New chamber musical Penelope stars Grace McLean and is the version of The Odyssey as Penelope always meant it to be tolf! It heads to the Edinburgh Fringe this year.
“Penelope waited twenty years for Odysseus to return from the Trojan War. Now she’s ready to share her side of the story – but she’s going to need a drink first. Starring Broadway’s ‘phenomenal’ Grace McLean (New York Times), this contemporary chamber musical brings one of history’s greatest epics to life through a Richard Rodgers Award-winning folk-pop score. Sharp, funny and unexpectedly moving – this is The Odyssey as Penelope always meant it to be told.”
Where: Belly Button at Underbelly, Cowgate
When: 5-30 Aug
Ticket link: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/penelope
What can you tell us about your show? What is it about and where did the idea come from?
Penelope is a contemporary chamber musical about a day in the life of Odysseus’s wife who navigates aggressive suitors, glib gods and her own ambitions as she waits for her husband’s return. Our composer Alex Bechtel started writing this piece during the pandemic when he was forced to quarantine separately from his partner at the time – that isolation and uncertainty led him to feel resonance in Penelope’s story.
How would you sell it to audiences in one paragraph?
This is an intimate show with epic proportions – we’re taking a character from a 3000 year old western classic and centering her humanity. Just as it was 3000 years ago, life is hard, uncertain, prayers to the gods yield unsatisfying answers and we cannot know how long we have to wait to get the things we want, indeed if they will ever come. Penelope weathers this struggles with humor, creativity and an inspiring endurance.
Do you enjoy participating in the Fringe? And do you have any moments you particularly remember?
I was at the Fringe 16 years ago and am so excited to return! I remember electric supportive audiences, receiving them and being a part of them, and I am excited to be a part of that energy again.
What are you looking forward to the most in Edinburgh?
I’m looking forward to seeing bold, brave, innovative new work!
What’s next for the show?
We’re hoping to do a run in New York City in the coming months, and the show is available to license so other performers are able to step into this juicy role wherever they are!