Mosaic’s ‘Troy: Women & War’ in May at Montclair church

MONTCLAIR, NJ — In its first in-person production since 2019, Mosaic Dance Theater Company’s production of “Troy: Women & War” will be presented at the First Congregational Church, 40 S. Fullerton Ave. in Montclair, on Saturday, May 21, at 5 p.m., and Sunday, May 22, at 3 p.m., with an artist talkback after each performance. The program is presented free of charge; reservations are strongly recommended. Masking policies are in effect. Reservations can be made online at https://tinyurl.com/yck3vh9s. For additional information, visit the Glen Ridge–based theater company’s website at www.MosaicDanceTheaterCo.org.

According to legend, in the 11th or 12 century BCE, a 10-year war began, horrific for the tremendous loss of life and the destruction of the city of Troy, believed to be located in modern-day Turkey. Oral tradition kept the epic tale alive until about 750 BCE, when the Greek poet Homer wrote down the cataclysmic events of the war’s last year, creating “The Iliad.” Then, 300 years later, in 416 BCE, the great Greek dramatist Euripides premiered his poignant tragedy, “The Trojan Women,” viewed as the first anti-war drama. The war is over; Greece has won. The men of Troy have all been slaughtered, and the Trojan women await their futures as slaves and concubines of the conquering Greeks.

“Troy: Women & War” captures the essence of the Trojan War, through the eyes of its women — how it began, how it ended, and the physical, emotional and psychological misfortunes suffered by the Trojan women: Queen Hecuba of Troy, wife of King Priam; Andromache, her daughter-in-law and wife of the doomed Trojan hero, Hector; Cassandra, Hecuba’s daughter who foretold the war, only not to be believed; Polyxena, the tragic, youngest royal daughter; and Helen, the “face that launched a thousand ships.” Also portrayed are the three goddesses Hera, Athena and Aphrodite, Trojan warriors Hector and Paris, and Greek warriors Achilles and Menelaus. Featuring a cast of seven, the production is conceived and directed by Morgiana Celeste Varricchio with choreography by Samara Adell, and a soundtrack of contemporary fusion music by Jehan Kamal. Performing in the production are Varricchio, Nina Brewton, Kendra Dushac McCarthy, Rafael Domenech, Sara Grassi, Anna Starr and Lawrence Karl.

  First Congregational Church, Mosaic Dance Theater Company