Historically, I’ve been a skeptic of Drunk Shakespeares, modern re-staging of classical texts (especially if, god forbid, it’s set in a high school) and the like. Walking into A Slightly Isolated Dog’s Trojan War at Riverside Parramatta, advertised as a ‘high-energy dress up party’, I was, understandably, nervous - but these nerves were misplaced, because this production created a most delightful sense of play.

The ensemble of five, flamboyant, flirtatious, faux French actors holds the audience’s hand - often literally - through a very abridged, very tenuously accurate plot summary of the Trojan War. Prophecies are created, condemning Achilles to a fate of dying in battle, and Hector to dying at Achilles’ hands. There is love, betrayal, battle, loss, war, victory, and of course, the push and pull between fate and moral culpability.

What makes this production different from any other Iliad retelling? Perhaps the minimal design; a bath towel used as a hood, a bucket with broom stuck on top to represent Achilles’ iconic helmet, a cardboard box Trojan horse. Perhaps the jukebox musical interludes, my personal favourite being a deeply impassioned rendition of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball. Or, perhaps, most strikingly, the constant audience interaction.

From the very beginning, we were made to feel a part of the production, greeted in a startlingly personal member, flirted with to the point of confusion - are they really into me? The ensemble asked questions of us one on one, remembered our names, and traits, throwing them back at us during the show. ‘What do you do with yourself?’ was asked of my plus one: ‘I’m a languages student!’ Later on, the same actor calls out to her ‘Is it true you’re good with your tongue?’

Rather than Achilles’ lover Patroclus storming into battle, before dying heroically in his stead, we had audience member Er Ol strutting down the stage, killing enemies with a flick of a wrist, a kick of a leg, and finally, most impressively, a singular, perfectly timed, twerk. Zeus, Athena, Ares, and the Fates were played by various audience members, with varying levels of enthusiasm, enacting their powers on the mere mortals when called upon by the ensemble.

Here, I’d like to commend the sound team, for their precision - despite the unpredictability of audience members’ performances, the cues landed perfectly, with each flick of the deities’ fingers cueing explosions. The same can be said of the lighting team - amongst the stripped back design, and chaos of performance, the lighting team constructed a compelling sense of time, place, and atmosphere. Particularly, during the surprisingly heartfelt and sorrowful moment after Patroclus’ death and Achilles’ defeat of Hector, the pulsing lights built palpable tension - despite the comedy, we felt anguished for Achilles’ loss.

Knowing that this emotional vulnerability was possible in this production, I have to say I left the theatre wishing that some of the repetitive, physical comedy heavy moments were replaced by further tender exchanges. Helen’s lack of agency is hinted at a few times throughout the show, but perhaps allowing her a moment to shine, or giving Er Ol (Patroclus) and Achilles’ relationship genuine weight, rather than reducing it to a cheesy rom com montage, would have maintained the balance between humour and humanity.

This show was in no way the ultimate way to engage with the story of the Trojan War; had I not had a prerequisite knowledge of it, I would have left with only a barebones understanding of the events. But! It is an excellent way to spend an evening - despite my critiques, I can only describe my experience as fun! The brilliant ensemble had me engaged by their theatrical and musical performances throughout. A Slightly Isolated Dog’s production of the Trojan War was playful, sorrowful, delightful.