Penelope at Underbelly Cowgate

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.