Anna Ziegler explores devastating grief in “The Janeiad.” Upstream Theater is presenting the play in beautifully acted, deeply moving production at The Marcelle.
Ziegler borrows a character from a Homeric epic, but not from the one that rhymes with the play’s name. In the opening scene, Jane, the title character falls asleep while reading “The Odyssey” for her book club. She dreams of a Penelope who has a modern sensibility when her husband, Odysseus, returns home to Ithaca after 20 years away.
This Penelope returns to Jane’s thinking after she loses her husband, Gabe, in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. Jane becomes convinced Gabe will return if she waits as patiently as Penelope did for Odysseus. The Penelope in Jane’s dream becomes an inner guide who reinforces Jane’s magical thinking.
A shapeshifting Penelope replaces the people Jane encounters after 9/11. The audience sees Penelope while Jane sees a loving sister, a pushy mother, a brusque housekeeper, a therapist, a yoga instructor, a rabbi, a 9/11 widow, and a realtor. People encouraging Jane to move on are distorted by her obsession with Penelope.
Lizi Watt captures Jane’s heartbreak and profound longing to reclaim what she lost. Jane Paradise gives each character she plays a distinct, vivid personality and brings in a welcome element of humor to broad portrayals that reflect Jane’s perception of advice her Penelope-suffused mind does not want to hear. Chris Tipp’s Gabe is the epitome of caring and sweetness.
Kim McKean’s direction gives helpful fluidity to action spread out over two decades. The atmosphere is enhanced by Tipp’s live music, Bonnie Carpenter’s scenic design, Sarah Gene Dowling’s costumes, Katherine Stepanek’s lighting design, Philip Boehm’s sound, Brittany Atkins’ props, and John Wilson’s intimacy and fight choreography.
“The Janeiad” continues through November 22 at The Marcelle, 3310 Samuel Shepard Drive.
—Gerry Kowarsky, 2026
Photo by Patrick Huber
Clockwise from the top: Jane Paradise as Penelope, Lizi Watt as Jane and, Chris Tipp as Gabe in “The Janeiad.”
