Innovative “Homer in Cyberspace” breathes new life into ancient heroes
by David Chute
Getting Aphrodite Off the Ground
In the surreal virtual universe of Mel Shapiro’s “Homer in Cyberspace,” the gods of ancient Greece have been deposed, “shrink-wrapped and imprisoned” by a new race of digital/electronic deities known as the iGods.
Struggling to return home to his loyal wife Penelope, the wily war hero Odysseus (“O” for short) has been condemned to wander aimlessly for years, his punishment for blinding the one-eyed bully Sy, the iGod son of La Belle and Bernie Klops.
Obviously, the epic poet of ancient Greece has been put through a few changes on his way to UCLA’s Macgowan Hall Little Theater, where radically modernized simulacra of Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus will make their singing and dancing debuts.
“Homer in Cyberspace” will be presented at 8 p.m. on May 29, 30 and 31 and on June 4, 5, 6 and 7, with additional 2 p.m. performances on May 31 and June 7. Ticket and parking information can be obtained by calling UCLA’s Central Ticket Office at (310) 825-2101 or visiting www.tickets.ucla.edu.
[From UCLA TODAY, 5/15/2008, read the entire story here.]
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