OMEROS

OMEROS

Shakespeare's Globe at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse

07.06.2014

This lovely staging of Derek Walcott's epic poem comes to the Globe's Wanamaker Playhouse by way of the Lakeside at Essex University.

Written in Dante's terza rima, and inspired of course by Homer, it moves the action to the poet's own St Lucia, to a fishing village where Hector and Achille are fishermen, and rivals for the beautiful Helen.

The ever-present sea, and Walcott's rich language, are echoes of the great Greek writer. But there's plenty of humour, and colourful evocation of the Caribbean and of Africa.

Bill Buckhurst's simple staging, and the Jacobean candles, focus our attention on the two actors who share the storytelling and inhabit all the characters: Jade Anouka and Joseph Marcell. The other performer is the versatile musician Tayo Akinbode, up in the gallery with a collection of interesting instruments.

And the beautiful programme features Walcott's own Omeros sketches, including some done especially for this production.