Review: FEAST - Shrewd Productions At Hyde Park Theatre

Shrewd Productions has extended a tantalizing invitation, and you won’t want to miss it: a FEAST where vengeance is served alongside wit, wonder, and a retelling of one of the oldest stories in Western literature. In FEAST, playwright and comedian Megan Gogerty offers a stunningly clever, topical, and heartbreaking modern take on Beowulf, blending the ancient world of monsters and heroes with the very real monsters we still face today.

The experience begins with an actual meal — a sumptuous dinner served onstage at 7:00 PM for patrons who choose the full “feast” experience — before the play proper begins at 8:00 PM for the larger audience. But whether you dine or simply observe, you’re about to embark on an unforgettable journey.

At the heart of FEAST is Austin’s own theatrical icon, Katherine Catmull. She steps into the role of Agathae — Grendel’s mother, unnamed in the original poem but vividly embodied here — and from her very first entrance, she commands the room with mesmerizing precision. Catmull’s portrayal is nothing short of extraordinary: she inhabits Agathae not just through words, but through every breath, gesture, and glance.

Catmull’s performance is more than acting; it feels like an invocation. She tells us that this body — Agathae’s — was fashioned by her own hands from clay, a poetic touch that mirrors the slow, exquisite process by which Catmull seems to build the character before our eyes. Over the course of the hour-long performance, her transformation is so complete and so fluid that it feels almost supernatural. Her connection with the audience is immediate and electric, binding us to Agathae’s rage, sorrow, and enduring strength.

Director Melissa McKnight has crafted a space that allows this magic to unfold with breathtaking clarity. Every element — from the formal dining but evocative set to the immersive arrangement of audience seating — serves to draw us deeper into the mythic atmosphere. McKnight understands the ethereal nature of Gogerty’s script and leans into it, creating an event that feels suspended between worlds: the ancient and the modern, the mythical and the painfully real.

Amy Lewis’s lighting design deserves special mention as well. Her work bathes the stage in rich, jewel-toned light, creating movement, mystery, and moments of transcendent beauty. The play’s visual world feels almost alive, shifting and shimmering around Catmull’s haunting performance. The costumes, too, are exquisite, emphasizing the otherworldly yet deeply human quality of Agathae.

FEAST is not merely a play; it’s an event, a ritual, a reckoning. It speaks urgently to our time, reminding us that monsters are rarely defeated by swords alone — and that sometimes the truest power lies in telling our own story, fiercely and without apology.