Excerpts from Audience Feedback
-- Liz Baron’s “Agamemnon” is a vital piece of theatre, perhaps one of the most important performances in the region this year. Skillfully adapted with a powerful musical underscore (played live!), this piece is a strong vehicle for Liz Baron’s significant abilities. Do whatever you need to do to see this work!
-- The piece is simple and elegant theater, at the same time contemporary and in keeping with the classic form of Greek tragedy. The characterizations are solid and recognizable. The score transports the audience to a time out of time where Ms. Baron takes us in her translation of the story, a story that bears retelling in today's world. It reminds us that we're still connected to our past. Our sense of fear, anger, justice, and faith still keep us as human as we ever were.
-- Epic and engaging - the best two hours I have spent in the theater lately. I loved the distinctiveness of the characterizations and the strength of the text. It speaks directly to the discord of our times.
-- Just came home from Agamemnon at the Dairy... a phenomenal and very moving performance. Even my daughter, who is not an aficionado of Greek drama loved it.
-- It was stunning! I actually followed some lines better, thanks to her interpretation and emphasis, than I did when reading it.
-- Thank you for sharing your brilliance in Agamemnon last weekend. It was a splendid study of revenge and war, filled with virtuosity, intelligence, passion and humor. What a staggering performance feat and an incredible adaptation! Thank you SO much for sharing your beautiful work with the world.
-- I felt most grateful for experiencing what I consider to be a rare art... the art of storytelling. Contemporary productions have actors reaching out to entertain the audience, but during Agamemnon I felt invited in, by the vocation of Story, into another world. It was like taking a drink when I didn't even know I was thirsty.
-- There is a masterful and elegant simplicity in the telling of this convoluted cycle. The violin takes on a narrative voice that guides without dominating. The lighting completes thoughts implied by the text. The actor, with a graceful shift of her shawl, transforms from one character to the next, maintaining each individual with powerful clarity and razor focus, pouring forth the poetry of the script which is a delight to any language lover. While the material is grim, I can't help but smile delightedly to witness humans being so very skillful.
-- In this beautiful, accessible translation of Agamemnon, Elizabeth Baron delivers a powerful, potent and moving performance. Her presence on stage is a perfect blend of vulnerable and strong, and her performance, both tragic and comic, flowing and crisp, and above all deeply compelling. Baron spins a mesmerizing tale that taps into many a powerful archetype and, in the tradition of Greek theatre, activates our imagination and opens the doorway for rich emotions to flow.
-- Elizabeth Baron's commanding, delicate, and heartfelt performance brought me to my knees.
-- I was completely blown away by your performance. You are a rare and gifted performer. The stage comes alive with your presence and I was humbled as you captured many emotions and personalities as well as touched on ideals and issues that actually carry over to the world today. You captured my attention and I was drawn in. Boulder is lucky to have such a talent like yours. I can’t wait to see what you do next. Congratulations….
-- Liz’s precision and commitment to this story and these characters engaged me in the tragic unfolding of the house of Atreus. In the second half, Cassandra and Clytemnestra’s plights were particularly heartbreaking. Violin is the perfect compliment to this streamlined production.
-- Elizabeth - I loved your clever humorous twist, very well done on your solo performance of all the characters, great story telling. I was living the story as you were speaking. It made me laugh and feel deeply. You are amazing!
-- I found myself amazed, not only at the character transformations Ms. Baron went through as the play's dialogue switched back and forth from one character to another, but with her attention to the nuances of each role. Her facial expressions changed with the role. So did her physical stance and presence on stage as she changed from humble to powerful and back to humble as the roles required. All these 'back
and forth' transformations were seemingly done with ease and grace. While the play itself was very enjoyable, watching Ms. Baron's range of acting-emotions as well as her solid acting ability was a real treat. I came away very impressed.
-- You and your composer/performer colleague delivered exceptionally - many, many things to like in the score. I was especially moved by the use of dissonant passages following the rhythm of your speech. And, of course, the opening and closing pieces were exquisite.
You are a remarkable talent who, clearly, is willing to take large risks in service to the art. I truly respect your courage in this.
Your characters were clearly delineated. Your cutting of the text was masterful and "spot on." Your dance training is obvious in the physicality of the various characterizations. I loved your phrasing in the delivery of the text. The set design was exquisite.
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Excerpted Emails From Colorado Professors and Students
Many thanks and congratulations to you and Ms. McTeer for your remarkable performance of the Agamemnon. If I had not seen it, I would not have believed that the play could have been quite so powerfully done, whether by a full complement of actors or not. (I don't say this out of any lack of appreciation of Aeschylus, to the contrary; but doing Greek tragedy well is a huge challenge, no?) Not since I saw Irene Papas in Iphigenia in Aulis (1976?) have I been so moved by a Greek play on stage or in a movie theater. That it was only the two of you doing it together made the feat that much more impressive -- though I also thought the way you transformed yourself from one character into another somehow brought out the differences between the disagreeing characters even more than would have been the case had they been played by different actors.
Should you ever sell audio or video copies of your performance, I'd be very interested in owning one. I teach, and I'm sure what you did would help students feel the drama of Aeschylus's play…
Wayne Ambler
University of Colorado at Boulder - Herbst Program of Humanities, College of Engineering and Applied Science
Dear Elizabeth,
I loved, loved, loved your Agamemnon performance. You looked and sounded positively Olympian! Did you know that the word "enthusiasm" comes from the Greeks? It originally meant "infused with the energy of the gods.” You were magnificent…
Robert Spellman
Naropa University - Visual Arts and Religious Studies
Subject: Indelible performance
… Just thought I would tell you once again what a riveting portrayal of the Agamemnon tragedy you displayed last Sunday… I was going to attach a file about the mass graves in Iraq that I told you about, but alas I do not have it available (Note: The Solider describing the war to the chorus sounded to Kris exactly like the smells and sights of a mass grave being dug up in Iraq) …
You should also know that I actually called upon your performance from my memory during the exam Hardy gave on Tuesday, so you helped me answer a few essay questions.... Thank You!
Kris
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Kristopher Hawkins
CU Student and US Army Combat Veteran - 3 tours of duty, including Iraq and Bosnia
