Displaying items by tag: Jennifer Morrison
Margaret Atwood's 'The Penelopiad' Is a Zesty Romp, Even If a Bit Cerebral
“The Penelopiad” is a zesty romp and very entertaining. With a script by a writer I adore, Margaret Atwood of “The Handmaid's Tale” fame, and based on her novella by the same name, it tells the story of Odysseus’ wife Penelope (played stunningly by Jennifer Morrison)—and how she occupied herself during the long odyssey recounted in Homer’s Greek epic poem, “The Odyssey.” I had recently finished reading a new translation so that story was fresh on my mind.
Of course, this being Atwood, it is a reset of the tale, told from the woman’s point of view. And it is very scholarly, perhaps a bit cerebral in the first half, relating in more detail than Homer’s work the origins of Penelope, and how she ended up married to Odysseus, the King of Ithaca. We also see what life was like in the palace from Penelope’s perspective, and that of her dozen maids.
Odyseus went off to fight in the Trojan War. He was gone such a long time, 20 years, that princes of his realm presumed him dead, and vied to marry his supposed widow Penelope, and claim the throne. As the years wore on, they didn’t behave nicely—living on the palace’s largess and hitting on the maids relentlessly. It was an unapologetic patriarchy, to be sure.
In Homer’s version, Penelope is celebrated for being steadfast and true. And Atwood gives us this too, but without the male gaze. Penelope constantly thwarts and outwits the obnoxious suitors, and her corps of maids switches genders and roles to show what that was like. With an all female cast, and set with frequent music and dance, “The Penelopiad” relates many of the high points of the original poem. The first act, then, is a recitation of the Odyssey revisited.
Without question, “The Penelopiad” under the direction of new artistic director Susan V. Booth gives the best ever and very understated caricature of male behavior by women actors: the boasting stance, the lack of self-awareness, the entitlement, and the varieties of ways this is displayed by classically awful male personality types. It’s a bracing and edifying experience for a man to see.
This corps of maids also plays identifiable characters (though not credited in the program): the growing Telemachus, evolving from whiny teenager critiquing his mother Penelope’s behavior, to self-empowered accomplice when his father does finally return; the oldest maid, who carps at Penelope and the sisterhood she forms with the young maids. She soon recognizes the disguised Odysseus by his scars when he returns, and selects at his request the maids who will be punished for fraternizing with the suitors.
We also see a maid as Odysseus himself, a pompous braggart at times, who certainly did not make rushing home to Penelope his priority. These transformations in gender are aided by artful breastplate costumes (costume designer Kara Harmon).
Atwood describes “The Penelopiad” as most akin to a cabaret along the lines of Kurt Weill. The music and scintillating choral singing is composed by Samuel Davis and directed by Jeremy Ramey.
While in the first half we get mostly a poetic oration in a series of scenes—Penelope being cast heartlessly into the ocean by her father, surviving and gaining stature as a demigoddess; Penelope’s first encounter with the immature Odysseus—the second half gives rise to real drama. As the years wear on, Penelope develops one final ruse to avoid the suitors: she will weave a shroud for her father-in-law, and when it is done, will select one of the group to marry. Famously she unweaves the shroud each night, and eventually the suitors catch her.
Luckily, Odysseus is back, and the Odyssey plot grinds quickly to its well-known conclusion. Odysseus slays the suitors, and then horrifically hangs the maids as well. Penelope examines herself in Atwood’s retelling of the epic, and how she has survived only because she sacrificed the maids to the suitor’s unwanted advances. She was powerless to keep Odysseus from hanging the maids, though to her credit, Odysseus kept his intent from her. It’s a truthful and sad conclusion, set in a wholly entertaining frame of music and dance. Kudos to the dramaturg Neena Arndt for her role in bringing us this lesser known work.
”The Penelopiad” runs at Chicago’s Goodman Theatre through March 31
Funny, Incisive 'Southern Rapture' Skewers All Parties in 'Angels in America' Fracas
15 June 2026 in Theatre in Review“Southern Rapture” quickly elicits loud guffaws from the audience, a heartening circumstancve, as it means playwright Eric Coble’s script is…
Where Identity Slides: Steppenwolf’s Mesmerizing Catch as Catch Can
15 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewMia Chung’s Catch as Catch Can, which premiered with Page 73 in New York in 2018, arrives at Steppenwolf Theatre…
Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes Tour Lands in Rosemont With Subtle Force
13 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewNate Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes tour made its stop at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont with the steady, understated presence…
BrightSide’s intimate staging of The Producers shines with Broadway-sized power
13 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewBrightSide Theatre’s The Producers storms into Meiley Swallow Hall with the kind of swagger only Mel Brooks can inspire: brash,…
Factory Theater’s Two Out of Three Falls is a Theatrical Event
13 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewThose familiar with the Factory Theater space might feel themselves do a double take upon entering the theater for Two…
Magic Pairs with Artistic Expressions of Empathy in EAM’s Summer Art Exhibitions
11 June 2026 in BCS SpotlightElmhurst Art Museum’s two new exhibitions feature a pair of artists with Midwestern roots whose outlooks and perceptions of the…
Oak Park Festival Theatre's 51st Season Opens with HAMLET and THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
10 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreFor the first time in company history, Oak Park Festival Theatre presents two productions in repertory: William Shakespeare's HAMLET and Oscar Wilde's THE…
Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl returns to Paramount Theatre to perform folk dances from Mexico’s different regions, Thursday, July 30th
09 June 2026 in Upcoming DanceImmerse yourself in the enchanting wonder, vibrant magic and joyous celebration that is Mexican folkloric dance when Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl…
Guest’s New Andy Warhol Play A Study in Primo Theater
08 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewWhen Terry Guest left Atlanta and arrived in Chicago ten years or so ago, a bracing reality check caused the…
Intimate and Unflinching: The Last Five Years at Oil Lamp Theater
07 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewWhen Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years premiered at Chicago’s Northlight Theatre in 2001, it flipped the traditional rom-com…
Chicago Shakespeare's Brokeback Mountain Soars
06 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSome stories refuse to fade with time, and Brokeback Mountain is one of them. What began as a modest short…
Poetry in Motion: Joffrey's Eugene Onegin enraptures at the Lyric Opera
05 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewThere’s something magical about stories. Stories have the power to transcend time, reaching across the centuries to share their thoughts,…
Redtwist Theatre presents Anatomy of A Suicide August 12-30
04 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreProduced in partnership with JunkHeart, The Metal Shop Performance Lab is proud to announce the cast and creative team for Anatomy of a Suicide, August…
Juneteenth Prelude: Celebrating Freedom and Black Expression, an evening of entertainment and community
04 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBlack Ensemble Theater Founder and Executive Director Jackie Taylor proudly announces Black Ensemble's Juneteenth Prelude: Celebrating Freedom and Black Expression, as part of…
4 Chairs Theatre's Good People coming to Theater Wit July 17th through August 23rd
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreWelcome to Southie, a Boston neighborhood where a night on the town means a few rounds of bingo, this month’s…
DESERTED - REDTWIST THEATRE - Through AUGUST 2nd
03 June 2026 in Now PlayingAward-winning Redtwist Theatre presents Deserted, playing June 14 through August 2, a world premiere by Melanie Coffey and directed by Laura Sturm*, at Redtwist Theatre, 1044 W. Bryn…
Black Ensemble Theater continues its 50th Anniversary Season with the revival of the hit musical revue Men of Soul
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBlack Ensemble Theater continues its 50th Anniversary Season with the return of the celebrated musical revue Men of Soul, written and directed by Artistic…
Collaboraction Theatre announces June shows and events in its new House of Belonging in Humboldt Park
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreNow fully activated, Collaboraction Theatre Company’s new House of Belonging in the Kimball Arts Center, 1757 N. Kimball Ave in…
keerah - Lost Between Myth and Reality
03 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewDefinition Theatre's Amplify New Play Program exists to elevate emerging voices, and Netta Walker's keerah certainly arrives with ambition. Loosely…
Metropolis Performing Arts Centre presents The Wizard of Oz July 8th through August 9th
03 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreMetropolis Performing Arts Centre, located in the heart of downtown Arlington Heights, 111 W. Campbell St., is proud to announce the cast…
No Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre Company Presents 'The Importance of Being Earnest' July 9-26
01 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreNo Dogs in the Kitchen Theatre is thrilled to continue its third season with The Importance of Being Earnest, written by…
Kokandy Productions Presents SUNDAY IN THE PARK WITH GEORGE - August 13 – November 1, 2026 at The Chopin Theatre
01 June 2026 in Upcoming TheatreFollowing is critically acclaimed productions of Sweeney Todd and Into the Woods, Kokandy Productions once again celebrates the great Stephen…
'The Last Word' - A Cocktail of Comedy, Mystery, and Heart
01 June 2026 in Theatre in ReviewSome theatrical experiences ask you to sit back and watch. "The Last Word" invites you to pull up a chair,…
Paramount’s smash hit, immersive Million Dollar Quartet returning to rock Aurora’s Stolp Island Theatre, March 4-May 31
30 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreParamount Theatre’s smash hit, immersive musical Million Dollar Quartet wrapped its spring run at downtown Aurora’s Stolp Island Theatre this…
The Second City's Laughing For All The Wrong Reasons - Paramount's Copley Theatre - Through June 20th
28 May 2026 in Now PlayingParamount Theatre is proud to host the world’s most influential name in comedy, The Second City, back for for a…
Award-winning musical Mexodus makes Chicago premiere at Studebaker Theater in November
28 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreStudebaker Theater (Erica Berger and Jacob Harvey), P3 Productions (Ben Holtzman, Sammy Lopez, and Fiona Howe Rudin) and Audible, in collaboration with Teatro Vista…
About Face Theatre announces 2026-2027 season
28 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreAbout Face Theatre is proud to announce its 32nd season featuring the Pulitzer Prize winning musical A Strange Loop and the Midwest Premiere of i…
Announcing the 2026 Broadway In Chicago Summer Concert
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreBroadway In Chicago will bring its free annual SUMMER CONCERT to Millennium Park on Monday, August 10, 2026. Sponsored by…
YI Love Jewish and Arts Judaica Chicago Premiere of A PEOPLE at Theater Wit June 18 – July 5
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreThe South Florida based YI Love Jewish and Chicago-based Arts Judaica proudly join forces to present a limited engagement of the Chicago…
HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH Coming to Chicago July 9th
27 May 2026 in Upcoming TheatreJK Entertainment is proud to announce the final production of their inaugural season: HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, the cult-classic created…
Latest Articles
-
Funny, Incisive 'Southern Rapture' Skewers All Parties in 'Angels in America' Fracas
Written by Bill Esler“Southern Rapture” quickly elicits loud guffaws from the audience, a heartening circumstancve, as it means playwright Eric Coble’s script is doing its job. Billed as a satire, it recounts the tumultuous week in real life leading up to the 1996… -
Where Identity Slides: Steppenwolf’s Mesmerizing Catch as Catch Can
Written by Ken PayneMia Chung’s Catch as Catch Can, which premiered with Page 73 in New York in 2018, arrives at Steppenwolf Theatre - one of Chicago’s most dynamic and daring artistic institutions - with a production that immediately embraces the play’s slippery,… -
Factory Theater’s Two Out of Three Falls is a Theatrical Event
Written by Lauren KatzThose familiar with the Factory Theater space might feel themselves do a double take upon entering the theater for Two Out of Three Falls. Scenic Designer Manuel Ortiz completely transforms the space. The three-quarter thrust stage that has been there… -
Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes Tour Lands in Rosemont With Subtle Force
Written by Ken PayneNate Bargatze’s Big Dumb Eyes tour made its stop at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont with the steady, understated presence that has become central to his appeal. Bargatze continues to draw humor from the small missteps and everyday confusions that…
Does your theatre company want to connect with Buzz Center Stage or would you like to reach out and say "hello"? Message us through facebook or shoot us an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
*This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to Buzz Center Stage. Buzz Center Stage is a non-profit, volunteer-based platform that enables, and encourages, staff members to post their own honest thoughts on a particular production.