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A discourse on "Timos", a play by the Kollossae dramatist Straton.
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By Irena, Historian
It is a common saying that quantity does not necessarily mean quality. Such is the case with Playwright Straton's newest production, which tells the tale of a wretched man, a Kollossae by the name of Timos, ion a play that lasts for over eleven hours. Timos, the eponymous character, struggles with mental illness -- a madness that burdens his family, destroys his profession, and eventually claims his life.
I struggled to discern the message of the twelve-hour epic: was Timos's sickness a metaphor for the coddling of the modern Kollossae in the midst of current conveniences? Was it commentary that the natural savagery of the Mairu still exists within us, to be battled on a daily basis? In the end, I could come to no conclusion. The message was lost in too many details.
The play is written in a moment-to-moment telling of the events, and takes place over the course of twelve hours, where we learn of Timos' past as he expounds it in the present, about to be executed for crimes he committed under his derangement.
Inscrutable moments in the production were many. There was an instance when the narrative itself seemed to suffer a psychotic episode. Timos, whose madness has driven him to believe that he has become a Pteryx, removes all of his clothing, and proceeds to assault the town guards, the executioners, claiming that his majestic beak shall rip apart their entrails. At that moment, the torches dim, and the tragedian portraying Timos is replaced by an actual Pteryx, obviously captured from the Teeth of Naros itself. The fowl tragedian proceeded to attack his fellow actors along with members of the crowd who stood to close. In the end, the cast, with members of the audience and Straton himself, managed to slay the Pteryx. It way a rousing end to a rather drab experience, but again, it was completely devoid af meaningful narrative.
Of course, most of the audience enjoyed the performance, anyway. They were given the opportunity to participate in Pteryx slaying. But I fear Straton is losing his touch. It is clear now that he lacks the bold, confident direction that Andronikos provided his works.
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