Abbey Theatre in Dublin is where Na Peirsigh/Persians is currently presented. This play, which originally premiered in 472 BC, shares a grim account of the naval defeat endured during the Greco-Persian Wars due to poor leadership and a significant loss. Its revival is staged in the Irish language, with English subtitles provided.
Directed by Conor Hanratty, the play starts with a procession of Persian counselors in a modernist palace layout; they all await updates on their fleet status. The play’s structure has been altered by translator Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill, who merged this with a long account of nearly 20 kings and their head cavalry, from Armistre to Xerxes. To the modern ear, it can come across as a roll call at a meeting filled with strangers.
The play does make attempts to introduce characters, although these introductions often get lost in the crowds. Moreover, the delivery of the narrative is quite a risk due to the potential for information overload. Thus, it may be necessary for modern adaptations of the play to adjust the script to include the trimming of its descriptive yet distant observations.
In conforming to the dynamics of Greek tragedy, where independent orators are contrasted against a wider chorus, the play fails to impart immediacy upon the entrance of Caitríona Ní Mhurchú’s Persian queen, still awaiting news of Xerxes’ fleet. However, there seems to be more chance for excitement when, after a messenger breaks the grim news of defeat, the queen begins scrutinising her son’s flawed leadership.
The original text gets a two-star rating.
Hanratty and Ní Dhomhnaill delve into the aftermath, uncovering tidy correlations with ancient Irish history. They depict the spectacle of heartbroken mourners consumed by grief and introduce Naoise Mac Cathmhaoil, a sean-nós vocalist who gives voice to Xerxes. His songs strive to harmonise a remorse-filled monarch’s guilt with a bereaved community’s scorn.
The tales from the battlefield are heartrending, discussing cities and towns bereft of men, all who joined the battle and lost their lives due to a catastrophic war tactic. The distress is on an immeasurable magnitude – Creed’s messenger remarks, “Even ten days of continuous narration would not suffice to fully illustrate the catastrophic events.”
Despite the overwhelming suffering, Aeschylus, a war veteran, insists on the news being reported. The Persians appears to be an effort to draw a line under the ordeal. (“The terror of the catastrophe is driving me out of my senses,” laments the queen.) However, the details are overwhelming. In one sequence, a more enlightened Persian ruler emerges and requests a full summary, leading to the story being recounted. “Convey me the entire story, lucidly,” he insists. The narration unfolds yet again.
Na Peirsigh/Persians is being performed at the Abbey Theatre’s Peacock stage in Dublin and will continue till Saturday, 6th April.