Paris is a rock musical written by Australian rock musician Jon English and David Mackay between 1987-1990, based on the myth of the Trojan War. A concept album was released in Australia in 1990 with the first stage production taking place in Sydney in 2003 and the most recent due to be held in Melbourne in July 2017.
According to English, the concept for the musical began in a 1982 prank: he wrote a song called "Oh Paris", about the mythic hero rather than the French capital, just to see how many people actually listened to the words.[1] The musical focuses on the love story between Helen and Paris as it follows his participation in the Trojan War. Paris is about the struggle to maintain some balance between passion and order, law and chaos, head and heart.[2]
In 1987 Jon English took on the role of the mad monk Rasputin in the stage musical of the same name.[3] This production, although controversial at the time, served to fire Jon’s ambition to write his own show based on the Trojan War. English travelled to England to again work with David Mackay who had produced his album Some People... (1983).
For three years, English and Mackay worked on the musical, with English stopping to star in the Sydney production of the musical Big River in 1988 and to release his studio album, The Busker (1990).[4]
After a decade of lobbying for a professional stage production, English released the amateur rights to the musical.[1] It was first performed in October 2003 by both the Regals Musical Society in Sydney[2] and the Laycock Street Theatre in Gosford.[8] English appearied as the Fisherman in one performance of the Gosford production.[1] The Melbourne premiere was on 29 January 2004 at the National Theatre,[1] with further amateur productions in Auckland in 2005[9] and Adelaide in 2008.[10] In April 2008, a re-worked version was performed at Laycock Street Theatre with new orchestrations and several new songs by Central Coast musician Andrew Swan and a re-vamped script edited by director Stuart Smith. In this production, English appeared as Menelaus. School groups and other amateur theatre companies have also performed the musical in the years since with Music Theatre Melbourne currently producing a concert version of the musical (July 2017).
Characters
Homer – The narrator
Trojans
Paris – Prince of Troy
Priam – The King of Troy; father of Hector, Paris and Cassandra
Hecuba – The wife of Priam
Hector – Heroic commander of the Trojan army
Cassandra – Princess of Troy and a prophetess
Aeneas – A Trojan noble, second in command to Hector
Laocoen – High Priest of Troy; the only one who listens to Cassandra
Adromache – Wife of Hector
Helmsman
Greeks
Helen – The wife of Menalaus and Queen of Sparta
Agamemnon – Brother of Menelaus; King of Mycenae and leader of all Greek forces, wants war with Troy
Menalaus – The King of Sparta; overprotective husband of Helen
Achilles – Proud immortal leader of the Greek army
Patroclus – Confidant and friend of Achilles
Ulysses – The intelligent and cautious King of Ithaca
Sinon – An inept Greek soldier
Ajax and Diomede – Greek warlords
Andruste – Helen's handmaiden and closest friend
Fisherman – An old friend of Helen's
Thersites and Talthybius – Sinon's inept friends
Synopsis
Act I
Paris gave a gift to the goddess Aphrodite in order to be with her. King Priam of Troy prays for guidance from the goddesses Aphrodite and Athena. Cassandra and Laocoen lament over the poor decision that Priam is about to make. She tries to warn her father ("Head Without a Heart"). Priam ignores her and sends Paris to the Greek province of Sparta as an emissary to foster goodwill ("What Could Go Wrong?"). Paris and Aeneas sail to Sparta, but the boat is wrecked in a storm and Paris falls overboard. Helen, the wife of King Menalaus of Sparta, finds Paris washed up on shore and nurses him ("Perfect Stranger"). He mistakes her for Aphrodite, falling in love at first sight. Helen wishes she could leave her life behind. Paris stumbles upon Sinon, Thersites and Talbythius, who escort him to the palace to meet the Greek kings.
Agamemnon and Menelaus try to convince the other Greek kings to invade Troy, but to no avail. Achilles barges in on the meeting and asks how Agamemnon thought it would be possible to take Troy without him leading the army. When Paris arrives, the Greek nobles are fighting about business ("Business"). They make fun of their bedraggled visitor, and Agamemnon thinks up a plan to exploit the Trojan prince for information. Helen tries to convince Paris that he has fallen into a trap, but ends up falling in love with him, and they escape together. They discuss that they can never be together, as they both have duties to their people. However, a guard finds them and tries to kill Paris, but Helen saves his life by stabbing the guard in the back. Helen's old friend, the fisherman, tells them to escape. When Agamemnon appears, he kills both the fisherman and Helen's handmaiden, framing Paris for the crime.
Menelaus reflects on his love for Helen. He will never rest until he has her back. This convinces the other kings to follow him and attack Troy. Paris sings to Helen about how fate has brought them together ("Trust in Your Heart"). Paris and Helen arrive at Troy, facing the judgement of his entire family for provoking the Greek kings and potentially starting a war. Paris stands up to his father, telling him that he will be with Helen, "Come Hell or High Water". This sparks a bad reaction in the crowd, who start hurling insults at the two lovers, and not even the rebuttal of Paris' older brother, the heroic Hector, can stop their anger. A war is imminent.
Act II
On the ramparts in Troy, Hector rallies the Trojan army, leading them into battle against the invading Greeks ("No Turning Back"). Paris and Helen sing about their love and commitment as a ten-year war begins, and countless soldiers die around them ("For Better or For Worse").
Achilles confronts Agamemnon about his selfish attitude and how he claims all the spoils of war for himself ("What Price a Friend"). He throws down his armour, saying that he won't continue to fight for Agamemnon. The Trojans launch an assault on the Greek camp, and with Achilles gone it seems all of their hope is lost. Patroclus dons his friend's armour and leading the Greeks under the guise of their immortal champion. Hector slays Patroclus, and Achilles laments the death of his only friend before challenging Hector to a duel.
Against the wishes of his entire family, Hector prepares to face Achilles, believing that he has a chance to end the war once and for all. Hector bids farewell to his family and marches out to fight Achilles. Achilles and Hector engage in an epic duel. Hector is the better swordsman, but he cannot penetrate the armour of the immortal warrior, who relies on brute force. Hector kicks Achilles in his one weak point, his heel, and drives him to the ground, where he frantically slashes at his foe, but is still unable to harm him. Desperately, Achilles, strikes up at Hector, impaling him. As Achilles ties the body of his fallen adversary to his chariot, Paris shoots an arrow at him from the walls of Troy, hitting him in the heel and killing him.
Paris mourns his deceased brother as the two leaders are carried off for their funerals. Ulysses, disguised as a beggar, confronts Helen, asking her if she knows any way to end the war. She has no answers for him. Ulysses prays to Athena, asking her for a way to end the war. He gets a response from the goddess and constructs the legendary Trojan Horse, realising that the only way out is a head without a heart ("The Horse with no Rider"). Agamemnon 'volunteers' Sinon as a stooge in order to convince the Trojans to bring the horse inside the city. The Trojans find the horse and Sinon, who convinces Priam to take it into the city. Cassandra laments that Paris should have known better, as Thersites and Talbythius sneak out of the horse and open the gates of Troy, letting the Greek army in.
A rout ensues. Paris and Aeneas try to gather up the royal family and escape the city, but find that Priam has already been murdered. They gather a small group of survivors and attempt to escape, but Menelaus finds them and shoots an arrow into Paris' back, still believing him to have abducted Helen against her will. However, as Paris dies in his lover's arms ("Oh, Paris"), Menalaus finally realises that Helen truly loved him and attempts to console her amidst the burning wreckage of Troy ("Love Has Power").
Musical numbers
As recorded in 1990, re-released in 2003 with new songs.[11]
Act I
"Overture
"Prelude
"Head without a Heart" – Cassandra and Laocoen
"Straight Ahead" – Paris
"What Could Go Wrong" – Paris and Aeneas
"Perfect Stranger" – Helen and Paris
"A Long Time Coming" – Helen
"Far Too Many Kings"[b] – Sinon, Thersites, Talthybius
"Business" – Agamemnon, Menelaus, Ulysses, Patroclus and Ajax
In Greek mythology, Agamemnon was a king of Mycenae, the son of King Atreus and Queen Aerope of Mycenae, the brother of Menelaus, the husband of Clytemnestra and the father of Iphigenia, Electra or Laodike (Λαοδίκη), Orestes and Chrysothemis. Legends make him the king of Mycenae or Argos, thought to be different names for the same area. When Menelaus's wife, Helen, was taken to Troy by Paris, Agamemnon commanded the united Greek armed forces in the ensuing Trojan War.
In Greek mythology and Roman mythology, Hector was a Trojan prince and the greatest fighter for Troy in the Trojan War. He acted as leader of the Trojans and their allies in the defence of Troy, "killing 31,000 Greek fighters." He was ultimately killed by Achilles.
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans (Greeks) after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, king of Sparta. The war is one of the most important events in Greek mythology and has been narrated through many works of Greek literature, most notably Homer's Iliad. The core of the Iliad describes a period of four days and two nights in the tenth year of the decade-long siege of Troy; the Odyssey describes the journey home of Odysseus, one of the war's heroes. Other parts of the war are described in a cycle of epic poems, which have survived through fragments. Episodes from the war provided material for Greek tragedy and other works of Greek literature, and for Roman poets including Virgil and Ovid.
In Greek mythology, Menelaus was a king of Mycenaean (pre-Dorian) Sparta, the husband of Helen of Troy, and the son of Atreus and Aerope. According to the Iliad, Menelaus was a central figure in the Trojan War, leading the Spartan contingent of the Greek army, under his elder brother Agamemnon, king of Mycenae. Prominent in both the Iliad and Odyssey, Menelaus was also popular in Greek vase painting and Greek tragedy, the latter more as a hero of the Trojan War than as a member of the doomed House of Atreus.
Paris, also known as Alexander, the son of King Priam and Queen Hecuba of Troy, appears in a number of Greek legends. Of these appearances, probably the best known was the elopement with Helen, queen of Sparta, this being one of the immediate causes of the Trojan War. Later in the war, he fatally wounds Achilles in the heel with an arrow as foretold by Achilles’s mother, Thetis. The name Paris is probably Luwian and comparable to Pari-zitis, attested as a Hittite scribe's name.
In Greek mythology, Deiphobus was a son of Priam and Hecuba. He was a prince of Troy, and the greatest of Priam's sons after Hector and Paris. Deiphobus killed four men of fame in the Trojan War.
Troy is a 2004 epic historical war drama film directed by Wolfgang Petersen and written by David Benioff. Produced by units in Malta, Mexico and Britain's Shepperton Studios, the film features an ensemble cast led by Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, and Orlando Bloom. It is loosely based on Homer's Iliad in its narration of the entire story of the decade-long Trojan War—condensed into little more than a couple of weeks, rather than just the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon in the ninth year. Achilles leads his Myrmidons along with the rest of the Greek army invading the historical city of Troy, defended by Hector's Trojan army. The end of the film is not taken from the Iliad, but rather from Quintus Smyrnaeus's Posthomerica as the Iliad concludes with Hector's death and funeral.
Tryphiodorus was an epic poet from Panopolis, Egypt. His only surviving work is The Sack of Troy, an epic poem in 691 verses. Other recorded titles include Marathoniaca and The Story of Hippodamea.
In Greek mythology, Hermione was the only child of Menelaus, king of Sparta, and his wife, Queen Helen. Prior to the Trojan War, Hermione had been betrothed by Tyndareus, her grandfather, to her cousin Orestes, son of her uncle, Agamemnon; she was just nine years old when Paris, son of the Trojan king Priam, arrived to abduct her mother, Helen.
Helen of Troy is a 1956 Warner Bros. WarnerColor epic film in CinemaScope, based on Homer's Iliad and Odyssey. It was directed by Robert Wise, from a screenplay by Hugh Gray and John Twist, adapted by Hugh Gray and N. Richard Nash. The music score was by Max Steiner and the cinematography by Harry Stradling Sr.
Helen of Troy is a 2003 British-American television miniseries based upon Homer's story of the Trojan War, as recounted in the epic poem, Iliad. This TV miniseries also shares the name with a 1956 movie starring Stanley Baker. It stars Sienna Guillory as Helen, Matthew Marsden as Paris, Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon, James Callis as Menelaus, John Rhys-Davies as Priam, Maryam d'Abo as Hecuba, as well as Stellan Skarsgård as Theseus. The series was entirely shot on location in the islands of Malta.
King Priam is an opera by Michael Tippett, to his own libretto. The story is based on Homer's Iliad, except the birth and childhood of Paris, which are taken from the Fabulae of Hyginus.
The Posthomerica is an epic poem by Quintus of Smyrna, probably written in the latter half of the 4th century AD, and telling the story of the Trojan War, between the death of Hector and the fall of Ilium.
Goddess of Yesterday is a book by Caroline B. Cooney based on the Trojan War from Greek mythology. The book was nominated for the South Carolina Junior Book Award, and was a 2003 ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers
The Iliad is an ancient Greek epic poem in dactylic hexameter, traditionally attributed to Homer. Set during the Trojan War, the ten-year siege of the city of Troy (Ilium) by a coalition of Greek states, it tells of the battles and events during the weeks of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles.
L'ira di Achille, internationally released as The Fury of Achilles, is a 1962 Italian historical drama set in the ninth year of the Trojan War and is based primarily on Homer's Iliad. The film was directed by Marino Girolami and starred Gordon Mitchell as Achilles.
The Silence of the Girls is a 2018 novel by English novelist Pat Barker. It recounts the events of the Iliad, chiefly from the point of view of Briseis.
Troilus and Cressida is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1602. It was described by Frederick S. Boas as one of Shakespeare's problem plays. The play ends on a very bleak note with the death of the noble Trojan Hector and destruction of the love between Troilus and Cressida. The work has in recent years "stimulated exceptionally lively critical debate".
Troy is an opera in two acts by Bujor Hoinic set to a Turkish-language libretto by Artun Hoinic, based on the ancient Greek epic poem Iliad by Homer. It premiered at Ankara, Turkey, in 2018 and was restaged at Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia, in 2019.
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