This radical new production of Racine’s French classic Andromaque, by Cheek by Jowl, exposes our capacity for self deception with lacerating clarity.

The Trojan War ended in a blaze of shame, a massacre of horrific proportions. Now the children of Troy’s Greek conquerors face the impossible task of living up to their immortalised parents. Hector’s widow, Andromaque, lives only to save her son. When the Greeks demand his surrender, she faces an appalling dilemma.

Founded 27 years ago, Cheek By Jowl is an international theatre company currently working and touring in three languages and known around the world for its distinctive performance style.

Since 2006, the company, which is an Artistic Associate at the Barbican, has presented three seasons of British and Russian theatre: The Changeling and Twelfth Night (bite06), Cymbeline and Three Sisters (bite07), and Troilus And Cressida and Boris Godunov (bite08).

Andromaque is a rare chance to see Cheek By Jowl’s French ensemble.

Andromaque is performed in French with English surtitles, and is suitable for theatregoers aged 16 and older.