Review: They Weave with String that Suffocates, University of East London

Ancient Greek stories are filled with heroic battles between men, like Achilles and Hector, but the stories of women are often overlooked. These women’s stories are the subject of They Weave with String that Suffocates. The three fates follow a mysterious blue thread that links the stories of six Ancient Greek women to discover what makes them special.

The events depicted are familiar to those who know their Ancient Greek stories, from The Iliad to The Oresteia. This narrative begins with the wedding of Helen to Menelaus and runs up to the killing of Clytemnestra by her daughter Electra.

The great strength of this production is the focus on the suffering of women in a patriarchal society. This makes these stories that have been told many times before—from the film Troy to Ada Palmer’s sci-fi adaptation, Perhaps the Stars—feel fresh and relevant.

Three performers (Adriana Gajtani, Francesca Redighieri and Linda Fernandes) play all the roles, and there are a lot of characters to quickly change between. The performances were a little wooden at first, but the actors soon settled into their roles. When each character had been established, I was fully immersed in the story. The many different roles are subtly differentiated by variations in the voice and tone of the performance. Some scenes are very powerful, such as Helen lamenting her lack of agency when leaving with Paris for Troy.

A few modern phrases used in the dialogue, such as “subconscious” and “short circuit” break the illusion, but it is soon re-established. This student production effectively tells the story with minimal staging and props. The blue thread reflects the theme of connections through time by binding the three performers together. Veils being taken off and lighting changes simply show the shift between the story of the fates and the mortal characters. The unbraiding of the actors’ hair shows the growing agency of the women in their own stories. All these subtly enhanced the storytelling, adding to the impact of the drama.

The themes of Ancient Greek literature are captured well. The story moves in cycles of order being broken and then restored by breaking a different order. Agamemnon sacrifices Iphigenia, so her mother, Clytemnestra, kills him, which leads to his daughter, Electra, avenging him. Capturing this cyclical nature of order being broken and restored is essential to Ancient Greek storytelling.

The process of creating variations on well-known stories reflects the nature of Ancient Greek theatre. The stories would have been well-known in Athens over 2,000 years ago as they are today, so the appeal of seeing these stories performed is the subtle variation in the storytelling.

This show achieves a lot with little. It centres the tragedy of women in classic tales, which makes these stories, which have been told many times before, feel powerful and urgent.

Director & Creator: Zazi the Artist 
Assistant Director: Megan-May Jolly Brennan

They Weave with String that Suffocates plays at the University of East London until Thursday, 10 July.