KYIV — Amid the echoes of war’s enduring torment—death, captivity, and the longing return home—the city of Kyiv presents a modern stage for Homer’s ancient narrative. This timeless epic is now revived through a fresh Ukrainian perspective, reshaping the legendary Odyssey into a contemporary journey.
Titled “Odysseus, Maeotis,” the play gears up for its debut in Ukraine’s capital, resonating with a global resurgence of interest, exemplified by Christopher Nolan’s visually stunning blockbuster “The Odyssey,” featuring Matt Damon.
Taking the stage in Kyiv, the production uniquely blends the talents of professional actors and active-duty soldiers, among them Daniil Mireshkin, who takes on the role of Odysseus, the storied warrior king.
“The fusion of myth with modern times helps us to comprehend the profound significance of the ‘return’: the reintegration of military personnel into civilian life, reclaiming our occupied lands, and embracing our authentic Ukrainian identity,” Mireshkin expressed.
Mireshkin shared these insights with The Associated Press following a final rehearsal on Tuesday, as they prepare for a premiere repeatedly postponed due to ongoing Russian assaults.
“This story helps us talk about these topics, which, as it turns out, haven’t lost any of their relevance,” Mireshkin said.
Drones and killing machines as modern monsters
The staging at the Ivan Franko National Academic Drama Theater is designed to be austere and unsettling.
Against a darkened set laced with neon light bars, projections wash over the actors themselves. The monsters of the original — the Cyclops and the sirens — are replaced by drones that buzz across the stage and models of robotic war machines.
The play unfolds in parallel: Odysseus’ punishing journey and the long wait at home by his wife, Penelope.
READ MORE: Drunk Driver Leaves Ritz-Carlton, Fatally Crashes Into Home Killing Sleeping 82-Year-Old Man
Director Ivan Uryvskyi is candid about how the play recasts the ancient poem’s themes of return and those trapped in exile and captivity.
“Of course, very little of Homer’s original text remains here, because the play was written from scratch. We simply took the core narrative arc — Odysseus’ return home,” he said.
At the edge of the known world
An additional Greek reference is carried in the play’s title: “Maeotis” is an ancient name for the Sea of Azov, taken from the people who lived along its shores, a place once considered to be the edge of the known world.
The sea is home to Mariupol, the port city seized by Russia after a 2022 siege, and the play is based on accounts by its defenders from the Azov brigade, now part of the 1st Corps Azov — a part of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Mireshkin, the lead actor, and playwrite Oleksii Dorychevskyi are members of the 1st Corps Azov. Dorychevskyi drew on a year of interviews with former prisoners of war for the production. According to the Corps, an estimated 600 Azov brigade servicemen are among the thousands still in Russian captivity.
For Daryna Leheida, who plays Penelope, the ancient queen’s plight resonates with the stories of women in Ukraine who wait for loved ones to return.
“It’s about the fate of Ukrainian women who wait, believe and hope, but who can also feel powerless, hopeless and stripped of faith,” Leheida said.
“It’s about the temporarily occupied land waiting to come back home,” she said. “It’s about the children and people who are waiting, what we face during this waiting and the toll that war takes on us.”
Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.