McCarter's 'Odyssey' gives Homer's epic tale a contemporary twist

Zeus as a British gentleman drinking a martini? Hermes as a biker with a black leather jacket and clipboard? The Sirens as a nurse, nun, bride and professional woman all dressed in red? All of these takes on the classic tale of "The Odyssey" may seem unconventional at first — as indeed they are — but despite, or perhaps because of, the liberties it takes, Mary Zimmerman's dramatic adaptation of Homer's epic poem is one of the most powerful theatrical productions to grace the McCarter stage in recent years.

The production is witty, energetic, moving and true to the original in the most important ways. Zimmerman uses Robert Fitzgerald's poetic translation as her starting point and truly captivates the audience with a tale as mythical and adventurous as it is moving and universal.

Zimmerman faithfully communicates the narrative frame of Homer's poem, omitting few of the incidents in the epic. While this stretches the play's running time to an ungainly three hours and 15 minutes, the length is surprisingly painless thanks to the production's loose and experimental style.

The production spans time and space effortlessly, beginning in Ithaca, Odysseus' home, where his wife Penelope and son Telemachus are besieged by boorish suitors. Odysseus left to join the troops in Troy 20 years earlier and has not yet returned to his family. Convinced of his death, the suitors lust after Penelope and Odysseus' riches.

The goddess Athena, played as an out-of-control tomboy by the grating but energetic Mariann Mayberry, takes pity on Odysseus and his family. She encourages her rather aloof father, Zeus, played to hilarious perfection by Christian Kaufmann, to help her rescue Odysseus from the goddess Calypso and bring him home to Ithaca. From here, the tale takes shape, as Odysseus — a poignant portrayal by Christopher Donahue — escapes Calypso with Athena's help and relates his adventures of the past 20 years to the friendly folk who rescue him from the waves.

This threefold frame — Telemachus to the current Odysseus to Odysseus' adventures in the past — would provide a challenge to a lesser talent than Zimmerman. In her hands, however, the play moves smoothly and promptly without ever becoming confusing or, worse, ponderous.

In 1998, Zimmerman was the recipient of a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, unofficially known as the "genius grant" and received by such talents as Julie Taymor, who staged the highly successful Broadway production of Disney's "The Lion King." It is easy to see why Zimmerman received this award.

Daniel Ostling, the scenic designer, utilizes a somewhat bare stage to great effect. Most physical indications of scene are accomplished through set pieces that hang from above. The walls of Odysseus' house, for example, can be quickly and easily replaced by the bough of a tree to represent the Ithacan shore. The white backdrop, lit dramatically by T.J. Gerckens, communicates everything from sunrises to stormy seas.

Because the scene changes are so simple, the audience is guided through the voyage with the ease of a reader imagining the changing scene. This does not, however, detract from the magic of the stage settings — on the contrary, Ostling's creativity in evoking splendid scenes without the elaborate ornamentation of a Metropolitan Opera set is truly sublime.

Mara Blumenfeld's costumes add equally to the wonder of the production. Spanning all periods and cultures, the costumes surprise and engage the audience, but never detract from the story. In the Land of the Lotus-Eaters, the inhabitants wear red kimonos with matching John Lennon glasses, while in Nausica's land, the inhabitants wear flat straw hats, old-fashioned bathing garb and dresses reminiscent of Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz."

The most dramatic costumes, however, are for individual characters. The alluring enchantress Circe — a seductive Louise Lamson — enters in a slinky purple gown with interlacing ribbon around her arms. Poisedon — Paul Oakley Stovall, who casts an imposing yet comic figure — sports an enormous mermaid-like wig and sea-foam green gown. On a six-foot tall man with noticeable shoulder muscles, this costume cannot fail to produce laughs. Another comic costume belongs to Aeolus, the god of the winds, who wears a bright yellow raincoat with a sky-and-cloud print lining and a beard pointing sideways.

Movement plays a key role in the success of "The Odyssey." Kirstin Showalter Hara's dramatic choreography and Michael Bodeen's eclectic music, not to mention the well conceived blocking for characters like Calypso (Anjali Bhimani) enliven the plot and eliminate the need for verbal exposition in many key scenes. Shadowplay produces the illusion of Cyclops' enormous size and heightens the drama of certain battle scenes. The production highlights different techniques of theatrical storytelling — dancing, music, shadowplay — drawing on theatrical history, culture and versatility.

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In a way, this interpretation of "The Odyssey" is less a preservation of a great epic than an homage to the theater and all it can accomplish with the simple tools of lights, sound, costume, movement and voice. For those who love the theater, or who want to embark on a magical voyage for the evening,"The Odyssey" is a must.

"The Odyssey" is playing at McCarter Theater through Oct. 1. Call (609)-258-ARTS for show times and reservations.