Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The late Dr. Howard Rubenstein’s translation of the famed Greek playwright Aeschylus’ play Agamemnon is a brilliant work. It is the first modern, very readable, very interesting and educational translation of an important classic with a wealth of explanatory information. The problem with former translations is that its English is outdated, stilted, and often hard to understand. Dr. Rubenstein’s version was performed in 1997 in California and in 2002 in Florida with high acclaim. The work is so good that it should become part of the literature courses in upper high school grades and in colleges. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]

The Trojan Women is a superb translation and adaptation of a splendid play by Euripides (about 480 to about 406 BCE) who wrote tragedies in ancient Athens. Scholars estimate that he wrote over 90 plays, most of which have been lost during the past 2,500 years. Only about a dozen and a half survived. The Trojan Women was first performed in 415 BCE. It is based in large part upon the classic Iliad by Homer which describes the war between the Greeks and Trojans. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]