Odyssey ‘84: Homer meets the miners’ strike in this audacious new drama

Tim Price brings a fresh approach to one of the most tumultuous periods of British history with this lacerating yet frequently humorous play

4/5
At first glance, the 1984 miners’ strike – in which Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government was put to the test by militant firebrand Arthur Scargill and his union – has ostensibly little in common with ancient Greek myth, in particular the Trojan War and the subsequent decade-long wanderings of wily Greek hero Odysseus back home to Ithaca after the fall of Troy, as recounted in Homer’s foundational epic poem.
And yet playwright Tim Price’s decision to use The Odyssey as a framework for articulating the plight of the Welsh miners in this, the 40th anniversary of their strike, is an inspired artistic choice, audaciously fusing the personal, historical and political on an epic scale.
Billed as “a soaring hymn to the power of community and the true meaning of solidarity”, this lacerating and yet frequently humorous play from the writer of Nye, directed with an abundance of heart by Joe Murphy, delivers as promised. It serves as a paean to the resilience of those who endured the loss of their livelihoods in one of the most tumultuous periods in modern British political history. 
This drama’s Odysseus is John O’Donnell, played by Rhodri Meilir with stoical endurance and sublimated rage. Being a miner is an essential affirmation of his identity and his Homeric journey takes him far from his home in South Wales, around Britain and then the world, to fundraise for the strike, emphasising the level of international solidarity the movement enjoyed. Sara Gregory is convincing as his long-suffering wife Penny (Penelope), sensitively capturing her evolution from loyal spouse to altruistic volunteer, and Sion Pritchard as diffident acolyte Billy is comedy gold incarnate.
Odyssey ’84 is a plaintive cri de coeur. Irrespective of one’s political allegiances, one cannot fail to appreciate its humanity and idealism. With a dystopian, brutalist set designed by Carl Davies and an evocative soundtrack of quintessentially 80s tunes, all synth and electro beats, this is an arresting theatrical spectacle.
A searing denunciation of the emasculation of once proud, strong men and the atomisation of tightly-knit, working class communities, Odyssey ’84 feels contemporary and abidingly relevant. Collieries may now be long gone, but a glaring lack of cohesion still abounds in Starmer’s Britain.  
Like Athol Fugard’s The Island (1973) which masterfully conscripted Sophocles’ Antigone in the service of the anti-apartheid struggle, Odyssey’ 84 is a reminder of the timelessness of these totemic works in which successive generations see themselves and their existential plight reflected. 
There is a reason why we still read Homer and why he still speaks to us today. Price’s rewarding play illustrates that with impeccable clarity. 
Until October 26; shermantheatre.co.uk
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