Actors perform their final rehearsal of "Odyssey. Maeotis," which reimagines Homer’s epic, at Ivan Franko theater in Kyiv, Tuesday. [Francisco Seco/AP Photo]
War’s timeless ache – death, captivity, the agonizing wait and the pull of home – has found a new stage in wartime Kyiv, with Homer’s epic reimagined as a contemporary Ukrainian odyssey.
The play “Odysseus, Maeotis” is ready to open in the Ukrainian capital as the ancient tale enjoys a global moment with Christopher Nolan’s IMAX spectacle and box-office hit “The Odyssey” starring Matt Damon.
In Kyiv, the story is performed by professional actors and active-duty soldiers, including Daniil Mireshkin, a serviceman who plays the warrior king Odysseus
“I think this combination of myth and modernity allows us to draw parallels and understand just how critical the question of return is: the return of military personnel to civilian life, the return of our territories and the return of ourselves to our true identity as Ukrainians,” Mireshkin said.
