Trinity Hall’s Queen’s Court Company (QCC) is thrilled to perform this year’s fall comedy, “Odysseus Dies at the End,” by Weston Scott and published by Uproar Theatrics. The modern retelling is not the classic Greek tale, The Odyssey by Homer, but a surprising adaptation from the surviving fragments of a lost Sophocles play, “Odysseus Acanthoplex.”
Instead of following the journey of Odysseus, the “hilarious,” “unexpected” and “chaotic” play, according to the cast, explores what happens after Odysseus returns home.
“Odysseus has traveled over the waters, flirted with disaster, and bested every foe. And his friends and family hate him for it,” according to the official synopsis. “As Odysseus tries to escape a fateful prophecy, he faces a murderous son, a semi-devoted wife, a scorned sea-witch, a boy with a cow, the cow itself and a Greek chorus, all trying to make sense of their lives when everything has always revolved around Odysseus.”
Cast member Janin Szalkowski ‘27 and the arts council describe the comedy as, “a fast-paced, funny adventure that is an entirely new reimagining of the Odyssey story and its characters.” The play is set in Ancient Greece, but its language and time period are modern-day, and contemporary music is used in every scene of the show.
Cast member Savannah Greer ‘27 explains that the play shows how Odysseus and the characters around him are dealing with the consequences of his actions. “There are a lot of plot twists and dramatic jaw dropping moments, but you’ll be laughing the whole time,” Greer said. “I think something special about this retelling is that it gives a lot more substance to each character and makes you question who really the hero of the Odyssey is.”
The cast, costumes, makeup, sets and crowing crew are working tirelessly to prepare, with long hours going into rehearsals, dresses being sewn by hand and cardboard Greek columns being constructed. Cast member Kate Skrocki ‘27, helping with the hair and makeup team, shares the inspiration behind the anticipated looks. “We are going to be doing curls, buns, and braids for hair and very natural, fun stage makeup,” said Skrocki. “For makeup inspiration, we took from that one Zendaya look from the Odyssey press tour and for hair, we took from Greek paintings, sculptures and Padme Amidala from Star Wars.”
Cast member Peyton Muscarello ‘27, senior leader of costumes, shares her costume is different from the tunics, togas and dresses being made by the team, emphasizing the modern aspects sprinkled throughout the show. “I play Footnote in Odysseus Dies at the End,” Peyton said. “My costume is different from the rest of the costumes, most of them are going to be the classic Greek theater costumes, but Footnote, the narrator, is more contemporary and updated.”
Assistant Director Riley Mueller ‘27, senior leader of sets, offers her perspective on the comedy behind the scenes. “The cast has truly embraced the hilarity of this comedy, committing to the bit in every scenario, no matter how ridiculous,” Mueller said. “There's not a single rehearsal I don't die laughing in, thanks to the talent and quick wit of our actors.” As for sets, Mueller explained that the close-knit club embraces the challenge together and has fun while doing it. Mueller, who is especially happy to do Greek mythology due to her young love for the genre, shared what she is most looking forward to. “I'm most looking forward to opening night– the excitement and adrenaline we all feel as we anticipate finally showing our families, friends, and peers what our months of hard work– and all their paper towel rolls– went toward creating.”
Director and faculty member Ellen Phillips shares her insight on being a part of this production. “We have had so many laughs and the unique experience of walking in the literal shoes of history, literature and theater in a really fun way,” Phillips said.
Performances will take place on Thursday, November 19 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, November 21 at 2:30 p.m. at Brookdale Performing Arts Center. Ticket reservations for all performances are available here.