Fertile Ground—Inspirations Theater Presents OLYMPUS At Alpenrose Opera House

Inspirations Theater presents Olympus, written and directed by Torsti Rovainen, an original musical about Aphrodite overcoming sexism and finding her voice in ancient Olympus. The show is part of the 2020 Fertile Ground Festival PDX, and runs for two weekends January 31 - February 9 at the historic Alpenrose Opera House 6149 SW Shattuck Rd. in Portland Oregon.

We begin by meeting the Greek gods with all their strengths and foibles-Zeus' fiery temper, Artemis' spicy trouble-making, and Aphrodite's warm heart. We find most of the Greek gods ignore or shun Aphrodite, thinking she's a floozy. The action picks up when a young demigod takes it upon himself to steal Poseidon's trident, which in turn is stolen by the Olympians' enemy the Titans, leading to what could be a war. Aphrodite seeks to overcome sexism and stereotypes by risking her life to retrieve the trident, including a risky journey to Hades, from which no living being as ever returned.

A shorter workshop version of this musical had two performances in summer 2017. Audiences were entertained by the drama and humor of the Greek gods, intrigued by the subtle power conflicts, and moved by Aphrodite's strength and vulnerability.

" The music is absolutely out of this world. It's Broadway caliber-the song are fun, cute, and spunky. Some are challenging, and some are romantic. It's quite wonderful" says the Randolph Herald in praise of Mr. Rovainen's musicals. The Valley News stated "The music in this performance was delightful, arguably more charming than most songs one might hear on or off Broadway." An audience review adds "Mr. Rovainen's shows hit all the benchmarks of top-notch musical theater. You'll find the full spectrum: tender, spine-tingling solos, toe-tapping choreography, masterfully layered choral pieces and numbers that will have you doubled over with laughter."

Director: Torsti Rovainen

Cast: Christina Uyeno as Aphrodite, Michael Adams as Zeus, plus 25+ Portland-area actors.

Tickets: https://www.boxofficetickets.com/go/event?id=341263