Michelle Dockery, known for her role in Downton Abbey, is starring in Ava Pickett's new play, "Bloodsport." The production aims to critique historical misogyny, transplanting the story of Helen of Troy into a modern, anachronistic setting.
Picked, the playwright behind the West End transfer of "1536," has once again employed contemporary vernacular and a fearless approach to historical narrative. "Bloodsport" shifts its focus to ancient Greece, with Dockery portraying Helen. The play draws parallels to gangster novels and the provocative style of Steven Berkoff.
The narrative begins with Agamemnon, renamed Mario, returning home after a decade-long war triggered by the elopement of his wife, Helen, with Paris. Dockery's Helen makes a dramatic entrance, setting a tone of immediate confrontation and redefinition.
"Bloodsport" explores themes of sisterhood and redemption as Helen attempts to reclaim her reputation and mend her relationship with Cee, Mario's wife, played by Laura Aikman. The play juxtaposes Helen's mission with the arrival of her estranged teenage daughter, Hermione, and the introduction of a radical feminist character, Dani.
The male characters are also subject to Pickett's sharp writing, including Gerard Monaco as the misogynistic Mario and Ethan Moorhouse as a narrator offering commentary from a distinctly modern, often rowdy, British perspective.
