-7300 or visit getty.edu. HE