''Helen of Sparta'' is a tragicomic play by

Jacob M. Appel Jacob M. Appel (born February 21, 1973) is an American author, poet, bioethicist, physician, lawyer and social critic.Nagamatsu, Sequoia "A Few Words with the Ubiquitous Jacob M. Appel" ''Prince Mincer'' Journal http://primemincer.com/ confirmed ...

. It premiered at the

Venus Theatre The Venus Theatre is a major American regional theater in Laurel, Maryland. The theater was founded by Deborah Randall in 2001. The theatrical company is currently the largest production company in Maryland focused primarily on the retelling and a ...

in Laurel, Maryland on January 23, 2009."Helen's Revenge," ''The Baltimore Sun'', Jan 24, 2009 The play starred

Julia Heynen Julia Heynen is an American stage actress. She defined the role of Helen in Jacob Appel's ''Helen of Sparta'' at the Venus Theatre, a role in which critic Ted Ying singled out her performance as a "forceful personification of the face that laun ...

as Helen, D. Grant Cloyd as Paris, Phil Amico as Protesilaus, Mary Burke-Hueffmeier as Laodamia and Ellie Nicoll as Oenone.Ying, Ted. DC Theatre Scene. Nov 4, 2009 Critic Ted Ying singled out Heynen's performance as a "forceful personification of the face that launched a thousand ships" and praised her as "beautiful, confident, ndcharismatic." The play retells the story of the Trojan War from Helen's point of view. Paris kidnaps Helen from Sparta and carries her off to Troy for a casual affair, only to discover that she is an extremely fastidious and demanding captive. At the same time, Helen’s husband, King Menelaus, played by Christian Sullivan; finds his efforts to rescue his wife impeded when he is placed on the Pan-Hellenic “Do Not Sail” list. T. Smith in the ''

Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'' described the play as "original but problematic." The play was shortlisted for the ''Best American Plays 2010''. It was named one of the ten best regional plays of 2009 by the American Theatre Association.''Dramatist'', March 2010

Notes

2009 plays Plays by Jacob M. Appel Plays based on classical mythology Trojan War literature Tragicomedy plays Cultural depictions of Helen of Troy Plays based on the Iliad {{2000s-play-stub