Montclair High School students in Desiree Hill’s drama class will present a performance of The Iliad, Odyssey and all of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less on four days next week and the week thereafter.
The play, written by Jay Hopkins and John Hunter, is based on the classical epics of Homer. It speeds through the basics of Greek Mythology. Using humor, the play puts the events of the Trojan War and the subsequent wanderings of Odysseus into a context a contemporary audience can understand. The gods come across as ancient prima donnas. Those given the job of creating humanity botch the assignment. A mortal and Pandora jump into an ill-advised union despite an ominous wedding gift. Ancient tales of love are reduced to a dating show. The tragedies of Sophocles, Euripides and Aeschylus become sports highlights. Helen is kidnapped and a decade long slap fight ensues, with Achilles sulking, Agamemnon itching for a fight, and Odysseus finally figuring a way to put an end to it all, only to end up taking a wrong turn on the way home.
All performances will take place at the Montclair High Auditorium, with the premier on Thursday March 3 at 7 p.m. The box office opens at 6:30 p.m. The performance repeats the following evening, Friday March 4, again at 7 p.m. The third performance is set for Friday March 11, again at 7 p.m. The final performance is a matinee on Saturday March 12 at 2 p.m., with the box office opening at 1:20 p.m.
Ticket prices for the evening performances are $9, or $7 to those with a Montclair High ASB card or those 10 or under. The matinee price is $5 for all.