If I had to choose one word to define The Odyssiad, MCS Drama’s 2024 Summer offering, it would be ambitious. The company is no stranger to an epic work, having presented a well-received production of The Hobbit as last year's offering. They return to the Oxford Playhouse main stage with this work, which attempts to tell both The Illiad and The Odyssey in one show, and is perhaps another level of challenge. With a cast of nearly fifty students (and that’s not including those in the live band or student technical team) that the show holds together at all is quite impressive. The fact that’s also entertaining, immersive and fun takes it to another level.
Writer-director Alex Thomas frames his piece around a digging operation in the 20th century, unearthing ancient Greek artifacts. Winifred Kennedy (Molly Powell, a likable and generous performer) is remarkable for being a female archaeologist, and befriends her employer’s cheeky, alienated 12 year old son, Teddy (Thomas Francis, who steals scenes with his confidence and energy). Their discussions of Homer’s works lead us in and out of the key plot points of the play.
While satisfyingly enough, this framing device had its own story arc and conclusion, it would have been nice if it could have echoed or illuminated the main plot more explicitly rather than just serving to introduce it. The acting was great, but there was something thin and slightly wearying about these interludes, padding on an already very full piece of writing.
Which sums up the main challenge the show faced. It is difficult to become deeply emotionally invested when so much material is covered in just a bit over two hours. Entire epics have been written about small parts of this journey. How the show overcame this issue is threefold: the strong performances of the key players, the thoughtful pacing on Thomas’s part, which didn’t let the momentum dissipate as plot points resolved, and the truly inspired set and prop design, which made the play feel immersive and cohesive.
As Odysseus himself, Marcus Smith brought a dry, considered intelligence and wit to the role that fittingly, set his character apart. Smith is the type of performer who doesn’t need to dominate the scene to conjure the audience’s attention, and was perfectly cast. Other stand-out performances included Clement Jim’s Achilles, which captured the character’s fiery sincerity, Erin Alexander’s ethereal, captivating Penelope, and Michael Onobhayedo’s bullish, charismatic Menelaus. Elsewhere, impressive physical acting came from Wilf Archibald, who operated a wooden dog puppet called Pepper to impressively lifelike results.
The stage, which had a dais with wooden steps, a stone wall, and a blue backdrop, and was scattered with shrubbery and wooden crates, was cleverly constructed to create a real sense of place without being obtrusive across scenes. The props were a true highlight, from the aforementioned dog puppet, to a sheer blanket (used to represent the inside of the Trojan Horse, that appeared opaque until the stage lights shone on it a certain way, revealing the actors within). Speaking of the Trojan Horse, an enormous wooden horse head, suspended in the middle of the stage, helped render the scene more memorable. Later in the show, Cyclops and his giant eye are portrayed genuinely terrifyingly. The costumes also deserve commendation, from the stunning armor to the draped gowns, there was a thoughtful, cohesive language behind the outfits.
The production was not a musical, but original songs (and a live band), were woven in throughout. This added a nice extra layer of dimension and texture. The rock numbers, accompanying the pre-battle and battle scenes, were arguably the most catchy and successful.
The only production flaw I noticed was the sound design faltered noticeably at times throughout the night, with microphones cutting out and unintentional whirring cutting in. But it wasn’t often or extended enough to really hinder enjoyment of the production.
Ultimately, the show had me captivated and I left feeling satisfied. It was the kind of show that could’ve easily crumbled apart, and its strength and creativity is commendable. Thomas, Assistant director Lauren Carter and Producer Leah O’Grady have created an accomplished epic, and I look forward to no doubt seeing future performances from their talented young acting troupe.