Theatre review: Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy, Stratford East

Ava Pickett’s latest offering, Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy, must surely cement her as one of the brightest and best new writers in British theatre. This brilliant contemporary reimagining of the classic Greek myth at Stratford East delivers on every level.

As with Pickett’s modern-day adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma at the Rose Theatre last year, Bloodsport is set in the writer’s home county of Essex. But while Emma was essentially a romcom filled with laugh-out-loud moments, Bloodsport is a tale of xenophobic and misogynistic violence that feels a bit close to home in current times.

When we first meet Helen, she’s in pyjamas and splattered with the blood of the man she willingly left her husband for. Michelle Dockery is excellent as Helen and couldn’t be further from Downton’s Lady Mary. Her traumatised appearance on stage is a stark contrast to the muted tones of the walls and furniture filling the posh home of her friend Cee.

Cee is played by Laura Aikman, who is also fantastic and much of the play focuses on the relationship and interactions between the former best friends. As far as Helen is concerned, Cee has her head firmly stuck in the sand, where her brutish husband Mario is concerned. He’s the brother of Helen’s husband Marcus and the driving force behind bringing Helen home. At any cost.

The backstory of Bloodsport that explains how Helen left, and the subsequent 10-year ‘civil war’ sparked by Marcus, is revealed by a very non-traditional Greek chorus. Tracksuit-clad Ethan Moorhouse appears on stage intermittently to narrate the story and occasionally inject some Essex humour. There are other lighter moments too. But there’s an overall sense of tension and foreboding, knowing that when the menfolk return from their pint at the pub, they’ll find a very different house to the one they left.

I won’t say more than that about what ensues, or about the part that’s brilliantly played by Maimuna Memon, for fear of giving too much away. All I will say is that Bloodsport has a fairly short run at Stratford East, so book to see it soon. Although I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see it transfer to a West End stage in the future.

Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy is playing at Stratford East until 10 October. For more reviews of theatre, art, exhibitions, comedy and music, check the Arts section of my blog.