Sydney Theatre Company’s acclaimed production of An Iliad, starring David Wenham, is heading to Melbourne for a strictly limited season. The production of Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare’s adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek epic will play the Playhouse from 18 March to 11 April 2027, following its five-star Sydney run.
Directed by Damien Ryan and featuring live music from polymath musician Helen Svoboda, An Iliad puts Wenham at the centre of a gripping retelling of the Trojan War.
Wenham plays The Poet, a wry and weary storyteller condemned to recount one of Western literature’s greatest tales over and over again. After thousands of years moving through battlefields, trenches and cities reduced to rubble, he begins to question whether he can keep telling the story.
The production has already earned strong reviews, with Limelight calling it a “masterclass in storytelling”, while The Guardian praised its “dark magic of masterful oral storytelling”.
The Australian described Wenham’s performance as a “stupendous tour de force”, highlighting the actor’s ability to carry this epic tale through its shifting moods and centuries of violence.
An Iliad offers a fresh take on a story that has survived for thousands of years, examining the cost of war through one storyteller who has witnessed its consequences across generations.
Tickets are on sale now from artscentremelbourne.com.au.
