They Weave With String That Suffocates. The Glitch.

Creator and director Zazi the Artist takes us on a whistle-stop tour of 20 years of Greek mythology in her 60-minute They Weave The String That Suffocates. The piece involves three actors shifting rapidly between nine female characters, six of whom are interconnected in complicated ways through family, war, and fate.

Klotho (Linda Fernandes), Lachesis (Ana Gajtani, restrained and other-worldly) and Atropos (Francesca Redighieri has the best of the evening) are the Fates, spinning, measuring, and cutting the threads of every life to mark out each individual’s destiny. One day, six blue cords appear in the sea of red rope from which the three typically weave a life story. But why? To answer the question, the three must lose their usual detachment from events in the mortal realm and become emotionally invested in the lives of their creations. They need to feel and experience what it is like to live as Clytemnestra, Helen, Kassandra, Iphigenia, Chrysothemis, and Elektra.

Given that these women are, variously, taken captive, sacrificed, or made concubines by men, amongst other gruesome fates, one can conclude it is not a lot of fun. The ropes that weave are also chains that imprison. There is much shrieking and wailing at the whims of male power. Fair enough, let’s face it, Agamemnon, who is described as “handsome in the beaten down sort of way”, is not much of a husband to Clytemnestra (or father to Iphigenia). Given agency, the women manage to find alternative ways to view and moralise about their fate, though their final destinies remain inescapable.

Zazi’s alter ego, California-born theatre-maker Zowie Rico, has a degree in Classical Civilisations with a focus on Ancient Greek Literature and Drama, which gives her an edge in making sense of all this. Those of us who are less well educated may find the sheer weight of the piece’s complex narrative hard to get our heads around. One supposes Zazi’s theme is the emotional, moral, and psychological burdens borne by women in the Greek patriarchy, though her point struggles to emerge from the ether.  Still, the crimson costumes are nice, and some solid choreography sees performers tangle and untangle cords at pace – at times it feels like the weird sisters from Macbeth have found themselves trapped in a rope factory.

Writer and Director: Zazi the Artist