ODYSSEUS LIVE is a modern re-telling of the Ancient Greek story of The Odyssey in rap and spoken word poetry. The show utilises both the music of a live orchestra and electronic beat production along with live storytelling and video projections. The story is predominantly told by one actor, whose role it is to play both Odysseus, and in a subtle way; Homer, the forefather of all great storytellers, in keeping with Ancient Greek oral traditions.
The modern use of Hip-hop music will be juxtaposed with Ancient Greek language and Classical literature to create an event that is firmly planted within a third space, not fully Ancient and not totally modern, where the actor can tell the story of a world where the mythology of Classical Greece is skilfully reflected in today's social and political context.
Written and performed by Luka Lesson, an award-winning Australian poet of Greek Heritage, Odysseus Live, is a homecoming not just for Odysseus and his wife Penelope, but also for The Odyssey itself - coming full circle in the hands of an artist of the Greek diaspora, reflecting the stories of migration, the European refugee crisis and themes of love, adventure and survival. The music, composed by Sydney Conservatorium's James Humberstone, and electronic producer Jordan Thomas Mitchell also reflects the drama and depth of a true fusion of genres, where the old and the new meet to make a new kind of identity.
