Katharine Sherman’s Cassandra, based on the ancient Greek myth and presented here by Umbrella Theater Company and Wordsmyth Theatre, opens The Women’s Project, a series of female-centric shows. In the myth, the god Apollo gave Cassandra the gift of prophecy. When she refused his sexual advances, he turned that gift into a curse (no one would ever believe her). Set before the fall of Troy, this Cassandra is a reworking of that story.
Shelby Bray plays the title character, and Cassandra director Melissa Flower says she captures the essence of the role. Bray, Flower tells us, “does an incredible job at getting to the sensation and poetry of the words.” Lisa Villegas plays Helen of Troy. Mildred’s Umbrella Artistic Director Jennifer Decker says, “[She’s] thought to be the most beautiful woman in the world and is pretty much a captive because of her beauty.” According to Decker, the interaction between Cassandra and Helen, both doomed women, makes for some of the show’s most effective moments.
8 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Through May 24. Company Onstage courtyard, 536 Westbury Square. For information, call 832-463-0409 or visit mildredsumbrella.com. Pay-what-you-can.
Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m. Starts: May 15. Continues through May 24, 2014
This article appears in May 15-21, 2014.