Christopher Logue's "Kings: The Siege of Troy"

Last night watched a two-man production of Christopher Logue's "Kings: The Siege of Troy," a retelling of Homer's Iliad. Logue's "translation" is very loose, but it captures the ferocity, humor and pathos of the original well. His occasional use of contemporary expressions adds to the energy of the account. J. Erie Cook, the older of the two actors, was appropriately impressive or petty or oily as Agamemnon, Hera, Thersites, Priam, et al, while the handsome and buff Dana Watkins took on the heroes Achilles, Odysseus and Hector, and distinguished between them through subtle changes in deportment, mannerism and voice. Adapted and directed by Jim Milton, this production took place in Workshop Theater, in collaboration with Handcart Ensemble and Verse Theater Manhattan.

RB, whom I met for the first time yesterday afternoon, came for the performance as well. She grew up in Syracuse, NY, and now lives with her husband in Brisbane, Australia. She is a visiting lecturer in logic at NYU. LW got tickets for us and VM and JF. After the show, we enjoyed a very pleasant drink at nearby Cooper's Tavern, the restaurant attached to the New Yorker Hotel. The conversation meandered from Homer to Terry Gilliam to Botticelli to Wittgenstein. The last, I learned, is VM's favorite philosopher. The rabbit/duck, I also learned, is an argument against empiricism.

National Poetry Writing Month begins today. Hope to post a poem later in the day.

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