Atwood's Penelopiad at York: Maids Outshine Penelope — SkimNews
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- Margaret Atwood's 'The Penelopiad,' adapted from her own novella, reframes the Odyssey through Penelope's perspective and that of her brutally slain maids, whose voices have been 'silenced altogether'
- York Theatre Royal hosts director Juliet Forster's staging of the play, running until 31 October
- Amelia Bullmore plays Penelope with 'wry reserve,' though the review notes stiffness and underpowered delivery of Atwood's grim humour despite Bullmore's known comic gifts
- An eight-strong maids chorus sing, dance, and skip through episodes, pulling on different outfits like 'kids playing dress-up' before puncturing the silliness with reminders of their hanging — recalled the theatrical style of Kneehigh and Wise Children
- Sara Perks's minimal Hades design uses thick blood-red ropes that double as Penelope's weaving strands and the cords used to hang the maids
- The review concludes the welcome feminist retelling 'has the potential for a greater punch than it ultimately delivers'
Why it matters: For theatregoers weighing a trip to York before the 31 October close, the review signals a well-intentioned feminist counterweight to Christopher Nolan's Odyssey blockbuster in which the maids chorus provides the production's strongest theatrical moments while the central Penelope performance is flagged as stiff and texturally thin.
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