Togas, crowns and sandals aplenty, the Kenai Performers are staging the musical comedy “Greece is the Word: The Zeusical.” Set at the fictional Mt. Olympus Diner, the one-of-a-kind production features familiar characters from Greek mythology in modern and humorous circumstances.
The play highlights the work of both veteran and first-time actors. Kassandra Feltman portrays Pandora, a ditzy character who is obsessed with boxes. Feltman says her normal acting scope consists of more serious roles.
“Everyone in this specific theater community takes themselves very seriously, and we just get to let loose and find who we are in a different way than normal,” she said.
Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, is a happy and energetic presence. Echo, on the other hand, is rather cliquey and boy-crazy. Both characters are played by Catherine Prisk.
“It very much harkens back to the origins of theater in the Greek cities, but in a modern way that kind of connects the two different worlds, with a lot of humor that both young and old audiences will enjoy greatly,” Prisk said.
The play also features Narcissus, a figure from Greek mythology who was so handsome that he fell in love with his own image reflected in a pool of water. Gage Sturman plays the man who embodies narcissism.
“I’ve always been typecast as the nice kid, so getting a different part, it was kind of difficult at the beginning because I am the polar opposite of my character,” Sturman said. “I am not so much obsessed with myself.”
Actors of the show have enjoyed watching themselves come into character since auditions were held in November. Phil Morin is the show’s acting director. He stepped into this role last week when previous director Terri Burdick was called out of state.
“It’s fun to watch each of the different performers grow in the last few days, here,” Morin said. “These sorts of shows lend themselves for people to develop their stagecraft. From the big picture, I enjoy doing these kinds of projects.”
“The Zeusical” will leave you smiling with a repetitive, catchy tune stuck in your head. Directors and actors alike say performances like these are important to offer to the community during some of the year’s darkest months.
“Any time you can lighten your load and just have a few minutes, hour and a half show, where you can just laugh and enjoy yourself about silly things, it’s a good relief in the middle of winter,” Morin said.
“At the end of the day, I think we just want to grow our theater community, whether that be growing as people coming for an audience or they want to join the actual production part of it,” Feltman said. “We want to grow and flourish, and reach as far as we can.”
“Greece is the Word: The Zeusical” will run the next three weekends, Friday through Sunday, at the Kenai Performers space in Soldotna. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 7 p.m., and Sunday shows at 2 p.m. You can purchase tickets on the Kenai Performers’ website.
