Odyssey Theatre - Theatre In The Park

"Odyssey is...not afraid of taking risks, and has over the years produced some of this city's most invigorating, expansive theatre pieces." Tom McSorley, CBC Radio 1

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A joyful, inventive, funny and sad play where aspects of real life are simplified and exaggerated. Ridiculous characters undertake serious actions with consequences that seem inevitable yet paradoxically illogical. It conveys Giraudoux's view of the absurdity of the human condition.

An original adaptation and translation of Jean Giraudoux's Ondine by Laurie Steven and Joanne Miller. Based on a medieval German fairy tale about a knight who falls in love with an ondine or water nymph, Giraudoux explores the true ebb and flow of human passions, questioning our romantic notions about the possibility of finding one, ideal lasting love. He presents a view of humanity pulled in one direction by sunshine - in the guise of a free-spirited ondine - and in the other direction by moonlight - via an ambitious Bertha handcuffed to social conventions.

Odyssey's design, movement and staging are influenced by the medieval paintings of Bosch and Breugel and the more modern abstract styles of cubism and fauvism. The play involves 14 actors playing more than 50 characters and 30 masks. The staging abounds with stylized magical apparitions and transformations, comic routines, dance sequences and choral work.

ODYSSEY - ONDINE

ONDINE by Jean Giraudoux

Adapted by Joanne Miller and Laurie Steven

Directed by Laurie Steven

Mask Design and Construction: Karen Rodd
Movement Coach and Choreography: Xing Bang Fu
Costumes by: Teresa Przybylski
Set Design: Art Penson
Musical Composed and Performed by Paul Vaillancourt accompanied by Andrée Martin
Lighting Designer: Ron Ward

Cast: Bernard Arène, Laura Di Cicco, Mark Whitbread, Mireille Rancourt, Paulette Sinclair, Susan Bonham, Jeffrey Aarles, Robert Ross Parker, Pierre Brault, Cheron Martin, Sarah Bennett, Katie Layng, Zachary Smith, Craig Desson

Stage Manager: Judi Pearl
Assistant Stage Manager: Rachel Bélanger
Assistant to the Director: Zachary Smith

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Reviews:

"Odyssey's journey into German myth via Giraudoux melts the boundaries between drama, music, dance and visual art... the overwhelming impression is of a multi-dimensional richness."
Iris Winston, Ottawa Citizen

"Once again, director Laurie Steven uses the fantastic in the service of reality -- a neat trick if you can carry it off... a unique blend of Commedia dell'Arte, dance and spectacle... Odyssey has gelled into something special... Ondine is a fun, thought-provoking time which appeals to all of the senses." S. Mistal Baker, Ottawa X-Press

Photos: (top) Pierre Brault, Mireille Rancourt;
(bottom) Paulette Sinclair, Mireille Rancourt.

"Odyssey is equally dynamic in its experimentation and explorations of theatrical forms and space [as Robert Lepage]... fast-paced action, dozens of... idiosyncratic characters, spectacularly colourful masks and costumes and a live soundtrack... Ondine is a poetic, provocative production and a great night at the theatre." Tom McSorley, CBC Radio