Helen of Sparta is a tragicomic play by Jacob M. Appel

Jacob M. Appel

Jacob M. Appel is an American author, bioethicist and social critic. He is best known for his short stories, his work as a playwright, and his writing in the fields of reproductive ethics, organ donation, neuroethics and euthanasia....

. It premiered at the Venus Theatre

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 focussed primarily on the retelling and adaptation of classics. Past productions have won...

 in Laurel, Maryland on January 23, 2009. The play starred Julia Heynen

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 launched a thousand ships" and praised her as "beautiful,...

 as Helen, D. Grant Cloyd as Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, Phil Amico as Protesilaus

Protesilaus

In Greek mythology, Protesilaus , was a hero in the Iliad who was venerated at cult sites in Thessaly and Thrace. Protesilaus was the son of Iphicles, a "lord of many sheep"; as grandson of the eponymous Phylacos, he was the leader of the Phylaceans...

, Mary Burke-Hueffmeier as Laodamia

Laodamia

In Greek mythology, the name Laodamia referred to:* Laodamia or Deidamia, daughter of Bellerophon and Philonoe, sister of Hippolochus and Isander and the mother of Sarpedon by Zeus. She was shot by Artemis one day when she was weaving...

 and Ellie Nicoll as Oenone

Oenone

In Greek mythology, Oenone was the first wife of Paris of Troy, whom he abandoned for the queen Helen of Sparta.Oenone was a mountain nymph on Mount Ida in Phrygia, a mountain associated with the Mother Goddess Cybele, alternatively Rhea. Her father was Cebren, a river-god...

. 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, [and] charismatic."

The play retells the story of the Trojan War

Trojan War

In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...

 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, 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 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.