`TROJAN WOMEN' by Euripides -- BMDS at Daylesford -- September 28-October 3.

*** Greek tragedy is, at the best of times, a hard sell at the box office. This BMDS production of `The Trojan Women' will not make it any easier.

Based on events from Greek myths, Euripides' gods wreak vengeance, and death and violence permeate, but almost all of the action, reported by `messengers', occurs offstage. Within an essentially classical formula, there is a Prologue to explain what has gone before and a Chorus to comment on the plot (such as it is) as the implications of the tragedy unfolds.

All the more reason, then, for amateurs to beware a theatrical form that demands superlative acting skills.

In this case, the women of Troy are lamenting, after a ten-year siege, the defeat -- and deaths -- of their men at the hands of the Greeks. One by one, those women who have not been slain, are to be led off into slavery -- which fate and its attendant horrors the remaining few now await. Their articulation of the suffering that war brings, all too often to the innocent, has echoed down the centuries and still has reverberations today (we only have to think of the Balkans, Rwanda, Afghanistan).

Director Barbara Jones had planned this play a couple of years ago but, rather wisely, abandoned the idea when she was unable to cast it. This begs the questions why, this time around, she felt the situation had improved. With a few exceptions, this cast, even by amateur standards, was woefully inadequate.

Again, Jones had chosen an excellent translation by Neil Curry whose language is accessible while still retaining its poetry. Unfortunately, most of the cast seemed bereft of any sense of poetic diction, throwing line after lovely line away, reducing what should have been an evening of powerful emotion to a repetious drone and sometimes embarrassing display of histrionics. (As a colleague remarked, it was all a bit like an end-of-term high school play).

Among the few highlights of this mercifully short drama, Nikki Durrant's appearance as the fatally beautiful Helen (or "the whore of Sparta'' depending on which side you were on) was indeed credible as `the face that launched a thousand ships'. Besides displaying oodles of sensuality, she was smirkily defiant as her luckless husband finally caught up with her to demand some explanation of her lustful machinations.

Sheilagh Robertson took on the difficult, central role of Hecuba who has to endure the death of most of her family -- including the murder of her six-year-old grandson. There were some moving moments here, although she was in no way helped by a banal outfit of pastel pink skirt and T-shirt which looked as it if it had just been flung on for a quick shop at Miles.

Also turning in fluent performances were Roger Trott as the messenger Talthybius, and Carolyn Dewhurst as Athene, both of whom understood the poetry of the language and, technically, possessed the diction to deliver it to the audience. There was a fine effort, too, from Teresa Beeson as the prophetic Cassandra, who stood out in stark contrast to the dullards around her, clad as she was in flowing caftans, her exotic body lunges all over the stage rather reminiscent of Isadora Duncan.

The decision to stage the play in modern dress certainly should have helped emphasise the drama's topical relevance (John Thompson and Dewhurst as the gods in the Prologue representing today's capitalist villains, the captains of industry). As it was, the Chorus was bedecked in sad-looking frocks which, to my eye, already appeared more old-fashioned than long robes ever have -- rather like the notion to update nuns by putting them in knee-length gear, just as everyone else was swanning about in skirts that trailed the floor.

Scenery was minimalist, but effective, basically consisting of yards of white sheeting covering rock-like mounds and backcloths lit by flickering red light (designed by Peter Woodhouse) to convey the burning of Troy.

Greek theatre is important, if for no other reason that it is the fount from which all other western drama has evolved: well performed, it still has enormous power to move. While many will applaud the fairly unusual decision by the BMDS to stage a `meaty' play for once, just as many will be disappointed at this particular outcome.

PATRICIA CALNAN