Ever-timely epic: Elgin’s Janus Theatre revives ‘An Iliad’
Janus Theatre artistic director Sean Hargadon has good reasons for reviving “An Iliad,” the Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare adaptation of Homer’s poem chronicling the Trojan War.
His affection for the poet is one of them. The epic tale’s inherent theatricality is another. So is the free promotion courtesy of “The Odyssey,” Christopher Nolan’s blockbuster starring Matt Damon as Odysseus, which has earned more than $1 billion since its summer release.
“Homer is having a moment,” observed Hargadon.
But what most motivated the director to revive the play — a modern condemnation of war and a depiction of the horrors it unleashes — 10 years after the Elgin theater company first staged it, is the persistent relevance of its subject matter.
“Things haven’t changed,” he said.
That’s why it’s so important to tell the story, Hargadon continued. “It’s a reminder … and an indictment of everyone in the room.”
Janus ensemble member Jennifer Reeves Wilson, one of six actresses playing The Poet, agrees.
“Theater, at its best, is a mirror to the world,” she said. “This is what’s going on. This is who you are. Face it.”
The play reminds audiences of the rage-driven brutality human beings inflict on each other.
“If we do our jobs right,” she said of her fellow actors, “there should be a moment where we say, ‘Is that me? Am I capable of that?’”
“The answer is yes,” she added. “The question is: How do you live with that? It’s awful but you can't run away from it.”
That seems to have been Peterson and O’Hare’s intention.
In their script, they describe the central character of The Poet as “an ancient teller of tales … doomed to tell the story of The Trojan War until the day when human nature changes, when our addiction to rage comes to an end, when the telling of a war story becomes unnecessary.”
Peterson and O’Hare further acknowledge they created the play as a solo piece but recognize it could be performed by multiple actors. Accordingly, the playwrights “encourage people to find their own way.”
Hargadon did.
Like Janus' 2016 production, the 2026 version features multiple actors — six, up from four — but unlike 2016, the current cast consists entirely of women.
Hargadon envisioned the six Poets as the titular Trojan women, survivors of Euripides’ eponymous tragedy. “Trapped in purgatory,” they’re consigned to retell these war tales until wars cease, he said.
Cast member Susan P. Anderson described her fellow actors as fierce.
“Each one brings a different quality to the character. It’s fun to watch,” said Anderson, who also praised Hargadon’s direction.
“He has an infectious enthusiasm for high drama and the empathy to nurture the quiet moments,” she said.
Hargadon wants audiences to know that for all its seriousness, “An Iliad” isn’t without humor.
“It’s not a dirge,” agreed Wilson. “It’s a complex explanation of what it is to be human.”
Anderson promises theatergoers will be “mightily entertained.”
“But I also hope it makes real what pride, rage and jealousy can create in the world,” she said. “And I hope it reminds them to pay attention.”
While Hargadon hopes audiences will embrace “the wisdom from the ancients” channeled in the play, he declines to speculate on how audiences will respond.
“I want people to decide for themselves,” he said. “I want them to be entertained, and maybe a little more thoughtful.”
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“An Iliad”
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday, through Sept. 20. No performances Sept. 5 and 6.
Where: Janus Theatre at the Elgin Art Center, 220 DuPage St., Elgin, janusplays.com
Tickets: $28