The Trojan War is over and lots are drawn over the fate of the women – they are being shipped off to foreign lands as concubines for the murderers of their husbands and sons. Their home lies in ruins. Euripides's classic play about the women’s roles in war-time, their grief and their pride, is both emotional and disturbing. And it is difficult to stage: long solitary monologues are combined with very little plot set amongst complex Greek mythological storylines, making it challenging to adapt for a modern audience. This production copes very well, however, transposing the Trojan women’s suffering to modern times in a remarkable way.

Most importantly, the acting is strong and impressive throughout the cast. The play features highly complex female characters: there is Andromache (Eleanor Mack), Hector’s gentle and peaceful wife; Helen (Rebecca Thomas), the seductive, red-dressed monster and cause of the cruel war; Cassandra (Rhianna Frost), the frenetically mad, burning lover; and at the centre there is Hecuba (Georgie Henley), once living a life full of pride, now subjugated to living in shame and slavery. All four actors are outstanding in their performances, and a sharp contrast is provided between their characteristics and motives. Supported by a strong chorus and two male appearances (Jack Ranson and Ryan Monk) these four deliver a very enjoyable and moving performance. The long monologues, challenging to any actor, are delivered acutely and credibly.

This leads to the play’s other main strength; that it works very well with the brilliant but sometimes impenetrable text. Indeed, the play sticks to the text almost word-for-word in longer speeches, including some fantastic lines that are strikingly relevant to the modern day whilst also reflecting the role of women two thousand years ago.

The production team, directed by Sarah Mercer, intersperse the text with clever staging ideas: masks are used as symbols of subjugation (and the rupture thereof) whilst UV-light and stroboscope effects enhance the visual scene, and a dead child soaked in blood serves as shocking manifestation of the ever-present cruelty. These ideas really help the monologues come to life on stage by offering changes to the play’s speed and dynamics.

The downside of this classical adaptation is that a lack of interaction between characters on stage occasionally makes the play hard to follow – it certainly isn’t light entertainment and requires a lot of concentration. But the show, in return, delivers on its promise of providing staggeringly well performed, hard-hitting Greek tragedy. It is rare to see good classical adaptations of ancient plays, and even more so in the world of student theatre. This is a powerful performance that is definitely worth seeing.