Star Tribune - Recommended

"...The power of "An Iliad" is its refusal to cluck with self righteousness, as so many preachy agitprop dramas do. (You know, geeks dressed in leotards howling at George Bush.) Yoakam's Poet is a brawny and vexed man who understands the terrible beauty of this vicious sport. And by wading into that mysterious realm with honest integrity, he lets this pool of spilled blood tell its own story."
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Twin Cities Pioneer Press - Recommended

"...Yoakam, bald with a scraggly white beard, interprets the text as a nameless poet. Sometimes he's chanting in Greek, head thrown back, neck vulnerable to the whim of the gods. Other times, he addresses the audience directly and conversationally, his language sprinkled with contemporary vulgarities. In some moments, his character seems carried away with the sweep and romance of the story. In others -- most notably during a recitation of wars from Troy through the Crusades and the World Wars and right up to the current conflict in Syria -- he seems overwhelmed by the carnage and the waste of human life and potential."
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How Was The Show - Somewhat Recommended

"...An Iliad, which just opened in the Guthrie's Dowling Studio, is a potent reworking of Homer's epic poem that connects the horrors of its war - the Trojans holding off the Greeks for nine years - with our own wars, or any wars. They all come down to men - sometimes just kids, really - from towns all over the world, sent to kill each other for someone else's transgressions. Written by Lisa Peterson and Denis O'Hare, the play maintains its centering in the ancient story, but the anti-war message it carries crosses the centuries."
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Aisle Say Twin Cities - Somewhat Recommended

"...The playwrights' complex and ambitious merging of ancient and modern narratives hampers the clarity of the storyline and muddles its thematic exposition. Nor did they draw upon lessons learned from modern conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan as much as I expected after reading the Guthrie's synopsis. I also wondered why the director did not fully engage the music, sound effects and the set's scaffolding until near the end of the play. Having a single actor carry such a heavy monologue without these devices might be asking too much. Yoakam delivers a spectacular performance despite these flaws."
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