Persians by Aeschylus is an Arresting Performance on Outdoor Getty Stage

Though summer is winding down and the kids have gone back to school, it’s not too late to treat yourself to one final summer night out. The Getty Villa in Pacific Palisades is showing Persians by Aeschylus through Sept. 27 – a performance you won’t want to miss.

Persians premiered on Wednesday, Sept. 4 on a cool night before an entirely absorbed audience and a few late summer crickets. Written in 472 B.C. by the Greek tragedian Aeschylus and part of a trilogy that won the Athenian festival of Dionysos that same year, it is the oldest surviving play in history.

Timothy Potts, director of the J. Paul Getty Museum introduced the play, calling it “interesting and accessible to audiences today” despite its age. Potts claimed the ancient Greek tale helps provide a “broader cultural context for what you expect in the Villa.”

While Aeschylus was Greek, he wrote the play from the point of view of the Persians who were sacked by Athens in the 480 B.C. Battle of Salamis – with “never a mention of the valiant heroes of [his] own side,” Potts said.

Performed by SITI Company out of New York and directed by Anne Bogart, the play portrays the grieving Persians who early on in the performance get word that Persia has lost the war in Athens. Will Bond is astounding as the messenger and gives a dramatic recount of the bloody battle to a shocked chorus of grieving Persians. Ellen Lauren gives an intoxicating performance as the Queen of Persia whose intense stare captivated the crowd. Stephen Duff Webber, playing the role of late King Dareius’ ghost, and Gian-Murray Gianino as the Persian King Xerxes are both dynamic showstoppers.

The 90-minute show flew quickly by as the audience was bewitched by the actors’ synchronicity and clear commitment to the performance. Striking costumes, spot-on sound design and arresting, though minimal, stage dressing all contributed to the overall stunning performance.

For tickets, visit getty.edu.