WORDS that still hold a resonance two and half thousand years after they were first written are ones that must have been explosive when first produced.

When they tell a contemporaneous account of a bitter and bloody war that evokes strong echoes of current events it’s easy to see why they have survived the millennia.

The newly-formed National Theatre of Wales chose the oldest surviving dramatic piece as the sixth presentation in a year-long project to bring world-class work to amazing spaces across Wales… and in a production that brought hard-bitten hacks to their feet at its conclusion, it’s a pretty safe bet to say it succeeded – in spades.

The Persians, by Aeschylus, was performed in the dramatic and rugged setting of the Army range on the Brecon Beacons. The audience was transported by bus to a ruined village, quite literally, in the middle of nowhere and immediately became an integral part of a performance that can truly be described as stunning.

A superb reworking of the text by Kaite O’Reilly kept the language contemporary but without losing any of its historical context. The action had many a nod to 20th century fascist propaganda rallies, with smart-suited Secret Service-style bodyguards providing the essential chorus element of every Greek tragedy.

But the sparse set and costumes only added to the reality of a play that appears to be a history written by the losers – until the losers actually lose when it becomes obvious that the victors are telling the tale.

This shift in perspective is so subtle and is coupled with some of the most powerful and evocative performances that have ever graced a Welsh stage.

The production was a clever mix of live theatre and cinematographic devices that saw the sublime Paul Rhys as Darius awake from the dead and and delicious Richard Harrington transform the messenger role into a modern war correspondent without ever abandoning the play’s gritty reality – or its historical accuracy.

It takes a true gift to reduce those watching to tears of empathy in as theatrical a setting as this, yet Sian Thomas’ powerhouse performance as the Queen was both affecting and effective.

Gerald Tyler, John Rowley, Richard Huw Morgan and an excellent Richard Lynch provided the links between the action in the form of the chorus that made serious nods to the production’s ancient provenance through the use of mime and narrative. Mike Brookes, conceptual designer, and Mike Pearson, director, have put together a production that is both minimalist and massive in its scope and marvellous in its realisation.