Highway Ulysses' a rather dull road

Highway Ulysses is heavily based on Homer's Odyssey and is an original and modern interpretation of the ancient story. Ulysses, played by Thomas Derrah, on receiving news of his son's mother's death, embarks on a journey intended to reunite him with his son (Dana Marks). On his travels he meets a variety of strange characters, many of whom depict mythical creatures from The Odyssey and distract him from reaching his son. While Ulysses staggers towards the orphanage, his son, a 'ward of the state,' waits anxiously for his arrival. This entire story is told to a bride in the company of her wedding guests who interweave but do not interact with characters in the central storyline.

The technical aspects of this play are excellent. Director Rinde Eckert makes superb use of space by staging scenes in unlikely areas of the stage and allowing different scenes to unfold simultaneously in adjacent areas of the stage. He skillfully combines action in different parts of the stage, making the play visually interesting. The lighting enhances this quality, and Lighting Designer David Weiner must be commended for his originality. The one-dimensional characters Ulysses encounters range from humorous to violent to seductive and are played by a small, talented group of (unfortunately non-identified) actors who double up on roles. Generally, these supporting performances are strong.

Particularly good was the performance of Ulysses' embittered girlfriend, who rants and raves on his inability to be a good role-model to his son and that of a lonely waitress who pours her heart out to Ulysses. A prostitute in a tattoo parlor intended to represent the underworld, and a crazy, violent, one-eyed librarian, meant to allude to the Cyclops, are also entertaining and are examples of the modern interpretation of an ancient story. However, despite good acting, some scenes are drawn out. Background dancing and clever positioning of the cast add to the visual appeal of the play and the blend of talking, singing and subtitles holds the audience's attention. The background music is varied and beautiful -- sometimes in contrast to the action of the play and other times in harmony with it. These successfully-employed techniques alone make the play worth seeing.

Despite some brilliant effects, the play has several serious defects. The main characters undergo hardly any character development. This is disappointing as the encounters with the supporting characters provide much opportunity for Ulysses to gain insight and depth and for his character to develop and change appropriately. Also, despite the long and (supposedly) anxious wait for his father, the son does not vary his intensity or anxiety levels throughout the play. His role consists of typing at a computer, drawing graffiti on walls and occasionally changing his location on the stage. Aside from his patience and innocence, no other facets of his personality are presented. In addition to glaringly superficial characters, the plot is not cohesive. Consecutive scenes often appear unrelated and the overall result is disjointed.

If you do decide to see this play, be aware that the ticket price buys you technical brilliance -- and not much else. It is doubtful that a visually arresting quality alone merits 90 minutes of an audience member's time.

The American Repertory Theatre (ART) is located on Brattle Street, very close to the Harvard T-stop. Tickets are available for $12 with a valid student ID card if you call 617-547-8300 on the day of the show at 10am. (Regular prices are $34-$56 and $46-$68 on Friday and Saturday nights). Ticket prices include snacks before the show.