Buffalo Theater: Irish Classical’s North American premiere draws audience into a foreign, violent world

By Bella Poynton
(Image above: Keelie Sheridan as Clytemnestra)

Marina Carr’s Girl on an Altar, directed by Anderson Carr and playing through June 28 (Sunday), closes out Irish Classical’s 2025-2026 season with a dark, bold, Greek tale of violence and mythical revenge.

The play, a North American premiere production, is a retelling of several pivotal moments from the history of the House of Atreus, from the moment general Agamemnon makes the decision to sacrifice his daughter, Iphigenia, for the sake of winning the Trojan War, through his victorious return and eventual (spoilers!) murder by his wife, Clytemnestra.

Although only referenced indirectly in The Iliad, this story has been immortalized, in part or in whole, by several ancient dramatists. Most notably, Euripides and Aeschylus tried their hand at the tale in plays like Iphigenia at Aulis, Iphigenia at Tauris and Agamemnon, and much later, Racine and Goethe returned to it as well. But Carr’s exploration is perhaps the most comprehensive examination of the topic. It deftly brings the audience into an understanding of who Clytemnestra, Agamemnon, Aegisthus, Cassandra and Tyndareus are as human beings, instead of as mythical figures.

The play draws you into a foreign, violent world almost immediately. The marriage of a child, the sexual assault of the Oracle and a brutal sacrifice are all discussed within the first five minutes. Then, the tragic sacrifice of Clytemnestra and Agamemnon’s daughter, Iphigenia, is described in detail. Agamemnon insists to his wife that it had to be done, claiming that if he had refused, the great warrior Achilles would have attempted to take his throne. But this justification reveals the ultimate weakness and cowardly nature of the character: Agamemnon’s desire for power always outranks his love for his wife and children.

One of the shocking structural strategies that Carr employs is having the entirety of The Iliad happen between scenes 1 and 2 of the play. It’s a bold move—but it works! Agamemnon leaves and momentarily returns from one of the longest, most infamous wars in all human history within the span of a few minutes. This unexpected dramaturgical moment left me a little awestruck at Carr’s confidence and self-assurance with the material.

The set and costume designs by Valentin Peter Eisele are inextricably linked in this production and are some of its most interesting aspects. The stage is entirely white, with, of course, an altar that can be broken apart into several different block-like objects used for various furnishings. The stark white environment is punctuated only by several splashes of red, specifically, a red nylon circular tent-like structure that surrounds the perimeter of the stage. The fabric acts as many things: the sails of the ships heading off to Troy, the palace itself and Agamemnon’s harem. I appreciated the vivid simplicity of this set choice and its utility as a generator of metaphor throughout.

The costumes, similarly, were simple but effective. All white and made from thick, stiff fabric, several of them reminded me of straitjackets from a twentieth century gothic narrative. Clearly, this was not a coincidence, and I found it particularly evocative for many of these characters, who are desperately attempting to make peace with the horror of Iphigenia’s sacrifice. They circle around and around the inescapability of the event and yet are never able to fully come to terms with it. At one point Clytemnestra says, “You want to pretend it never happened?” and Agamemnon replies, “Is there another way?” illustrating two entirely different approaches to their daughter’s death.

The cast is excellent. Keelie Sheridan, who is also the ICTC’s artistic director, is perfect as Clytemnestra. She plays the character as a pillar of reason, never slipping into an overly emotional, revenge-seeking mother. Instead, she plays a strong and dignified queen who knows her children deserve justice. Jorge Luna is a unique and unexpected Agamemnon. He is commanding, manipulative and adeptly captures the feeling of the over-sexed general who believes he is a god. Luna’s posture, specifically, stood out to me. It’s spot on; at any given moment, I felt like I was looking at a painting of a Greek king or war general. At the same time, Luna still finds moments to let fearfulness seep into the performance, revealing flashes of cowardice and doubt.

Tabitha Raithel, a highly talented newcomer, plays Cassandra, the ill-fated princess of Troy, brought back to Greece as Agamemnon’s mistress. She alters our expectations of the character, not playing Cassandra as a terrified victim, but more like a curious young woman enthralled by her new surroundings. Cassandra knows Clytemnestra is going to kill her, but Raithel never plays fear or doom, letting the audience see more of the humanity and tactically strategic nature of the character.

Darryl Semira, likewise, is exceptional in his few scenes as Aegisthus, Clytemnestra’s jealous and vengeance-driven lover. Semira is a seasoned pro; you just want to watch whatever he does. While others tiptoe around their feelings, Semira’s Aegisthus is not shy about showing us his rage and need for retribution. Dramaturgically, the character represents the barbarism that is possible between these characters, recounting how Aegisthus’s father, Thyestes, clashed with Agamemnon’s father, Atreus, over the throne of Mycenae. In response to their rivalry, Atreus killed all Thyestes’ children except Aegisthus and served them to Thyestes at a banquet. Shakespeare pulls directly from this mythological event when he writes a similar scenario in Titus Andronicus.

Paige Batt is fantastic. She is grounded and warm, representing motherhood and comfort in an otherwise purely tumultuous world. Her character, Cilissa, was Orestes’ nursemaid, briefly appearing in Aeschylus’s play The Libation Bearers, but nowhere else in Greek drama. Batt plays a woman who we believe has seen horrors perpetrated against many women in her life but is somehow able to maintain empathy and warmth for those around her. She is, in a way, the feminine response to Queen Clytemnestra’s coldness. One particular moment of Batt’s performance sticks in my mind. Cassandra approaches Cilissa, begging to know where her newborn twins have been taken. “What about my children?” she cries. Cilissa replies, “Don’t talk to me about children! What about my children?” The agony Batt puts into the line breaks open an often-forgotten aspect of Greek tragedy: the pain suffered by the servants and nursemaids of such royal families.

Finally, although he only graces us with a few short scenes in Act 2, Dave Marciniak commands the stage, as always, playing Tyndareus, the father of Clytemnestra. The scenes with Marciniak are excellent and suck us back into the story during a bit of third-act lag in the last 25 minutes. Marciniak is the perfect choice to play a powerful king whose presence alone can startle and intimidate another powerful king!

The direction by Anderson Carr is crisp and straightforward, with an aspect of experimentation in its blocking and movement. A. Carr keeps things moving forward at a clipping pace, despite much of the play being delivered in first-person soliloquy form. The use of slow-motion battles, pillows as children and red feathers for blood reminded me of an experimental or devised play from the early 2000s, and I mean that as a form of flattery. The show embraced the practice of highly metaphorical storytelling, and I found it refreshing after not having seen that sort of staging in Buffalo in a while.

Bravo to all involved with Girl on an Alter. If you’re a fan of the classics, you absolutely must catch it in its final weekend. Ancient history and literature fans will also adore the production, as will anyone who loves Greek drama, or those interested in brushing up on their mythology before Christopher Nolan’s Odyssey film adaptation comes out next month.

Girl on an Alter will complete its run with performances tonight (Friday, June 26), two performances on Saturday and the final show on Sunday. Tickes are available HERE.

Dr. Bella Poynton is a playwright, dramaturg, actor and theater historian from Buffalo. She teaches at SUNY Oswego.