June 1, 2012 - June 17, 2012
by Enda Walsh
directed by Philip Cuomo
Winningstad Theater - 1111 SW Broadway, Portland, OR 97205
Penelope is Irish phenom Enda Walsh’s wildly ingenious spin on Homer’s The Odyssey. But it’s hardly your parents’ Odyssey; it’s one that’s drunk on language, big on laughs, and infused with the tragicomic spirit of Samuel Beckett. A beautiful woman, an empty swimming pool, four middle-aged men in Speedos, and a returning warrior. The hourglass is almost empty and wanting to die has never been this entertaining. Enda Walsh brings the goods in this brazen tale of truth, love, and the epic quest for victory.
Reviews
Walsh’s script leavens its seriousness with pitched hilarity, and it’s impossible to imagine another company or another set of actors handling the material this ably. These are some of the best actors working in Portland, and the casting couldn’t be more perfect…The script’s blend of humor and pathos is deftly handled in what is, above all, an admirably ambitious production—a reminder of why Third Rail deserves that reputation for presenting some of the best, most challenging work in town.
Portland Mercury
A production sharp, daring and superbly acted by four of the city’s best actors…It’s big acting, successfully tamed by director Philip Cuomo, broad then small and intense, comic then tragic..The design is as clever as Walsh’s wordplay.
Oregon ArtsWatch
An audaciously engaging production by Third Rail Rep…As smart and barbed as Walsh’s writing is, by turns touchingly poetic and hilariously crass, it helps immensely that we’re watching a tight-knit cast of Third Rail stalwarts, directed by Philip Cuomo, adept at riding the line that darts here between hammy theatricality and psychological understatement.
The Oregonian