The Adventures of Perseus

In pageant, verse and fearsome argument the gods on Olympus set the great Perseus myth in motion. When the Oracle tells the human king, Acrisius, that his grandson will kill him, the old miser locks his daughter, Danae, up in a tower guarded by fearsome dogs. Zeus comes to her and devours the dogs and soon Perseus is born. Acrisius locks mother and baby in a chest and sets it afloat on the sea. The gods see the chest safely to the isle of Seriphos where Perseus grows into a local hero. The jealous king sends him on an impossible quest: to bring in the head of the Gorgon, Medusa. The gods Athena and Hermes assist Perseus with gifts that help protect him as he travels to the four corners of the world. In the magical land of Hyperborea Perseus witnesses a comic version of a play about King Midas. Eventually Perseus conquers Medusa and returns home where he rescues his mother and marries Andromeda. The play contains song, dance, ritual and comedy.