Daniel Allan reviews The Odyssey, the inaugural graduation project of the One-Year Actor Training Course at Hagley Theatre School, directed Pedro Ilgenfritz and Tane Te Pakeke-Patterson in collaboration with acrobatics tutor Danny Syme, at Altiora, The Arts Centre Te Matatiki Toi Ora, Monday 1 December, 2025.
The Odyssey is an ancient Greek poem by Homer that depicts a veteran of the Trojan War, Odysseus, attempting to return home to Illyria. To say he is waylaid is an epic understatement. It’s a voluminous, aquatic tale of gods and monsters, and adapters of the work are faced with myriad chapters of action they may choose to depict, embellish, or cast away. In Hagley Theatre School’s version, the episodes that are made the most of include: the Cyclops and his sheep; the Island of the Laestrygonians; Odysseus’ long affair under the spell of Circe; a mission to the Underworld; Odysseus facing the Sirens’ song; and the slaughter of the suitors once Odysseus is back home with wife Penelope. The story is woven seamlessly together by the student performers of the one-year actor training course and it is a most compelling hour of theatre.
We enter the Altiora space, Danny Lee Syme’s absolute gem of a new Christchurch venue, and choose from one of two sides arranged in a traverse setting. Electric guitar from ensemble member Dom Hamilton provides a soft ambience for a generous amount of lead-in time. As it fades down I panic-press my way to the mute function of my phone – just in time – as we are accosted by a dynamic chorus, chanting in crisp unison, and dressed in white. Scene set, a pair of half-masked characters emerge, Odysseus’ wife Penelope and their son, Telemachus. This sets the pattern for the flow of the show, the ensemble morphing from chorus to character, to musician, to prop manipulator, never letting the action or focus drop. What a joy to behold this vital young ensemble committing to non-naturalistic forms. They are beautifully embodied in their performances, which is a stated aim of Pedro Ilgenfritz’s programme, and a great point of difference for the newly minted school to be inhabiting in its pedagogy.
The direction of Ilgenfritz and Tane Te Pakeke-Patterson manages to be both precise and playful. Along with stage combat and circus trainer Syme, they have drilled their charges into a committed ensemble, while also allowing room for individuals to show prowess in additional areas of talent. They have been busy devising countless solutions to representations of scale and magic. A large opaque bolt of taffeta billows the length of the traverse as rolling waves, and recedes over Odysseus to leave him washed up on shore. Animated fluffy pillows translate as highly commendable sheep in the Cyclops’ cave, and the gobliny Laestrygonians rip a dummy’s body in twain with a Kurosawian flash of red fabric innards. The lighting of Gisele Proud comes to the fore in the Underworld, where the faces of the dead are animated by coloured torches under black shrouds.
Amidst all the artifice, some of the best moments are the simplest. Sofia Boggiani as Penelope, powerfully standing her ground as a ‘V’ formation of suitors advance on her, has me tearily proud of her. A masked Ethan Berrill as King Alcinous is transformative, the marriage of mask and wearer creating a third entity, a visitor to the stage. As a theatre maker myself, the show is a reminder to me of how much we owe the Greek tradition, and how the playing modes of chorus and mask, which many of us have turned our backs on for fashion’s sake, deserve our respect and attention.
And what of the hero? John Armstrong plays Odysseus as an assertive and, true to the text, visually unimpressive fellow, who builds in determination and innovation as the story progresses. On the basis of facts alone, Odysseus can be hard to like from a modern standpoint. Many of his decisions are selfish and foolhardy, he leads all the sailors in his care to their doom, and he has multiple extra-marital affairs. But Armstrong’s Ody does seem more sinned against than sinning. More than once, he reminds us that the love he has for his family is what spurs him on. His final violent efforts, ably abetted by a precise Eric Wright as Telemachus, are worth the wait.
The Odyssey is clearly having a moment. Two summers ago, Dan Bain won the Adam NZ Play Award for his comedic three-hander adaptation, which was presented as the Anthony Harper Summer theatre show, in which this humble reviewer tripped around as Odysseus. As I write, Christopher Nolan is filming a full-noise film version. If Nolan’s past efforts are anything to go by, it will have in common with the Hagley show some fiercely driven action, spectacular visuals, and the occasional muffled dialogue. Last year we were treated to another film, The Return, which concentrates on the home stretch of the decade-long story, and features every inch of the impeccable Ralph Fiennes.
It bears asking, why the re-kindling? What does Homer’s poem contain that speaks to now? At first glance, there’s not much in this meandering ‘boy’s own’ adventure that stands out as relevant for a modern audience. But then I consider how my software update had me losing the mute function on my phone. I consider that AI creations are now inseparable from reality, that a B-grade reality-TV criminal is having his second term in the Oval Office, and unjust wars rage on. Perhaps, like Odysseus, we are all feeling a little battered and cursed, overwhelmed, adrift at sea, and not sure what challenges lie in wait. And perhaps, like Odysseus, we need to craft our own meanings out of the chaos by keeping promises: to others, and to ourselves. Perhaps, we too will find our own truth in the loyalties we hold, and by returning to our deepest loves.
The Odyssey casts off for two more nights, December 2nd and 3rd. Tickets through Humanitix.
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