Odysseus DOA, written and directed by Stephen Svoboda, ran March 16th through today at the Lion Theatre on Theatre Row. Presented by the Adirondack Lakes Center for the Arts and the Red House Arts Center, Odysseus DOA is the story of Elliot. Dying of AIDS, Elliot has moved into a hospital to convalesce. His mind is deteriorating quickly, but amongst a group of patients with the advanced stages of AIDS as well, he finally finds the companionship he has denied himself for over ten years of his illness. His poignant and humorous story blends with Homer’s Odyssey. Like Odysseus, Elliot is determined to protect his “crew” of other patients and prepare them for the “journey” home to eternal rest.
Odysseus DOA was an award winner at the 2004 New York International Fringe Festival. Well, what do you expect? It’s a really well written play. Can you think of a more appropriate metaphor for the AIDS crisis than Homer’s Odyssey? Svoboda, being HIV positive himself, brings unique experiences to the story. I feel like it was details like that which fed into the authenticity of our hero - Elliot. The play brought me to tears. But the text is so poetic and strong, if I simply read it, I would have come to the same outcome.
Where Svoboda’s strength as a playwright is blatant, his strength as a director is harder to pinpoint. I can’t figure out which was more questionable, the directorial choices or the casting. Either way, the responsibility lies with Svoboda. Where he takes two steps forward as a playwright, he takes three steps back as a director. The cast seemed mismatched at best. Some were incredibly strong and dynamic, true professional actors. Others seemed awkward and at some point unsure of their lines. The standout by far was Bixler. At the beginning, he almost seemed lost by the chaos of the staging. Nonetheless, he fought back to bring a beautiful understatEd Grace to his role.
Svoboda’s questionable blocking of the set and actors was frenetic, halting the momentum of the story as well as dissipating energy. There was so much movement that it was extremely hard to focus on the actors. I just wished they were allowed to explore and play within this extremely interesting world. Although Svoboda’s directing may not be as strong as his writing, Odysseus DOA is an incredibly beautiful play on its own. Like Odysseus himself, I look forward to seeing the next step in this play’s journey but perhaps with a new captain at the helm.
