City Garage presents the The Penelopiad by feminist icon Margaret Atwood, author of "The Handmaid’s Tale," In this remarkable retelling of The Odyssey, Atwood transforms both the power and the politics of the classic tale by shifting the point of view to Penelope. While her husband Odysseus is off fighting pointless wars—for the sake of her beautiful, shameless, aggravating cousin Helen—dallying with nymphs and sirens, and playing the hero, Penelope is holding the kingdom together. All alone, with nothing but her wits, toughness, and strength to rely on, she has to raise her rebellious son, face down dangerous rumors, and keep more than a hundred lustful, brutal suitors at bay. When twenty years later the “hero” finally returns there is indeed hell to pay—but it is Penelope and her twelve faithful maids who pay the tragic price. Atwood gives Penelope a modern voice, witty, pragmatic, yet still filled with pain as she gets to tell her own story at last, and set the record straight.
“To see a cast of 13 women onstage is a delight, and to see 11 of them metamorphose into a raft of ducks, a ship, a group of weavers, a pair of sacrificial animals, and more — feels like a modern yet anciently rooted chorus at its best and is a credit to Frédérique Michel’s choreography and direction.
- Amanda L. Andrei, Stage Raw
http://stageraw.com/2022/11/16/penelopiad/
"Yet another amazing and arousing production at City Garage Theatre retelling the story of the Trojan War. With choreography, singing and nudity... plenty of it!
- Edward Goldman, Art Matters
“What really makes up the beating heart of this production are the twin beats of ritual and theme. In a true echo of Greece's ancient theatre, much here is made of dance and masks….The way the cast members became ships, became waves, became ghosts, became slaughtered animals, etc. was part of how director Frederique Michel brought a frankly difficult play to life….A wonderful dive into the imagination.”
-David McDowell Blue, The World Through Night Tinted Glasses
https://zahirblue.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-penelopiad-review.html
