The York Theatre Company will present the world premiere of Penelope, or How the Odyssey Was Really Written, a new musical comedy from 22 March-24 April at their temporary home, The Theater at St Jean’s (150 East 76th Street, between Lexington and Third Avenues).

With a book & lyrics by Peter Kellogg and music by Stephen Weiner, the show is directed and choreographed by Emily Maltby, with musical direction and orchestrations by David Hancock Turner and vocal arrangements by David Hancock Turner, Steve Delehanty, and Stephen Weiner.

The ten-member cast will feature Philippe Arroyo (Aladdin) as Telemachus, Leah Hocking (Billy Elliot) as Eurycleia, Cooper Howell (Emojiland) as Antinous, Ben Jacoby (Beautiful) as Odysseus, David Lamarr (Jersey Boys) as Mileter, Jacob Alexander Simon (A Chorus Line) as Bassanio, Britney Nicole Simpson (Beauty and the Beast) as Penelope, George Slotin (High Button Shoes) as Haius, Sean Thompson (Sunset Boulevard) as Barius, and Maria Wirries (Dear Evan Hansen) as Daphne.

Penelope is married to Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea. She is currently waiting for him to return from the Trojan War. She’s been waiting a long time: twenty years; ten years since the war ended. A bevy of suitors have gathered, each wanting to marry her and take over the kingdom. To stall them, Penelope writes letters to herself and pretends they’re from Odysseus saying he’s on his way. Little does she know that her letters gathered together are creating the story of The Odyssey. (Since no one knows who really wrote The Odyssey, this theory is as good as any other.) Meanwhile the suitors, having little else to do but eat and drink, form an a cappella group—the acoustics in The Great Hall are terrific.

Penelope is funny, feminist, and fully relevant to today because it’s about a woman who lives through and for her husband for 20 years, only to realize when he returns that her life, her journey is just as important as his.

The creative team for Penelope includes set designer James Morgan, costume designer Lex Liang, lighting designer Joan Racho-Jansen, and sound designer Brad Ward.

The York’s Producing Artistic Director Jim Morgan said: “We’re delighted to bring this new musical comedy to life on our stage. We look forward to working with the whole company of artists, but it’s particularly wonderful to reconnect with Peter Kellogg, who co-wrote Desperate Measures for us five years ago. Penelope is an unexpectedly funny take on a classic piece of literature, with a truly winning score by Stephen Weiner. Greece is the word!”

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