[THEATRE/MUSIC ~ WORLD PREMIERE ~ AUS/GRC/CYP]

Buckingham Arms Hotel – Fringe Lodge Balcony Rooms, Sun 17 Feb.

HOMER’S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL is kind of a misnomer. It’s not quite a musical like you might be thinking. This one-man performance is part spoken word show, part juke-box musical, part acoustic folk performance. In it, Loucas Loizou sits at the front of a small room wearing a robe and a military beret, sitting on a stool flanked by acoustic guitars. He is Odysseus as an old man, sitting in his courtyard and regaling visitors with stories of his youth. Loizou walks the audience through the events of The Iliad and The Odyssey, from the Trojan War to Odysseus’ long journey home, and ending with the killing of the suitors and his reunion with Penelope. The Homeric epics are interspersed with songs, including some covers of Greek and Western folk songs such as We Shall Overcome. Loizou’s voice is pleasant, and the simple guitar and intimate setting are casual and unstudied.

Loizou strips the high drama from Homer’s poems without stripping the magic – the Gods are here, but Odysseus is an old man, with only a few flashes of his youthful roguishness. HOMER’S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL is not a subversion or a satire, just an earnest and straightforward hour of storytelling, reminiscent of the ways these stories must have once been told.

HOMER’S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL is the kind of show that makes me love the Fringe. It’s earnest, a little weird, and exactly the kind of thing you’d never get to see if the city wasn’t flooded with hundreds of performers giving it a go. Fringe isn’t about polished performances, it’s about giving things a shot, actors and audiences alike taking chances. So, while HOMER’S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL isn’t the most ground-breaking show at the Fringe this year, it’s a good way to spend an evening.

3 stars

Ruby Niemann

HOMER’S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL continues at Upstairs Function Room at British Hotel Port Adelaide on Fri 22 Feb,
Balcony Rooms at Buckingham Arms Hotel – Fringe Lodge from Fri 1 Mar until Mon 11 Mar,
Adina Treasury Tunnels at Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury from Fri 8 Mar until Sat 9 Mar, and
Fedora’s Restaurant at Hilton Hotel from Fri 15 Mar until Sat 16 Mar.

Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets.

#ADLfringe

Image courtesy of Martin Newland

Adelaide Fringe 2019 Logo - ADLfringe - The Clothesline

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
[THEATRE/MUSIC ~ WORLD PREMIERE ~ AUS/GRC/CYP] Buckingham Arms Hotel – Fringe Lodge Balcony Rooms, Sun 17 Feb. HOMER'S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL is kind of a misnomer. It’s not quite a musical like you might be thinking. This one-man performance is part spoken word show, part juke-box musical, part acoustic folk performance. In it, Loucas Loizou sits at the front of a small room wearing a robe and a military beret, sitting on a stool flanked by acoustic guitars. He is Odysseus as an old man, sitting in his courtyard and regaling visitors with stories of his youth. Loizou walks the audience through the events of The Iliad and The Odyssey, from the Trojan War to Odysseus’ long journey home, and ending with the killing of the suitors and his reunion with Penelope. The Homeric epics are interspersed with songs, including some covers of Greek and Western folk songs such as We Shall Overcome. Loizou’s voice is pleasant, and the simple guitar and intimate setting are casual and unstudied. Loizou strips the high drama from Homer’s poems without stripping the magic – the Gods are here, but Odysseus is an old man, with only a few flashes of his youthful roguishness. HOMER'S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL is not a subversion or a satire, just an earnest and straightforward hour of storytelling, reminiscent of the ways these stories must have once been told. HOMER'S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL is the kind of show that makes me love the Fringe. It’s earnest, a little weird, and exactly the kind of thing you’d never get to see if the city wasn’t flooded with hundreds of performers giving it a go. Fringe isn’t about polished performances, it’s about giving things a shot, actors and audiences alike taking chances. So, while HOMER'S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL isn’t the most ground-breaking show at the Fringe this year, it’s a good way to spend an evening. 3 stars Ruby Niemann HOMER'S ODYSSEY THE MUSICAL continues at Upstairs Function Room at British Hotel Port Adelaide on Fri 22 Feb, Balcony Rooms at Buckingham Arms Hotel – Fringe Lodge from Fri 1 Mar until Mon 11 Mar, Adina Treasury Tunnels at Adina Apartment Hotel Adelaide Treasury from Fri 8 Mar until Sat 9 Mar, and Fedora’s Restaurant at Hilton Hotel from Fri 15 Mar until Sat 16 Mar. Book at FringeTIX on 1300 621 255 or adelaidefringe.com.au. Click HERE to purchase your tickets. #ADLfringe Image courtesy of Martin Newland

The Clothesline Rating...

Ruby Niemann

The kind of show that makes you love the Fringe!

User Rating: Be the first one !
60