"The Penelopiad" by Theatre Unbound at Gremlin Theatre

Homer's The Odyssey is one of our oldest stories; Wikipedia tells me it is "the second-oldest extant work of Western literature." But this story, as many old stories do, mostly focuses on the men, with the women as peripheral characters. What if we reimagined this ancient story with women at the center? Author Margaret Atwood did just that in her 2005 novella The Penelopiad, which she later adapted for the stage. It's fascinating and exciting to look at these old familiar stories in new ways, ways that feel more relevant and immediate and rich. Theatre Unbound is presenting this play to begin their 20th anniversary season, and it's a powerful, moving, tragic, and beautiful example of the work they've been doing for 20 years - women telling women's stories.

"Iphigenia and Other Daughters" by Theatre Unbound at Gremlin Theatre

Playwright Ellen McLaughlin's play Iphigenia and Other Daughters, an adaptation of several ancient Greek plays about the tragic lives of the children of Agamemnon and Clytemnestra, premiered in the mid-'90s. But looking at the production history, there's been a spike in productions in the last few years, mostly at colleges. Perhaps we've recently become more hungry for these stories of women who take revenge on those who've wronged them. Theatre Unbound is bringing us the regional premiere of this modern retelling of an ancient women's story. In just a brisk 75 minutes, thanks to strong performances from the mostly female cast, we really get to know and empathize with these women.

"Measure for Measure" by Theatre Unbound at Gremlin Theater

Theatre Unbound, aka The Women's Theatre, is tackling one of Shakespeare's "problem plays," so called because it falls in between the categories of comedy (in which everyone ends up happily married) and tragedy (in which everyone ends up dead, or almost everyone). They specifically chose this play for this moment because, as director Kate Powers notes in the playbill, "Measure for Measure is a potent reminder that #metoo is a centuries' old problem, that men extracting or pressuring women for sex as a transactional exchange has long been among us. Shakespeare is exploring corruption of authority, the intersection, or bypass of, justice with mercy, and sexual misdeeds that continue to infect our society and oppress those who are not invited to share in governance." Their production is powerful and well-acted, if a bit long. I wish they would have trimmed it a bit to better hone in on the important issues, but that may just be due to my growing intolerance for sitting for three hours (Angels in America notwithstanding). Still, it's a timely production of a 400-year-old play that's surprisingly relevant.