Review: The Penelopiad Starring Megan Follows

Yesterday I finally got to see The Penelopiad at Nightwood Theatre! As you may know, my undergraduate degree is in Classical Studies, and so when I heard Margaret Atwood's book was showing as a play, I jumped! I've never really been a fan of Margaret Atwood's books, but I loved The Penelopiad.

Synopsis:

Many of the Greek/Roman myths are centered around men and their great feats, but what happens at home while they are away? Penelope tells the story of waiting chastely for her long absent husband (20 years!), warding off suitors, raising her son, her relationship with her maids and weaving, weaving. She questions the "heroic actions" of her husband Odysseus, famously known as the trickster who created the Trojan Horse that destroyed Troy and the star of "The Odyssey". Penelope's twelve maids who protect her and ward off the suitors also interject throughout the play to recount the events from their perspective. The Penelopiad not only tells the story from Penelope's perspective, it aims to evaluate gender, class and the voicelessness that women endured during that time. The songs were beautiful and they used props and lighting in a way that I had never seen before. Megan Follows (Anne of Green Gables) was spectacular! This is a definite must see! Please note: I would not recommend this for a younger audience.

You can buy rush tickets about 30 minutes before the show and the minimum donation is $10. Nightwood Theatre is also running a fun campaign called "10,000 women". Donate $10 and choose a woman you would like to honor in your life. At the end of the campaign they are going to create an art exhibit with the 10,000 names! You can find out more information here.