Weddings are often thought to be sanctimonious occasions uniting those with only a superficial connection, except in the case when fifty brides decide to embark on a ship on their wedding day to escape the perils of marrying cousins they barely know. In this modernized version of “The Danaids,” by Aeschylus, such an event comes to fruition, bringing to light the lingering presence of gender stereotypes and the ongoing battle of the sexes. The audience is left to ponder how such subtleties of oppression continue to exist, and how extreme actions can be justified by dire circumstances.

David Jaffe, Frank B. Weeks Visiting Professor of Theater, directed “Big Love” by Charles L. Mee, leading a production that explored the play’s dialogue regarding gender and sex.

With the play’s large cast, 14 members portraying 16 different characters, Jaffe chose to create the performance “through a process of group-based work sessions.”

These sessions allowed the company as a whole to create the piece. The production also showcased the creative portion of the acting theses of Tori Amoscato ’08 and Edward Bauer ’08, and the scenic design thesis of Nick Benacerraf ’08.

Borrowing a general plotline from Aeschylus’ play, “Big love” wove together pop ballads with pieces of classical music to accompany it. Mee’s writing juxtaposes “high” text, at times poetic and powerful, with seemingly colloquial speak, referencing designers, brands and cities of today.

Although 50 brides and grooms are accounted for in the play, we only hear the stories of Lydia (Ariela Rotenberg ’10), Thyona (Tori Amoscato ’08), and Olympia (Elissa Kozlov ’08), and their respective grooms, Nikos (Zach LeClair ’10), Constantine (Edward Bauer ’08), and Oed (Sean Richards ’10). They offer us their opinions on marriage, love, and gender roles.

Particularly notable is the scene featuring a belligerent monologue by Thyona, which demonstrates her strong feminist ideals. She reaches the conclusion that she does not need a man, presenting this concept in turn to her sisters. Amoscato’s might is juxtaposed to Kozlov’s lighthearted and comic portrayal of Olympia, the play’s more naïvely feminine character, who falls into a far more stereotypical notion of passivity and submission.

Kozlov found a balance in her portrayal, fortunately avoiding a nonsensical, bubbly and simplified Olympia. She becomes a woman who in many ways still exceeds the predestined gender roles before her, standing with her sisters. The women are forced by law to marry their cousins, and must resort to killing them on their wedding night to escape. All but one succeeds. Lydia realizedsthat she loves Nikos, and spares him. The play draws to a close with a trial of Lydia’s alleged betrayal of her sisters’ pact to kill their husbands.

Blurring the gender binary is the character of Giuliano (Allie Levey ’09) who dons drag during the wedding scene. Levey is successful in bringing depth to his character, also graciously committing to his solo dance in a slinky red number that brings some lighthearted fun to what otherwise might be a lead up to a tense moment in the play. Jaffe also chose to cast Hansel Tan ’10 for the character of Bella, the maternal figure of the play who speaks with a heavy Italian accent. Tan brings forth a wonderful sense of comic timing in the sequence where Bella describes all her sons using tomoatoes as visual aids.

All in all, this production illuminates the multiple layers of commentary on the issue of gender politics. Jaffe accurately executed a fast-paced and dynamic play that is both intellectually stimulating and socially pertinent, highly entertaining and light-heartedly comic.