zeeBigBlog had the pleasure of seeing the acclaimed play, The Penelopiad, this week. Written by Margaret Atwood and directed by Nightwood Theatre, the play is a response to The Odyssey and told from the perspective of Penelope, the wandering hero’s wife who remained patiently in Ithaca while Odysseus left to besiege Troy.

Photo Courtesy of Nightwood Theatre, (left to right) Tara Rosling, Cara Gee, Monica Dottor, Pamela Sinha, Sophia Walker, Christine Brubaker, Raven Dauda, Kelli Fox, Bahia Watson and Megan Follows in The Penelopiad. Photo Credit: Robert Popkin

The story is told from the underworld, where Penelope has been dead for 1000 years. “Now that I’m dead I know everything,” are the first lines spoken by Penelope. She recounts her childhood and what it was like to be the daughter of a king and a water nymph. She goes on to describe how she was married off to a man who won her over in a foot race, despite his rather short legs!

Penelope recounts the ordeals she endured while her husband left to fight in the Trojan War. Unapologetically, she depicts what it was like to raise an unruly son, fend off opportunistic suitors, all the while maintaining composure under intense scrutiny from the kingdom.

Penelope seeks out the help of her twelve maidens to protect her good name and distract her suitors. Upon Odysseus’ return, he massacres the suitors and then brutally hangs the twelve maidens in an attempt to rid the castle of “filth.”

In The Odyssey, these maidens are not given names, nor are their murders unjustified. In The Penelopiad, these twelve women are given a contemporary voice that calls into question the issue of gender and class, which is often hugely misrepresented in history and in myth.

Photo Courtesy of Nightwood Theatre, Megan Follows and cast in The Penelopiad. Photo Credit: Robert Popkin

In the underworld, the twelve maidens haunt Penelope and cause her to confront the fact that, although she claimed to have raised them like daughters, she admits to how little value she had attached to them.

Penelope, played by Megan Follows, is accompanied by an all-female cast of twelve, who step out to play everybody, both male and female. Follows’ performs remarkably and is often times very witty.

Photo Courtesy of Nightwood Theatre, Megan Follows in The Penelopiad. Photo Credit: Robert Popkin

The group worked beautifully together under Kelly Thorton’s direction and the dance numbers, choreographed by Monica Dottor, were well done and enhanced the overall performance.

The Penelopiad runs until January 29 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre.