Penelope, of Ithaca
by Kenny Finkle

“…a new play is the lifeblood of a thriving theater, and Ithaca has been especially blessed of late with new plays.

Finkle has set the bar high.

To capture some pice of the spirit of a place and its inhabitants, while reworking a well-worn story, pulling apart notions of heroism, bravery, sacrifice, faithfulness and love this one story has come to embody… All this is sketched lightly, almost breezily, for it is the launching pad for Finkle’s deeper purpose.

What does it mean to wait, to be a woman with an M I A husband, raising their son?

To become defined by a first, all encompassing love that never had time to mature?

To be wound up tight against feeling, against even acknowledging loss, grief?

As the older Penelope negotiates these questions, the play takes on depth, color, urgency… When finally it all begins to unravel, the breaking flood of desire, hurt and hope she displays is breathtaking.

Her partner in this dance is the man not chosen… Their ebb and flow as a couple…is subtle, mercurial and enchanting.

[The play] glimmers with many facets of beauty and a smart elucidation of the awful requirements of love.”Ross Haarstad, Lansing Star “A beautiful modern romance, PENELOPE, OF ITHACA explores the complexities of time-tested love.

With her soldier husband lost at war, Penelope’s loyalty is put to the test as she struggles to reconcile her undying love for Odysseus with the uniquely human need to be loved in the here and now.”Stephanie Miller, Lansing Star