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Penelope (2010 Play)

Penelope is a play by Enda Walsh, in which four men wait at the bottom of a drained swimming pool and compete to win the love of the title character.

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[edit]Plot synopsis

Riffing off the plot of The Odyssey, Walsh relocates elements of the story to modern day Ireland. Penelope is awaiting the return of Odysseus from the Trojan Wars. Of all her suitors, only four remain. They wait in the bottom of a drained swimming pool, where they each get a chance each day to woo Penelope. The play starts when Quinn relates the contents of a dream he had. In the dream, Quinn saw their barbeque engulfed in flames. The other three men realise they had the same dream. The men realise that Odysseus will shortly return, and that they have but one more chance with Penelope, and that if Odysseus returns, he will kill them. Quinn proposes they work together so that they will all survive, although only one of them will have the hand of Penelope.

The others agree to this proposal. Dunne has the first attempt, but he fails when his speech becomes hyperbolic and he loses himself in the grandiosity of his own verbosity. Quinn is certain he will be successful, but while he is offstage, the time comes for the second presentation to Penelope. Fitz reluctantly steps forward, and speaks hesitantly at first, but draws strength and power as he comes to see himself as he really is. He sees the emptyness of his own life. This openness touches Penelope, and she seems drawn to Fitz. However, Quinn becomes jealous and interrupts Fitz. Seeing this, the moment Penelope's vulnerability passes, and she silently rejects Fitz. Recriminations fly, and soon the turn comes for Quinn to make his case. Time is drawing short and Odysseus will soon be home. In a frenetic scene, Quinn lunges wildly from setpiece to setpiece, embodying Napoleon Bonaparte, Rhett Butler and Scarlet O'Hara, John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Jackie Kennedy. He is holding Penelope's attention. However, Burns, who has moved from being a subservient gopher to being brave and forthright, realises that it would be better for all of them to die with some honour than to live with dishonour. He therefore persuades Fitz and Dunne to help him stop Quinn. They stab and kill Quinn with the knives from the barbeque set. They turn to Penelope. She knows she wants none of the suitors. The barbeque erupts in flames. Odysseus has returned.

[edit]Characters

Quinn is the most confident and aggressive of the 4 men. He is the one who proposes they work together to woo Penelope, but he is self-centred, and soon jealousy moves him to scupper Fitz's chances. Dunne is bombastic and imposing. He appears confident, and eagerly takes the first turn to speak to Penelope, but this falls flat. Fitz is the oldest of the 4 main men. He appears well-read, and a man of the world, but his speech to Penelope reveals a man who has realised his life at the swimming pool has been bereft of meaning Burns initially is a down-trodden character, but gradually comes to the realisation that Penelope is meant to be with Odesseus, and eventually is the main instigator of the plot to stop Quinn wooing Penelope. Penelope remains silent throughout the play, but has an imposing impact on the thoughts and actions of the 4 men

[edit]Setting

Although the source material is set in ancient greece, the play appears to be set in modern times. The location is not specified by the actors, but the names used appear Irish, and the text appears to be in an irish idiom

[edit]Interpretations

Assuming the play is set in modern Ireland, the names of the characters, and their surroundings appear significant. Quinn, Dunne and Fitz appear to refer to Sean Quinn, Sean Dunne and Sean Fitzpatrick, who respectively are an entrepreneur/insurance business owner, a property developer and a banker. Each of these individuals have had high profile financial issues following the recession in Ireland which started in late 2007 following a property crash.

[edit]Production history

The play was first produced in 2010 by the Druid Theatre Company, based in Galway, Republic of Ireland. Directed by Mikel Murfi, the production enjoyed a successful run at the Galway Arts Festival, and plans to move on to Cork, Edinburgh, Helsinki, before returning to Ireland to play Galway again, and finally Dublin. Runs in the Hamstead Theatre in London, and St Ann's Warehouse in New York have also been announced.

The original production featured Niall Buggy as "Fitz", Denis Conway as "Dunne", Tadhg Murphy as "Burns", Karl Shiels as "Quinn" and Olga Wehrly as "Penelope" Set & Costume Design was by Sabine Dargent. Lighting Design was by Paul Keogan. Sound Design was by Greg Clarke

[edit]Critical Reception The Guardian critic, Michael Billington, gave the production 4 stars, saying the play is"...a wild, crazy, word-drunk piece that intoxicates and baffles, but is destined to lodge in the memory" and "However indefinable its meaning, it proves that Walsh possesses a truly original theatrical voice".

The Irish Times describes "Druid’s grimly amusing production of Walsh’s frantic, poetic and surreal comedy" and says "Those inclined to seek Beckettian echoes in Walsh’s work may find parallels in men defined by either the head or the body, or the stage that invokes a reality beyond its borders, but the play’s real concern is more uniquely Walshian".

In The Sunday Independent, Emer O'Kelly gives the production 7/10, saying "This is Enda Walsh's dream of society sinking into its final depravity, and it's a horrible one. Penelope has its world premiere for Druid at the Galway Arts Festival, prior to a return in September and a major tour, and it is likely to be a triumph" and "This is extraordinary theatre, as difficult as it is terrifying, with outstanding performances all round".

[edit]Related works

[edit]References

^ http://www.druid.ie/productions/penelope

^ http://www.druid.ie/news/new-york-and-london-premieres-for-penelope

^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/stage/2010/jul/26/penelope-druid-lane-galway-review

^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2010/0715/1224274726805.html

^ http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/going-out/beauty-and-the-beasts-in-epic-struggle-2263402.html