London Free Press

Homer’s The Odyssey has more influence in today’s pop culture than many realize.

The Grand Theatre stages the production this week as part of its High School Project, in which students get expert instruction on stage and behind the scenes from professionals at the Grand.

In The Odyssey, the epic tale of Greek King Odysseus unfolds as the king journeys home and is faced with a multitude of problems, including monsters, witches and ghosts. The students portray more than 50 of these mythical characters.

Production director Jeremy Smith said our superheroes likely wouldn’t have been created if not for this epic poem.

“All of the mythic heroes so prevalent in modern popular culture ­­— whether they be culled from comic books (Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman), literature (Harry Potter, Bilbo Baggins), or film and television (Luke Skywalker, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), owe a considerable debt to the wandering Ithacan Odysseus,” Smith said.

“Their prolific immersion into today’s collective consciousness would not exist if Homer had not woven his tale nearly three thousand years ago. Odysseus, arguably, is Western culture’s first superhero.”

The Odyssey is on til Saturday in the McManus Studio Theatre at the Grand. For tickets, call the box office at 519-672-8800 or visit www.grandtheatre.com.

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