As Odysseus begins to journey home to Ithaca following the Trojan War, he and his companions are blown off course to the mysterious Mount Etna. There, they find a tribe of displaced satyrs who are enslaved by the violent and dangerous Cyclops. Odysseus will need the cunning and bravery that served him so effectively during the war to avoid being served himself to the hungry Cyclops.
Cyclops, the only satyr play to survive antiquity, allows the master tragedian Euripides to display his skills at writing comedy in this broad and bawdy short play adapted from a sequence in Homer's The Odyssey. This translation is crafted in rhymed verse to create a close approximation of the rhythms and poetry of the original Greek text.
Cast:
12+ M
Can be expanded to include many supernumeraries
All characters, as written, are described as male. However, as the play is intended as a satire, it is certainly possible to cast women to add to the bawdy fun of the play by playing the roles with a broad sense of humor. At the time the play was written, all women's roles were played by men. So, why not?
