Penelope - Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival

One Woman. One Mic. One Epic Night with PENELOPE.

A Co-production with Theatre Horizon
Music and Lyrics by Alex Bechtel
Book by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean, and Eva Steinmetz
Directed by Eva Steinmetz
Based on writings in The Odyssey by Homer

May 28 to June 8 | Schubert Theatre

PENELOPE is a Barrymore Recommended production!

Don’t Miss Her Story—Only 12 Performances.

No more waiting in the wings—Penelope takes center stage, and she’s got some things to say. With bourbon in hand, she grabs the mic to deliver her side of the story, recounting her twenty-year wait on the small island of Ithaca while her husband, Odysseus, was off playing hero.

This witty musical flips the script on the dutiful wife history wants you to believe in—Penelope’s done being a footnote in her husband’s epic; this time, she’s writing her own odyssey. With soulful songs, razor-sharp storytelling, and an onstage band doubling as her modern-day Greek chorus, Penelope transforms the tale you thought you knew into a solo cabaret act like no other. It’s raw, fiery, and fiercely original as she steps out of the shadows to set the record straight, and she’s not holding back.

This isn’t just a retelling; it’s a revolution.

Running Time: Approximately 70 minutes, with no intermission.
Content Advisory: Contains mild adult language and themes.
Recommended Age: 13+

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Show Extras:

-Opening Night, Friday, May 30: Join the PSF actors and staff for a friendly post-show champagne toast.
– Meet the actors for an informal talk-back after the show: Thursday, June 5.
– Audio Described performance: May 31 2 PM

Artists

Cast

Rachel Camp*
Penelope

Creatives

Alex Bechtel
Composer & Lyricist

Eva Steinmetz
Director

Justin Yoder
Music Director

You-Shin Chen
Scenic Designer

Nikki DelHomme
Costume Designer

Thom Weaver
Lighting Designer

Damien Figueras
Sound Designer

Randi Alexis Hickey*
Stage Manager

*Member of Actors’ Equity Association, the Union of Professional Stage Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.

Show Photos

Reviews

"Brilliant, emotionally riveting and thought-provoking one woman musical comedy drama"

Paul Willistein, Lehigh Valley Press

"Riveting and Evocative."

Kathy Lauer Williams, Lehigh Valley Stages

"Enchanting, with a beautiful performance by Rachel Camp in the title role, backed by a superb chamber-music style ensemble."

Paul Willistein, Lehigh Valley Press

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Show Features

Penelope: A Musical Love-Letter to Those Who Wait

In the summer of 2020, I was doing something pretty similar to what I imagine you were doing— staying indoors and trying not to catch Covid. And—probably not similar to you—I was writing music about Penelope from The Odyssey.

I never expected to create a musical adaptation of The Odyssey. I never set out to do so. Before this, I couldn’t have told you the last time I’d thought about Homer’s epic tale of Odysseus’ journey from the Trojan War back home to Ithaca. But in a time of need, I reached for something to help process my feelings, and there was The Odyssey. More to the point, there was Penelope.

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival Presents Penelope, a One-Woman Musical Inspired by The Odyssey

Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF), in partnership with Philadelphia’s Theatre Horizon, presents Penelope—a fiercely original musical that finally gives voice to one of history’s most enduring—and long-silenced—women. This one-woman tour de force reimagines Homer’s epic with a soulful score, razor-sharp storytelling, and an onstage band serving as her modern Greek chorus. No longer a footnote in her husband’s saga, Penelope takes the mic—drink in hand—to reclaim her story in an electrifying solo cabaret.