Penelope at Underbelly Cowgate
Dates: 8/5/2026 - 8/30/2026
📍 Theatre: Underbelly Cowgate
Is This Your Show?
Submit Updates & Sell More Tickets
Penelope is a concert-theatre musical starring co-creator and Broadway star Grace McLean, with music and lyrics by Alex Bechtel and book by Bechtel, McLean, and Eva Steinmetz, directed by Steinmetz. The show retells the story of Odysseus' wife from Homer's Odyssey, presenting her not as a passive figure of loyalty but as a vivid, complex woman navigating isolation, desire, and resilience across a single day of waiting. Described as Philip Glass meets Joni Mitchell, the 65-minute piece is performed by McLean with a three-piece band, blending contemporary sound with ancient myth. The work originated as a concept album written during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 and has since received productions at Hudson Valley Shakespeare, Signature Theatre in Washington DC, and Theatre Horizon, among others.
Cast and Creative Team for Penelope at Underbelly Cowgate
Cast
Grace McLean
Ensemble
Creative Team
Alex Bechtel
Music & Lyrics
Alex Bechtel
Co-Book
Grace McLean
Co-Book
Eva Steinmetz
Director
Eva Steinmetz
Co-Book
rigor + ruckus
Producer
News About Penelope at Underbelly Cowgate
Grace McLean to Star in PENELOPE at Edinburgh Fringe
June 23, 2026 Penelope, presented by rigor + ruckus and starring Grace McLean, will run from August 5–30 at Underbelly Cowgate as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.About the Theatre
|
Antigone 1989: A Town Hall Musical Gilded Balloon Patter House (8/05-8/29) |
|
Elvis in Chaos Lime Studio at Greenside @ George Street (8/07-8/15) |
|
Learning to Human Gilded Balloon Teviot (8/05-8/30) |
|
One Man Poe: The Tell-Tale Heart and The Pit and the Pendulum Greenside Venue @ Riddles Court (Willow Studio) – Venue 16 - 322 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PG (8/08-8/28) |
|
Rockpools Pleasance Courtyard (Bunker 3) (8/05-8/30) |
|
Couplet: Folk Marry Kill Assembly George Square (8/05-8/30) |
|
A Better Memory The Green at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) (8/05-8/30) |
|
Jitters Summerhall (8/06-8/30) |
|
Long Way Home Gilded Balloon (Snug) (8/05-8/31) |
|
The Second Best School Shooting Pleasance Courtyard (8/05-8/30) |