A couple of years ago, Jobsite added a one-woman show to its upcoming roster. It had a great run at Joe’s Pub in New York City, and David Jenkins, Jobsite’s producing artistic director, knew just who he wanted for the show’s only role.
That play, Penelope: An Epic New Musical, with Jobsite Artistic Associate Colleen Cherry in the title role, opens Wednesday, Aug. 19, in Shimberg Playhouse. Coincidentally, this very same Penelope also is a character in a recent film you may have heard about.
The Penelope in question is the wife of Odysseus, hero of The Odyssey, Homer’s epic poem written nearly 3,000 years ago. Director Christopher Nolan’s film version opened in July and has been wowing audiences and smashing box office records ever since.
It’s made The Odyssey a hot topic. It’s raised the profile of Penelope as well.
“Talk about tapping into the zeitgeist,” said an obviously pleased Jenkins. Nolan was writing the script around the time Jobsite chose Penelope.
“We knew there was a Nolan film on the horizon, but we had no idea everything would line up like this,” Jenkins said. A week prior to the show’s opening, the entire run was 65% sold out.
The film also has spurred discussion of its “adaptations, the role of women in the story and so on,” Jenkins said. Penelope: An Epic New Musical “is currently killing it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival,” he added. “I’m not sure our luck could be better.”
While Penelope: An Epic New Musical takes place during Odysseus’ journey, the focus is on the wife who’s at home waiting and waiting and waiting for his return. And, lord, does she need a drink.
She’s got a lot to spill: a husband still not back from the war the rest of the troops returned from years ago; a bunch of suitors counting on Odysseus not making it back; the disappearance of her son; and her faith — in her gods, in her marriage and ultimately, in herself.”
Backed by onstage musicians playing strings, drums and piano, Penelope’s story is by turns hilarious and haunting, hushed and explosive.
Jenkins had Cherry in mind for the role early on. “The second I heard bits of Penelope, I knew it was for her,” Jenkins said. “I chose this show very specifically for Colleen to perform in.”
Cherry is quite familiar with the source material, as well as a host of remakes and retellings of the tale. She has her favorites, but Nolan’s isn’t one of them.
Nolan’s Odyssey “had a LOT of missed opportunities to be a much more complex, interesting epic,” Cherry posted online. “However, I’ll say I’m grateful it exists and that it’s brought this almost 3,000 year old story back into fiery public discourse.”
Cherry’s favorite versions include Margaret Atwood’s The Penelopiad, a mini-series starring Armand Assante, retellings on children’s programs Ducktales and Wishbone, Homer’s original poem and now Penelope: An Epic New Musical.