Cappies Review of Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts at Annandale High School
Fairfax County Public Schools students are talented actors, musicians, and visual artists. Many FCPS high schools participate in the Washington, D.C., chapter of the Critics and Awards Program for High School Theatre, otherwise known as the Cappies.
The Cappies is a program through which high school theater and journalism students are trained as critics, attend shows at other schools, write reviews, and publish those reviews in local newspapers. There are fifteen Cappies chapters across the United States and Canada.
Editor's Note: This review of Woodson High School's production of Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts is written by Ella Greene of Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology.
An ominous drumbeat filled the auditorium in preparation for the story of bravery, battle, love, and loss that was Annandale High School's production of Argonautika: The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts.
Originally premiering in 2006 at Chicago's Lookingglass Theatre, Mary Zimmerman's Argonautika is a modern retelling of a centuries-old story. It follows Jason as he assembles a crew to embark on a tumultuous quest for the Golden Fleece. As danger, death, and dragons plague the path of the Argonauts, Hera and Athena guide Jason to love and success, only for him to live a tortured life once back home. Annandale High School's combination of contrast, comedy, and colors created a captivating performance that turned a myth into an immersive tale about destiny.
Macy Best as Athena and Nhi Nguyen as Hera created a dynamic duo that complemented each other despite their stark contrasts. While Best played a composed, serious Athena, Nguyen played an emotionally invested, frantic Hera. As the duo guided the Argonauts along their voyage, Best's sarcastic, nonchalant comments were hilarious in comparison to Nguyen's agitated shouts. When Hercules (Bilal Hammod Majzoub) first appeared on stage with unmatched swagger and confidence, Hera exclaimed in indignant surprise while Athena reacted with a characteristic caustic comment. However, when the two characters came together at the end of the production to observe the casualties of the story, their united apathetic sigh and dismissal of the tragedy united them as deities.
Timothy Hurd played King Pelias with zeal by comedically contrasting his character's old age with joyful and energetic moments. By speaking with a raspy voice and leaning on a cane for support, Hurd demonstrated Pelias's exhaustion and frailty. However, when Pelias discovered the way to solve his problem, he seemed to forget his exhaustion and skipped around the stage, shouting with genuine happiness and embracing his servants.
The lighting department (Sandy Rocha, Maple Shawish, Nikolai Crowl, Nicolas Vargas) used creative backlighting to advance the plot in unique ways. A symbol of evil, the color red was used to represent the Underworld and foreshadow death. When Jason's younger brother was killed by Pelias's servants to avenge his own son, two doors opened on the set, and each door had specific lighting to show whether they were the doors to Heaven (soft white) or Hell (dark red). Fading from a dark blue night sky to a light blue midday sky and back again, the lighting also showed the passage of time on the ship.
The passage of time was also shown through the costume design of Phoenix Alvarado Diaz. Diaz distinguished characters' outfits with nuanced color choices. The use of red and white was used to indicate Medea's arc of love. After Medea was shot with Eros's arrow of love, the blood on her dress slowly spread, showing how her love for Jason grew but her pain related to their relationship spread as time passed. Despite many characters being double cast, each costume was distinct and helped identify new characters when the same actor was onstage. The bright red costume of Hercules compared to the white and flowing garments of Aeetes effectively contrasted the two characters' personalities. The costume department's ability to create such distinctions was unique and impressive.
While set in a time fraught with supernatural intervention, dangerous quests, and glory, Annandale High School's Argonautika told a timeless story of the importance of bravery and loyalty.
