Ion presents powerful anti-war drama Looking for catharsis? Ion Theatre presents a brief run through Feb. 1 only of UCSD professor/Dr. Marianne McDonald’s translation of Euripides’ “The Trojan Women.” The Old Globe produced another McDonald translation of the classic tragedy in 2000. The current production is beautifully designed and staged by Ion Theatre executive artistic director Claudio Raygoza. The play is arguably the most powerful anti-war drama ever written, set in the aftermath of the Trojan War. The vocal work, both recorded and live, is splendid, beginning with a speech by the god Poseidon (a pitch-altered Walter Ritter) and including the entire ensemble. Raygoza casts the underutilized San Diego actor Veronica Murphy as Hecuba, who has lost her husband and who loses all her grown children and her grandson, cruelly thrown from a mountain. Murphy is as never before experienced, the embodiment of queenly grandeur brought low, her soulful alto voice most effective. The visual imagery is striking and imaginative, and without preaching, the translation is tinged with McDonald’s deep humor as well as her disdain for the war machine. Ion Theatre is located at 4580 Alvarado Canyon Road, San Diego. For tickets and information, visit www.iontheatre.com or call (619) 374-6894. ‘The Dresser’ features magnificent ensemble “The Dresser” stars Jonathan McMurtry as Sir, a broken-down Shakespearean actor who plays his last Lear, and Sean Sullivan as his faithful Dresser. Beautifully directed by North Coast Repertory Theatre artistic director David Ellenstein, the Ronald Harwood work features a magnificent ensemble. Catch this theatrical must-see though Feb. 8 only at North Coast Repertory Theatre, 987-D Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach. For information, visit www.northcoastrep.org or call (888) 776-6278.