One of Greek folklore’s most beguiling and absorbing narratives, The Odyssey details the return of Odysseus and his crew to Ithaca, after victory with the Trojan War. A true auteur and Outcry Theatre stalwart: Logan Beutel has forged Odysseus and Penelope, an adaptation of The Odyssey, directed and starred in it. Other cast members also wear numerous hats, playing various roles, singing and playing instruments with the band, assisting with numerous fancies and evocations.
By all accounts Odysseus is more cunning, more persuasive, more cerebral than other Greek heroes, skills that will come in handy on his journey back from a ten-year war. In his absence, his wife must ward off a group of voracious suitors, while she weaves a tapestry and reassures their son, Telemachus, that his father is still alive. Her mother-in-law, Antikla, nags, kvetches, disparages, moans and groans and makes her daughter-in-law’s predicament worse. Odysseus and Penelope cuts back and forth between Penelope and her husband’s stupefying journey.
Beutel has taken on the epic story of Odysseus the King of Ithaca, and Penelope his queen. Beutel has boiled it down to the bare bones (more or less) without losing the essence or upshot. Key moments are preserved: notorious episodes, grisly outcomes. Odysseus and Penelope captures the shock, the fear, the misery, the despair. One of the great strengths of Greek drama is its visceral, implacable ability to get under our skin. Beutel’s minimalistic approach is something of a risk, but somehow, it works. We get a feel for the arduous voyage, the dark humor of their struggle with the Cyclops, Penelope’s constant battle with violent alphadogs, the danger relentlessly stalking husband, wife and son.
On the other hand, one of the obstacles when staging Greek plays, is their tendency to get bogged down in rhetoric. You don’t want to spend a long in exposition, but you also want to do justice to content. It’s quite impressive how Beutel, Outcry Theatre, and drama students from SMU have converged to create this deeply affecting spectacle. This fluid and daring and truly poised performance. Megan Muscato and Reagan Wren’s choreography, Giulia Garbani and Fara Goldsmith’s shadow imagery, Beutel’s musical arrangements. The actors seamlessly move from dialogue to subtle, elegant dance episodes. The shadow images, emerging behind screens, add enigma, strangeness, something unsettling. Beutel’s eclectic series of songs: mournful, aching, wistful, blend (to my surprise) especially well with the saga unfolding before us.
Odysseus and Penelope played July 21-23rd, 2023, a collaboration of Outcry Theatre, and the SMU Theatre Department. “Mixed-Media” scarcely seems to describe this sophisticated, ingenious montage of mythology, tragedy, and dazzling, theatrical energy.
I was privileged to be there.