ISU Theatre’s newest drama, “The Medea Myth,” which opened last Friday night, carries an important message about the global epidemic of domestic violence.

Unfortunately, this particular production will not reach many of the people who need to hear this message the most, simply because of the style of the show.

“The Medea Myth” is a recent adaptation by Dan Plato of Euripides’ ancient Greek tragedy. It tells the story of Medea and her husband Jason, who abandons his wife and two young sons in order to marry a princess.

Intertwined with dialogue from the actual story are tales from six women, all of different nationalities and cultures, who go into detail about the abuse they have suffered at the hands of a partner.

Plato replaced the classic Greek chorus with this ensemble, making for a completely relevant and modern take on the original.

The six women who make up the chorus, Shalini Amersey, Lashawna Bowe, Mary Carr, Minkyung Cho, Kari Johnson and Tarishma Williams, told some amazing stories. It’s one thing to hear about a woman being stalked or killed on the evening news, but it’s completely another to see actual faces telling true stories of how their husbands beat them.

This facet of ISU Theatre’s performance is powerful and chilling. Though I’m not sure that it fits so well with the story of Medea and Jason, it is an interesting take on Euripides’ ancient play.

So, too, is the atmosphere of Fisher Theater. Strewn about the entire building are plywood silhouettes, each representing an Iowa woman who had been killed by her partner.

Each figure bore the name, age and story of a woman, and the sheer number of them is enough to make you shudder.

While so much of the experience was positive and informative, I had difficulty with much of the play. Though I felt extreme empathy for Medea and all women who have been wronged by men, it was hard to relate to Medea as a person.

Part of the reason may be that the character of Medea was divided into three parts and played by three women: Medea 1, played by the strong and dignified Erica Lonesome, represents the adult; she is reason and thought, and she is the present.

Medea 2, played by Patty Westlund, shed more tears in one night than most people have in months. She is the parent, who represents love, emotion and the past. Medea 3, played by the powerful and defiant Delores Abdullah, is the child: She wants action and revenge. She is the future.

Obviously, these characters are highly allegorical, which truly took the humanity from Medea and made her a woman of, literally, many faces. Unfortunately, this had the effect of depersonalizing her, and when dealing with such a highly sensitive issue, I think it’s essential that a woman retain her own identity.

Fortunately, these three women, along with the six in the chorus, performed quite well together. They had sort of empowering chemistry that made me proud to be a female as well.

The men of the cast were slightly overshadowed by these strong characters and female actors — perhaps on purpose, given the subject matter — but I found the imbalance too unrealistic and disconcerting.

So while “The Medea Myth” is not exactly an action-adventure show, your ears and eyes will have a feast. The dialogue is smooth and deliberate, and the costumes are eye-popping.

Given the message of the play, every person in the Ames community should make sure to see it. It will make you angry, and it had damned well better. But given the style of the show, it won’t reach as wide an audience as it should, which is totally our loss.