Theater Reviews // The Odyssey at the American Repertory Theater

The American Repertory Theater in Cambridge’s new production asks a big question. “If you’ve gone through something traumatic, can you ever go back home?” The story of Odysseus is presented as that of a man who has been to war and done and seen terrible things who now must fight against the will of the Gods to make his way back home.

Confronted with several distractions on his journey, including a Cyclops and his wooly flock of sheep, a sea witch determined to keep Odysseus for her own amusement, and the potential promise of absolution in the arms of a priestess–Odysseus must navigate each of these situations as well as the oceans themselves in order to find his way home.

Meanwhile, Odysseus’s wife Penelope has been beset by suitors who are eager to wear Odysseus’s crown. She is simultaneously grieving and holding out hope for her husband’s return, but it has been years since she last saw his ship sail disappear on the sea or got word of his whereabouts. Can she maintain her hope that her husband will return long enough for Odysseus to make his way home?

The stakes are high for the characters in Homer’s epic poem and the person who did the adaptation of the show, Kate Hamill, did an excellent job breathing life into the material for a modern audience. She did double-duty by also playing the sea witch, Circe, as well as Woman 2 in the Greek chorus and really stood out with her intensity and wit. When she played the part of the Cyclops’ sheep, she inhabited the role and elicited a lot of laughter from the audience with her sheepish antics.

The play’s program states that “by reimagining the stories of Odysseus and his wife, Penelope, Hamill asks us to reflect on the cycles of violence, revenge, and the trauma of war, and more importantly to consider how we can learn to embrace healing and forgiveness in order to end those cycles.” It’s a lofty goal, but Hamill succeeds with this production where the humor also manages to shine through all of the trauma. One scene that is particularly funny is when the audience first meets Penelope’s suitors. They come on stage dancing to club music dressed in fur coats. Later, they play a herd of cows to the delight of the audience.

Odysseus is presented as a man of faith who observes the holy days and regularly makes his sacrifices, but after losing all of his men to misfortune he also loses his faith. The Priestess says to him at one point “You must have suffered terribly to lose your faith” and Odysseus’ suffering is plentiful. He was played to perfection by Wayne T. Carr who brought a fresh energy to the character. Penelope was played by Andrus Nichols, and she was mesmerizing as the long-suffering queen and brought strength and sensuality to the role.

This play features a lot of intense imagery including the death of a baby, animal sacrifice, mentions of sexual assault, struggles with PTSD, as well as flashing lights and fog so it may not be well suited for everyone. But if you can manage to sit through those things, this is a delightful way to spend 3 hours. The press night closing curtain earned a standing ovation from the crowd.