Odyssey

Andreas Litras, John Bolton

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2014
• eBook ISBN: 9781925004847
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

Andreas Litras' remarkable one-hander play Odyssey interweaves three narratives: Homer's Odyssey, the ancient tale, provides the template for an enactment of Litras' parents', Angelo and Paraskevi's migration to Australia; and the performer's personal search for a sense of identity and belonging as the son of Greek immigrants. Litreas weaves the stories of his family through the legend of Odysseus, the hero of the Trojan War. In this beautifully crafted autobiography we witness Greek tragedy, comedy and the everyday. Truly epic drama.

SCENE ONE: KARAGIOZI

There are three large boxes on the stage in the shape of a ‘V’ with the point of the ‘V’ upstage centre. There is a smell of incense in the air and a haze created by the incense.

KARAGIOZI enters, holding a bucket of water, a large broom and wearing a beanie. He sees the audience.

KARAGIOZI: Ohh. Hhh, hello ev’rybody.

He speaks to the lighting operator.

Bρέ [Hey you], Timothy, put the lights on, I carn see.

The house lights come on.

Hello, welcome to tonight… to the theata… the festival… Look, we got a problem here. Because, to tell the truth, you not s’posed to be here. ’Ere, I mean of course you s’posed to be ’ere, but not yet. You too early. Andreas is not ready to start the show, bloody stupik out the fron’ let you into the theata too soon. Look, I’m sorry, ev’rybody, but you goin’ to have to wait now for Andreas, we got nuthin’ set up, an’ his a professional you know, ohh yeah, his a professional ackta. I mean, you carn ask a professional to start the theata early jus’ because stupik out the fron’ carn tell the time, come on. So now you goin’ to ’ave to wait, for Andreas. Look, nothing set up. Is not even clean. Ahhh, you carn get good help today!

He starts to sweep the stage, then turns to an audience member.

’Scuse me, mate, you got the time? Than’ you veri mutch, is time to set up.

He starts to unpack the box sitting downstage on the left hand side.

You can talk to yourselves. Awright?

He continues to unpack.

You see this?

He points to the box he is unpacking—this is the prop box.

You like this? I make this, for Andreas, you know for the theata. You see, one day Andreas say to me, ‘Ah, ρέ Kαραγκιόζη [Karagiozi]’—that’s my name Karagiozi—anyhow, he says to me, ‘I need something to put all my prop’. You know prop? ‘Prop’—είναι τα πράγματα που θέλει ένας ηθοποιός για το θέατρο [inay ta pragmata pou theli enas ithopios ya to theatro—the things an actor needs to make theatre]—you know the ackta, usin’ the prop for the theata. Anyhow he says, ‘I need something for my prop,’ and I say to him, ‘Don’ worry, Andreas, you need somethin’ for your prop, I make you number one prop box’. This is prop box. This is where all the props from the theata is goin’. Looki here, you got prop, prop, prop, prop, prop. I tell you somethin’? A secret, from the theata. You can tell how good an ackta is from how many props his use, is true! ’Cause only a professional use a lot of prop. Look, I show you. [He holds up a prop.] This is a prop. [He holds up another.] A prop. [Then another.] Yes, it’s a prop! You see how many his got? I tell you, you in for a good time tonight.

By this point KARAGIOZI has set up a table and chair downstage. On the table sits a small black box, a washbasin, a mug, a soap holder and a washcloth. On the floor there are three suitcases.

All the props for the theata. Ahhh, the theata. You know the Greeks invent the theata. No, is true. The Greeks, we are very clever people, we invent a lot of things; we invent democracy, theata, the triangle. [He makes a triangle with his fingers.] The Greeks, we very clever people—I mean looka dat? [Pointing to the prop box] Yeah, the Greeks, the first for the theata. I suppose you like it, uh? I mean the theata—you like it—well of course you like it, tha’s why you here. I don’ like theata so much. No, for me I prefer television, his much betta. I mean if you watchin’ television an’ you don’ like what you watchin’—tsak—you change the channel, but theata.

I mean, I tell you somethin’.

He points to someone who is sitting in the middle of the theatre.

I’m sorri to pick on you but you got a terrible seat. You, yes you, you talkin’ to me, I’m talkin’ to you. You probli got the worst seat in the whol’ bloody theata. If I’m like you I’m goin’ out to ask for my money back. You see where you sittin’? You sittin’ right in the middle from everyone—if you don’t like this show you got to get pass all those people to get out of the theata.

He points to someone near an exit.

You see this person here—his very clever—you see where his sittin’? His sittin’ right at the end of the row next to the door—if he don’ like this show—[clicking his fingers]—his out the door! This bloke his a numba one professional theata-watcha. [To the person in the middle] You can learn a lot from this one. Very clever. [To the person at the end of the row] You mus’ be Greek. You not Greek, you sure? You go ask your motha.

Yes, the Greeks the first for the theata. That’s why one day Andreas says to me, ‘I really want to tell a story in the theata’. I say to him, ‘Awright, you go ahead, jus’ don’ botha me’. He says, ‘No, Karagiozi, you don’ understand. I want to tell a Greek story.’ I say to him, ‘A Greek story! .Mπράβο λεβέντη [Bravo levendi—Good on you lad]. Now you talking. But which Greek story you going to tell?’ You know there are so many good Greek stories, it’s hard to choose. I say to him, ‘You soud tell the story from Oedipus’. You know Oedipus, his the bloke who kill his father, then sleep with his mother, an’ when he find out, he take two knitting needles, he poke out his eyes and his blind for the rest of his life. Now that’s a lovely Greek story.

He says, ‘No, I don’ want to tell that story, I want to tell the story of my motha and fatha when they come from Greece to Afstralia’. I say, ‘Uh, come on, Andreas, that’s not a propa Greek story. You got to tell a propa Greek story for the theata, one of the old ones, one of the good ones, not something ’bout your motha and fatha!’ But he doesn’ want to listen ’cause he’s the ackta. I mean, what you can do?

He begins to pour water from the bucket into the washbasin.

Oh, I hope this sound don’ make no-one want to go to the toilet. You know some people they hear this and—tsak—straight away they have to go. Everyone awrite, you sure? Good bladdas.

Anyhow, I say to Andreas, ‘You carn tell the story about you motha an’ fatha—you got to tell them something beautiful like… O’dyssea’. I love that story. You know O’dyssea. O’dyssea? [He crosses himself.] O’dyssea! Some people call him—Ulysses, but that’s not the propa Greek nam...

Table of contents

• PLAYWRIGHTS’ BIOGRAPHIES
• INTRODUCTION
• DIRECTOR’S NOTE
• FIRST PRODUCTION
• A READER’S GUIDE
• CHARACTERS
• ODYSSEY
• COPYRIGHT PAGE