Cultural diversions

It's remarkable that the entertainment that fascinated audiences thousands of years ago somehow still manages to fascinate 21st century theatergoers. Across centuries upon centuries, surviving translation and performed in whatever space is available, classic dramas such as Aeschylus' Agamemnon and Sophocles' Elektra continue to enthrall us. Recent back-to-back performances of these two Greek tragedies in downtown New York offered an expert alchemy of forebodings, intense dialogue, much-needed comic relief, bloodcurdling screams and, well, blood. However, neither the sight of a gory Clytemnestra striding across the stage, swinging an ax, nor the sound of the agonized cries of Elektra could deter one attendee from furtively texting her (no doubt urgent) messages. Perhaps Aeschylus had to deal with distracted Athenian audience members back in the day, although without mobile phones and playbills to conceal the phones, it's doubtful that such improprieties were as easy to get away with!