The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead
Exeter Northcott: 24-28 November 2015
English Touring Theatre return to the Exeter Northcott Theatre at the end of November, this time with The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead, their acclaimed collaboration with Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.
The production reunites Simon Armitage and Nick Bagnall after their recent collaborations on The Last Days of Troy and Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
A high ranking government minister with a colourful past is sent on a delicate diplomatic mission to Istanbul. But when his trip ends up in a horrific bar room brawl, social media explodes and the enigmatic darling of a political party becomes Europe's most wanted man overnight. Chased by the authorities, damned by religious leaders, pursued by those looking for vengeance and head-hunted by fanatics, his Odyssey begins.
Plunged into the ancient past Odysseus must now contend with all the unworldly beings and unnatural phenomena that stand in his way. The Cyclops, the Sirens, witches, whirlpools and flesh-eating armies must all be overcome in the struggle for survival and the long voyage back to the present day. Back at home, with her husband missing presume dead, his wife Penelope and their young son are besieged by the press, ravenous for the full story.
Simon Armitage said “The new gods sit in Whitehall and Downing Street, no less image-obsessed and power-hungry than their ancient counterparts, and a latter-day borderless Europe forms the backdrop to Odysseus' travels, to a journey that begins at the confluence point of East and West, a place of conflict from the Siege of Troy to the present day.”
Nick Bagnall commented, “The Odyssey: Missing Presumed Dead is a story Simon and I have wanted to tell since we left the Greeks setting sail for Ithaca in our production of The Last Days of Troy. We are going to sail Odysseus home. After ten years in a stalemate stuck on a disease ridden beach with the Trojans behind their impenetrable wall we now face the open seas and a whole army of mythical creatures to knock us off course. It has been the most thrilling year for me, from my appointment as Associate Director to A Midsummer Night’s Dream and then The Odyssey with our greatest living poet.”
Tickets: A £24.50 B £21.50 C £19 D £16
Sat Matinee: £16.50
Concs: £2 off
Groups 10+ get 11th FREE
Schools: £9 for groups 10+
Student Standby: £8
Captioned Performance & Post Show Q&A: Thu 26 Nov
Touch Tour & Audio Described Performance: Sat 28 Nov matinee
Gallery
