Myth, modern tragedy collide in ‘The Janeiad’ at Old Globe

The Janeiad has returned to theaters for its opening at The Old Globe in Balboa Park – fusing The Odyssey and 9/11 in a story of loss and longing. 

The play debuted in October at the Alley Theatre in Texas, and is making its West Coast debut with performances running until July 13 at the The Old Globe’s Sheryl and Harvey White Theatre. 

Written by Anna Ziegler and directed by Maggie Burrows, the play entwines the stories of two women, centuries apart, who each lost the love of her life.

In Homer’s Odyssey, Penelope (portrayed by Nadine Malouf) waits faithfully for her husband Odysseus to return from the Trojan War, and after 20 years apart, the two are finally reunited. 

But in modern-day Brooklyn, Jane (played by Michaela Watkins) searches for the same happy ending, 20 years after her husband vanished the morning of 9/11. 

The play follows Jane as she struggles to follow in the footsteps of steadfast Penelope – grappling with grief, longing and the comforting “myths” she created to survive in her husband’s absence. 

Ziegler, who’s been a playwright for more than 20 years, said she has always been in love with Greek Mythology. 

After picking up D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths in the second grade – filled with “beautiful stories” of heroes and monsters – she was hooked, even taking on Greek and Latin as languages in high school.

Years later, when the Manhattan Theatre Club commissioned her to write a play about a woman whose husband returns for one night after 20 years, she couldn’t help but recall Penelope, who also spent 20 years waiting for Odysseus.

To Ziegler, the parallels were obvious, and the heavy shadow of the 9/11 tragedy made it feel, as Jane says in the final act of the play, like “something ancient.”

“9/11 is like a modern myth, which is why pairing it with myth feels so appropriate for me,” Ziegler said. “It’s a day that looms large.”

Though the women have much in common, their stories are at odds, as the ancient Penelope pushes Jane to be steadfast in her devotion to her lover, despite the undeniable death of her husband, and the damage it does to her mental health. 

According to Ziegler, Penelope’s instance highlights the traditional portrayals of women in ancient tales, being completely devoted to their husbands no matter the epic obstacles.

“There’s a question of whether Jane is unable to move forward because of the ways in which societal expectations have held her back,” Ziegler said. 

She added that among the play’s themes, she hopes audiences will walk away aware of what she calls the lasting “stickiness” of women’s stories throughout history.

“It’s about how hard it is for women to escape those narratives,” Ziegler said.