Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Tahreen Kutub, Michael Cavanagh, Angela McComb, Ifan James, Gillian Paterson-Fox, Richard MacDonald, Peter Durr, Maria Hutchison, Kenny Lanceley, Yahya Baggash, Kaylee-Ann Meredith, Ian Gray, Pam Campbell.
The destruction of Troy has been assured for years yet for Odysseus the battle remains fresh in the memory as each day he is kept away from the island of Ithaca, his beautiful wife Penelope and son Telemachus, a plaything of the gods, a supplicant to the immortals, their whims and desires. For Odysseus the world has been against him and his men for two decades and all he wants is to be home, a home in which Penelope now is being courted by fresh suitors who abuse the hospitality and ransack the estate.
The Odyssey is one of the oldest stories still in existence and yet it still has the power to beguile, to intrigue and fascinate a reader of the tale or thrill an audience who are fortunate enough to see it any form in the theatre. It can, and should, be seen as a privilege of theatre and for Burjesta Theatre that privilege was enhanced by the very nature and ethos of the company set down by Julian Bond, Mikyla Jane Durkan and their spirited, wholesome group of players.
Taking the play to the Unity Theatre seemed a natural progression after a few and utterly well received dates at The Casa and the natural openness of the Unity served its purpose well as Odysseus took on the likes of Cyclops and the bewitching Circe, played with great passion by Tahreen Kutub and his own people who thought nothing of sacking his home and his reputation.
Aided by a marvellously adapted Tiresias, the only character in ancient texts to appear in both The Odyssey and Dante’s Inferno, by Kenny Lanceley, Odysseus took the Unity Theatre audience on a voyage of discovery that swelled the heart, entertained immensely and asked of the crowd to only think of the parallels in modern life; just how much some people have to fight against the all powerful system, gods in their own thoughts, in which to achieve their goals. By continually putting obstacles in their way, by making sure everything in their future is criss-crossed by impediment and hurdles, you are not deterring them, you are only making them stronger; it is a lesson some must learn quickly if they are to survive themselves.
A delight of an adaptation of The Odyssey by Burjesta Theatre, one that catches the eye as the company once more delves into classic literature to bring education and entertainment to the shores of Liverpool audiences.
Ian D. Hall