Jo Kelen’s Achilles, Death of the Gods is a work of stripped-back theatre that puts one performer centre stage and demands our full attention. She commands it from the first moment. Through voice and gesture alone she conjures a whole world of war, love and grief. It is difficult to take your eyes off her. Each shift in tone or movement brings a new character into the space, whether Achilles raging in battle, Patroclus offering tenderness, or Briseis speaking of the horrors endured by women in war. Without props or spectacle, Kelen holds the audience in the palm of her hand.
The story is well known, but here it becomes something more than myth. At its heart lies the question of choice. Achilles chooses to seek vengeance and it leads to desecration and destruction. Later he chooses to relent, and that moment too has consequences. Every action reverberates, reshaping lives and altering destinies. Kelen makes this theme clear without ever lecturing us. Instead, it emerges naturally in the flow of storytelling, as we watch each decision tighten the knot of tragedy.
This is not an easy piece, nor is it meant to be. The language is lyrical and often brutal, with images of violence and violation that are hard to hear. Yet within this darkness lies a kind of honesty, a reminder that actions carry weight and that power unchecked corrodes the soul. By the end, we are left with more than a retelling of Homer. We are left reflecting on our own lives, our own choices, and the shadows they cast. It is powerful spoken-word theatre, delivered with an intensity that lingers long after you leave the snug confines of Paradise in Augustines.
Reviewed by Pat Harrington
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