The Penelopiad: The Untold Odyssey

The Penelopiad

The Penelopiad Rating

Click if you liked this article

2

The Penelopiad is a novella written by Margaret Atwood as a mythological reimagining of the classic Greek tale of Homer’s Odyssey. But, unlike Odyssey, The Penelopiad follows a linear structure, making the tale somewhat easier to follow. Atwood’s storytelling gives Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, a voice and allows the account to be told from her perspective. As such, Atwood has been accused of writing a feminist story, which she denies, but given her well-publicised views on feminism, this is an interesting consideration. What this storytelling does is highlight the difference a perspective can make.

From the Underworld, Penelope begins by telling of her childhood, at which time her father tried to drown her, but she survived, saved by a flock of ducks. Her twelve maids, who were later hanged by Penelope’s son, Telemachus and Odysseus, often interrupt her storytelling to voice their experiences, which contrast with Penelope’s privilege, as they recount their suffering. Penelope’s marriage to Odysseus is built on a lie as he cheats in a running race to win her hand, but ultimately she does fall in love with him and is not aware of the deception.

Odysseus spends 10 years in Troy defending the honour of King Menelaus and over this time Penelope is tasked with finding another suitor as Odysseus is not returning home. Following Penelope’s orders, The Maid’s plight ends horribly. When Odysseus eventually returns home, he engages his childhood nurse Eurycleia to tell him which of Penelope’s maids have been disloyal to him and he and his son Telemachus hang the disloyal twelve.

Penelope’s maids avoid her in the Underworld, and she still blames Helen (King Menelaus’ wife) for the Trojan War. She also continues to meet Odysseus whenever one of his new lives ends, as he consistently chooses to be reborn into the world of the living. However, the maids are tireless in their pursuit of Odysseus, haunting him on earth and in the Underworld.

The University of Adelaide Theatre Guild has taken on the mammoth task of bringing this story to life and, overall, the cast worked cohesively and were clearly committed to making the production a success. The Twelve Maids choral work was a welcome interlude as they executed Kristin Stefanoff’s original music beautifully, especially when considering their primary job was as dramatic performers. Costuming was effective and better utilised in the second half when the maids’ roles as both male and female characters were distinguished by the wearing of masks.

The moving of a seating prop was somewhat noisy and distracting – hopefully, this will not be the case in upcoming performances. The fight scene was well-choreographed but lacked intensity, although this may develop throughout the run of the production. Direction was imaginative in its use of the intimate space that the University’s Little Theatre provides.

Jane Ford portrayed Penelope with a convincing level of believability (a massive role full of lengthy monologues that this actor performed without one stumble – bravo), Theo Papazis did a credible job of his portrayal of Odysseus, but his Australian accent broke the characterisation on occasion. The Twelve Maids were committed to their roles; however, the wearing of modern nail polish, face piercings and modern jewellery felt out of place in this production. Kudos for a standout performance for this reviewer was Fredrick Pincombe as Telemachus – this is an actor to be watched!

The Penelopiad runs from 23 May to 1 June 2025; remaining session dates and times are as follows:-
– Wednesday 28 May at 6:30pm (with post-show Q&A)
– Thursday 29 May at 7:30pm
– Friday 30 May at 7:30pm
– Saturday 31 May at 3pm
– Sunday 1 June at 3pm

To book tickets to The Penelopiad, please visit https://www.trybooking.com/events/landing/1324503.

Photography: Maggie Morris of The Multimedia Emporium

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Persian Film Festival: The Great Yawn of History

The Great Yawn of History

The Great Yawn of History Rating

Click if you liked this article

The Great Yawn of History is a multi-layered debut piece written and directed by Aliyar Rasti, featuring as part of the 11th Persian Film Festival, Australia. Opening in Sydney and then touring both Melbourne and Armidale from the 24th of April to the 11th of May 2025, the program includes an official competition of feature and short film categories, which culminates in the Festival Jury presenting the Golden Gazelle Award to the best film in each section.

Staring Mohammed Aghebati known for When There Were Trees (2023) A Hero (2021), They (2018) and as the Director for 1001 Frames (2025), and Amirhossein Hosseini, an Iranian actor and visual artist, known for his diverse performances in cinema and theatre, The Great Yawn of History follows the journey of Beitollah (Mohammed Aghebati), a religious man who experiences constant and vivid dreams of finding gold coins at the end of a dark cave.

His religious beliefs mean that recovery of this lost treasure is haram, or more specifically, ‘sinful’, and therefore religiously forbidden in Islam. Due to this, Beitollah engages the assistance of the agnostic Shoja (Amirhossein Hosseini) to travel with him as he grapples with his ethical, moral and religious beliefs.

Throughout their journey, both actors bring different energies to the roles as they unpack the complex and specific character types – Aghebati expertly delivers an overbearing, sharp and to-the-point performance while Hosseini’s burdened posture translates into a believable portrayal of the worn-out and sceptical companion.

Iran’s staggering unemployment is also reflected in the manner in which Shoja is chosen for the task as Beitollah drops fake $100 bills on the street knowing that only a non-believer would pick up money found in this way, leading to the paradox lying at the heart of the storytelling – a contrasting moral dilemma – just the thing needed to ensure a successful and purposeful outcome.

Rasti combines faith and superstition with visually engaging cinematography that effectively displays the harsh landscape of Iran, providing the viewer with insight into its reality. Some prior knowledge of the Muslim religious belief system may be advantageous for a deeper connection to this meditative journey; however, this is not a ‘must’ to be able to discern the conflict of the opposing beliefs that are portrayed in this partnership and journey.

The Great Yawn of History is a slow and steady burn full of multidimensional layers.

The Persian Film Festival will run from 24 April to 11 May 2025 in Sydney, Melbourne, and Armidale. For session details and to book tickets to this and other films, please visit https://www.persianfilmfestival.com.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Tea Tree Players Presents Doctor In The House

Doctor In The House

Doctor In The House Rating

Click if you liked this article

2

It became clear walking into the Tea Tree Players Theatre that this is a well-supported community theatre company. This quaint little theatre came to fruition when a dedicated group, led by Diane and the late Robert Lamerton, ventured to establish the first live theatre within the City of Tea Tree Gully.

In 1977, this resulted in the construction of a stage, curtain, and wood-panelled wall, marking the official beginning of Tea Tree Players’ theatrical journey. Over the years, the stage has been enlarged, a new front curtain installed, the audio and lighting box repositioned, new seating fitted, and a foyer area constructed, amongst other continuous improvements, making viewing a production at this sweet little theatre a real treat.

Doctor in the House, written by Richard Gordon and Ted Willis is a classic British zany comedy based on Richard Gordon’s novel that sees the fictitious St Swithin’s medical students Tony, Simon and John balance the demands of medical school with the antics of their manic social life consisting of much frivolity, drinking and partying hard!

Kyle McCarthy plays the lovable John Evans, a somewhat dedicated student who clearly enjoys the lifestyle that college life offers. McCarthy is believable in the role bringing a warmth and likeability to his portrayal of this character. Clinton Nitschke, a seasoned performer, brought a wonderful sense of innocence and naivety to his characterisation of Simon Sparrow, a dedicated student who walked a comically slippery slope between studious dedication and drunken debauchery – a fun, credible and convincing interpretation.

Rebecca Mason’s embodiment of the sassy and seductive Vera complimented the predominantly male cast, while Charlie Klose made the audience belly laugh with her hilarious performance within the performance of a play written by Tony, one of the med students. Mike Phillips as Bromley, Barry Hill OAM as Sir Lancelot Spratt, Emily Sharland as Janet and Kate Readon as the matronly Matron completed a well-rehearsed cast expertly directed by Brian Godfrey. The set and costuming were fabulous, with only subtle changes made throughout the play to depict time jumps, which was all that was needed.

Standout performance credit must go to Ben Proeve, who confidently, convincingly, and professionally portrayed Tony Grimsdyke, a medical student who clearly influences the foolishness and creates hilarious moments, breaking the fourth wall without breaking character. Proeve was perfectly cast as this cheeky character and carried much of this production, acting in part as both the storytelling narrator and fun-loving med student.

Congratulations to the director, cast and crew of Doctor in the House – a good, fun production performed by a polished cast.

To book tickets to Doctor In The House, please visit https://teatreeplayers.com/production/doctor-in-the-house/.

Spread the word on your favourite platform!

Popera: Sex, Death & Politics

Popera: Sex, Death & Politics

Popera: Sex, Death & Politics Rating

Click if you liked this article

2

Uma Dobia presents this performance as a fun and interactive opportunity to educate the audience on the perils of what it is like to be a female within the world of opera.

Despite her obvious love and clear depth of knowledge of opera, this diva soprano damsel in distress openly blames opera for the docile and tragic stereotypical female roles within this art form. Setting out to set the record straight by influencing the audience about the distaste she has for this long-held ‘norm, ’ Dobia and her accompanying pianist ‘Carol’ start a nonsensical game show that is inclusive of unsuspecting audience members as they become part of the onstage entertainment.

Costumed in a racy red jumpsuit and knee-high sparkling silver stiletto boots (very impressed and left wanting some of my own), Dobia acts as the gameshow’s host for the evening’s frivolity, spinning the wheel for the adults only styled entertainment.

After her assistant and heart throb Trevor left her high and dry, which the audience learns about via a video message left by said assistant, Dobia takes charge of the stage and the show…between the tears and tantrums and unfortunate visuals of Trevor consistently shown by the tech crew who have not been informed of Trevor’s sudden departure, the audience is taken on a ride that interweaves pop and opera music through Dobia’s stunningly performed vocals.

This Adelaide Festival Fringe show performed at The Mill, a venue that provides a wonderful ambiance for a smaller production, did not have a large audience; however, Dobia did an incredible job, working hard to ensure those in attendance were thoroughly entertained.

Although the multiple-choice game show questions were, for the most part, unanswerable by its participants unless they had a reasonably comprehensive knowledge of opera, Dobia’s impressive vocals and call to arms for opera to ‘do better’ does not go unnoticed in the creativity of this informative, entertaining and saucy production.

To book tickets to Popera: Sex, Death & Politics, please visit https://adelaidefringe.com.au/fringetix/popera-sex-death-politics-af2025.

Photographer: Zena Photography

Spread the word on your favourite platform!