Goodman Theatre
200 South Columbus Drive, Chicago
www.goodman-theatre.org
312-443-3800
Runs through Oct. 31
Mary Zimmerman brings her amazing and unique talents to Homer's The Odyssey, an epic tale that covers a journey home spanning 10 years, compete with monsters, gods, and human foibles. One of Zimmerman's greatest gifts, which are numerous, is the ability to take a story of mythical proportions and recreate it on stage with such vivid imagery and flowing words that the tale becomes human-sized. She lets us grasp these huge ideas by giving it to us with beauty, grace, and respect. She is a master story-teller.
The Odyssey follows the journey of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. As a tactician of the Greek army, Odysseus helped wage a successful ten-year war against Troy. This war was started when Helen, wife of Menelaus, was abducted by Paris, one of the sons of the King of Troy. The deciding blow for the Trojans was Odysseus' clever design of the Trojan Horse, a hollow horse that, unbeknownst to the Trojans, would hide Greek warriors. Once inside the city gates, the Greeks were then able to sack and destroy Troy. With this success, the Greeks sailed for home.
Odysseus' journey home, however, is delayed for another 10 years by gods and monsters. After his entire crew lose their lives to their own foibles, he is left alone on the seas, trying to reach his beloved wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus, who have been awaiting his return. They have endured struggles of their own as princes and men come from the land over to win Penelope as their bride. After 10 years, it is presumed that Odysseus is dead and that Penelope is now fair game, along with the castle and lands owned by Odysseus. Using similar wiles that her husband must engage, she manages to keep them at bay for these ten years. However, they have run the castle into the ground, and subjugated Penelope and Telemachus to nightly belittling. Their battle of human wit is counterbalanced with Odysseus' wit against gods and monsters.
Odysseus' delays start with the witch, Circe, who holds him and his crew under her spell for one year. They escape her, only to crash onto the island of the one-eyed monster, Cyclops. Odysseus triumphs over this monster, only to have his own ego defeat him. When Odysseus and crew escape the mutilated Cyclops, he is vain enough to call his name out the sea. Poseidon, Cyclops' father and god of the seas, makes sure that the winds are not fair and the way not easy. Between god-driven acts and his crew's demise due to their own folly, he is left alone on the seas. After landing on her island, the goddess Calypso keeps him prisoner for seven years, needing his company as much as he longs to go home. Finally Zeus, persuaded by his goddess daughter Athena (Odysseus' guide and guardian), forces Calypso to release him. He finds himself on the island of the Phaeacians, who finally assist him in returning to his home. His final battle must be to join his family, and rid his home of the marauding princes.
Zimmerman has assembled a highly creative and talented crew of actors and designers to make her vision come to life. The entire cast is marvelous, almost all of them in multiple roles. Christopher Donahue, as Odysseus, must carry the show with his ability to weave the tale as it unfolds in front of us. He does so with remarkable endurance and ability, giving us an Odysseus equally strong, courageous, clever, homesick, and weary. Douglas Hara plays a brave and loyal Telemachus, protecting his mother as he longs for his father to come back to them. Mr. Hara plays the youth with a naivete and openness since lost to our own world. Felicity Jones, as Penelope, rounds out this strong family. Ms. Jones is sweet and proud and plays the loss of her lover and husband with quiet strength. Other standout performances include Mariann Mayberry as Athena and Heidi Stillman as Calypso. Ms. Mayberry makes her Athena powerful and steadfast. Ms. Stillman is a very physical actress, draping herself across Odysseus with acrobatic ease. She also plays several other roles, including a beloved old dog. She brings great ability and passion to all her roles. Dexter Zollicoffer deserves special mention as Alcinous, the warm Phaeacian king. The entire ensemble is strong and talented.
The design team for The Odyssey includes Dan Ostling (sets), Mara Blumenfeld (costumes), T.J. Gerckens (lighting) and Michael Bodeen (sound). The original music was written by Willy Schwarz and Michael Bodeen. This creative design team has taken the cavernous Goodman Theatre, and used it to its best use. As someone said at intermission, it doesn't seem like a stage at all, let alone a stage of that magnitude. There are too many amazing feats to list here but Ms. Zimmerman and her design crew have given us many locales: a stairway to the gods, the open sea, a giant and his cave, a palace gone to ruin. The technical aspects all lend themselves to the storytelling. On their own they are incredible, added together they give us a feast of visual beauty and deathly horror.
Ms. Zimmerman cleverly lets us know that The Odyssey is still a part of our lives. We may have lost touch with it, but the story it tells is still a part of us. Ms. Mayberry starts the show as a modern girl trying to read The Odyssey. She also ends the show, meeting an unknown man carrying an oar. The Odyssey is still with us, even if we don't recognize it. And Mary Zimmerman has given us this epic tale, 3000 years old, so that we may recognize ourselves in this ancient story and this story in our modern selves. Don't miss this remarkable production.
