The Odyssey @ the Lyric

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24 February - 1 April
The Odyssey
A new retelling by David Farr after Homer

The Greek general Odysseus is washed up on the shores of a great city. He is immediately arrested by two bored immigration officers, Roger and Harold. Odysseus has only one desire - to get home. But to do that he must convince them who he really is. He must tell his story.

After writer/director David Farr’s recent controversial and highly acclaimed adaptation of Marlowe’s Tamburlaine at The Barbican (part of the Young Genius season), he now re-visits his adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey in a brand new production. Set in a modern detention centre, the production mixes exuberant theatrical story-telling with contemporary political provocation.

Farr’s highly theatrical adaptation uses the Odysseus myth to play with contemporary questions of war, imperialism, and asylum. It explores the psychology of Western war-mongering and painfully evokes the resulting fragmentation of war-torn populations into migrant peoples in search of a new home. Farr has assembled an ensemble cast of actors, singers, musicians and puppeteers to reinvent the story of one of the great classical heroes.

The Odyssey follows Farr’s radical re-workings of other classical stories: Paradise Lost (Bristol Old Vic) in which Eden was an experimental biosphere, Crime and Punishment in Dalston (Arcola Theatre) which took Dostoyevsky on to the streets of Hackney, and The UN Inspector (National Theatre) which brought Gogol into the post-Soviet political world.

Odysseus is played by rising star Stephen Noonan, who played Satan in Farr’s version of Paradise Lost and received rave reviews last year for his work at Chichester (5/11, King Lear). He is joined by actor/musicians Dave Fishey, Colin Mace, Stuart McLoughlin, Celia Meiras and Mia Soteriou and musician Peter Troake.

Joining David Farr to create The Odyssey is designer Angela Davies. Angela and David have collaborated on many shows including two Almeida operas, the award-winning A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Bristol Old Vic and most recently the Lyric Christmas show The Magic Carpet. Completing the creative team are Composer Stu Barker and Lighting Designer Chris Davey. David is a long-time admirer of Stu Barker’s work, which includes music for Kneehigh Theatre’s Tristan and Yseult and most recently for Emma Rice’s Nights at the Circus at Lyric Hammersmith.
Chris Davey’s extensive credits include the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre.

Tickets:
£1 off all tickets bought online before 24 February
Adults £12, £16, £20 & £25
Family ticket £42 for 4 seats (min 1 child and must be booked before 24 February)
Under 16s £10
Concessions £10 (limited performances)
16 - 25s and students £6 (limited performances)
£9 all tickets on 25 & 27 February 1, 2 & 6 March
08700 500 511 www.lyric.co.uk

Performance Schedule:
Fri 24 February 7.30pm
Sat 25 February 7.30pm
Mon 27 February 7.30pm
Tues 28 February 7.30pm
Wed 1 March 7.30pm
Thurs 2 March 7.30pm
Fri 3 March 7.30pm
Sat 4 March 7.30pm
Mon 6 March 7.30pm
Tues 7 March 7.30pm
Wed 8 March 1.30pm 7.30pm
Thurs 9 March 7.30pm
Fri 10 March 7.30pm
Sat 11 March 7.30pm
Mon 13 March 7.30pm
Tues 14 March 7.30pm
Wed 15 March 1.30pm 7.30pm
Thurs 16 March 7.30pm
Fri 17 March 7.30pm
Sat 18 March 2.30pm 7.30pm
Mon 20 March 7.30pm
Tues 21 March 7.30pm
Wed 22 March 1.30pm 7.30pm
Thurs 23 March 7.30pm
Fri 24 March 7.30pm
Sat 25 March 2.30pm 7.30pm
Mon 27 March 7.30pm
Tues 28 March 7.30pm
Wed 29 March 1.30pm 7.30pm
Thurs 30 March 7.30pm
Fri 31 March 7.30pm
Sat 1 April 2.30pm 7.30pm

 

January 29, 2006