In the Airstophanes play Lysistrata, the women decide to withhold sex from the men in order to stop war. The play is a comedy. In Eduardo Machado’s Lysistrata Unbound, now playing at the Odyssey Theatre, the tone is distinctly more serious. The sexual conflict is there as is social conflict. It is a challenge to patriarchy that will no doubt resonate in the #MeToo era. And it is a challenge that women have been facing for quite some time.
Playwright Machado is from Cuba and he came to the United States at the age of 9. He is best known for such plays as Havana is Waiting, The Cook and Broken Eggs. This is the world premiere of Lysistrata Unbound. The production has been directed and choreographed by John Farmanesh-Bocca.
There will be post-show discussions after the performances on June 29, July 11 and July 25th. There is a wine night, with an opportunity to meet the cast, on July 20th.
Photo by Enci Box
