Greek myths seem to be in vogue. What with Esa-Pekka Salonen recently conducting Stravinsky’s Persephone and Orpheus with the LA Philharmonic and the new musical, Hadestown, combining those same two stories. Let’s add another, the story of Jason and the Argonauts. But let’s twist it up a bit. That’s precisely what Mary Zimmerman did in her play, Argonautika, which is currently playing at A Noise Within through May 5th.
Zimmerman takes Jason’s search for the Golden Fleece, and puts Jason (Ty Mayberry) and Medea (Angela Gulner) front and center in Argonautika. You’ll still get Athena (Trisha Miller), Hera (Veralyn Jones), Aphrodite (Cassandra Marie Murphy), Hercules (Frederick Stuart) and Andromeda (Helen Jane Planchet) in this telling of the myth. But there will be more of a female point of view here. Written in 2006, the play is based on the epic poem by Apollonious of Rhodes.
In 2002, Zimmerman won the Tony Award for Best Direction of Play for her adaptation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. A Noise Within’s Julia Rodriguez-Elliot directs this production.
Argonautika runs 2 hours and 15 minutes with one intermission.
For tickets go here.