Grace McLean to Star in PENELOPE at Edinburgh Fringe
Performances will run August 5–30 at Underbelly Cowgate.
Penelope, presented by rigor + ruckus and starring Grace McLean, will run from August 5–30 at Underbelly Cowgate at 3:45 p.m. (65 minutes) as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The musical features Music & Lyrics by Alex Bechtel; and Book by Alex Bechtel, Grace McLean and Eva Steinmetz.
Penelope, a striking new concert-theatre musical starring its co-creator and Broadway star Grace McLean (Suffs, Alice By Heart, Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812), comes to Underbelly Cowgate this summer following a celebrated development journey across the United States.
Blending contemporary sound with ancient myth, Penelope retells the story of Odysseus' wife from Homer's Odyssey, not as a passive figure of loyalty, but as a vivid, complex woman navigating isolation, desire and resilience. Set across a single day of waiting, the show is by turns heartbreaking and sharply funny, with a distinctive musical language described as 'Philip Glass meets Joni Mitchell.'
The piece began life as a concept album written during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, when composer and lyricist Alex Bechtel (Poor Judge, The Appointment) found himself separated from his partner and drawn to Penelope's enduring story of distance and devotion. In collaboration with performer Grace McLean and director Eva Steinmetz (Poor Judge, The Appointment), the work has since evolved into a 65-minute musical for one performer and a three-piece band. rigor + ruckus produce.
With its urgent emotional core, inventive score and magnetic central performance, Penelope offers a fresh, deeply human perspective on one of mythology's most enduring figures, a story of waiting, wanting, and reclaiming your own narrative.
The musical has recently been awarded a prestigious 2026 Richard Rodgers Award for Musical Theatre. Plans are underway to premiere the show in New York.
Performer and co-creator Grace McLean said: 'I had major art crushes on Alex and Eva from seeing their work with Lightning Rod Special, so when they approached me to collaborate on Penelope it was an immediate yes. Alex's music is delicious to inhabit and Eva's deft and delicate directorial hand shape the story so beautifully. It's been a gift as a performer and writer to build this piece with them and to meld our heads, hearts and humor in service of Penelope's epic and everyday story. I'm so excited to share it with audiences at the Fringe this summer!'
Composer and lyricist Alex Bechtel said: 'I started writing these songs in the middle of the Covid Lockdown of 2020. The fact that this music is now setting sail to make its debut at the Fringe feels like a miracle, and a dream come true. I couldn't be more excited to bring Penelope to Edinburgh with this group of collaborators. Eva Steinmetz has been a vital part of the show's life since the summer of 2020 when we were just dreaming about bringing theatre back. The opportunity to share Grace McLean's singular and iconic performance in this role with an international audience is an absolute thrill. '
Director Eva Steinmetz said:"This is a show that sits close to all of our hearts. We each have strands of our own heartache and longing woven throughout the piece.This will be my first time coming to Edinburgh Fringe and I'm really excited to share Penelope with the curious, brave, and gritty arts community there. Alex Bechtel's beautiful music traverses a wide range of vocabularies, from tender folk song to 11 o'clock musical theater number to classical chamber music--all conjured by performer powerhouse Grace McLean, who is a wonder and vision to behold."
Penelope premiered at Hudson Valley Shakespeare in 2023, followed by acclaimed productions at Signature Theatre in Washington, DC (2024), and Theatre Horizon in association with Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (2025). In autumn 2025, the first full production starring McLean played at The Ancram Center in New York. The show has also enjoyed high-profile concert performances at Caffe Lena, Rockwood Music Hall and Joe's Pub at The Public Theater.
Alongside its stage success, the creative team has partnered with Joy Machine Records to produce an original cast album, Penelope: Live at Joe's Pub, recorded across three performances in October 2025. The album will capture the energy and immediacy of the show, bringing its music to a global audience.
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