The Mount Olympus Diner
Welcome to the Mount Olympus Diner, where Zeus is the chef and Hera is your waitress. The food is great, but what the customers really love about the diner are the stories told there, the stories of Greek mythology. Diner Network star Sparky Guy arrives to do research on the restaurant and is treated to a variety of tales. This play features contemporary and family-friendly retellings of the myths of Hades and Persephone, Echo and Narcissus, and Arachne and Athena. A Greek Chorus of diner staff takes on multiple roles and keeps the action moving in each story. You’ll meet delivery Amazons, a track star named Nike, and a three-headed dog named Cerberus. With flexible casting options, you’ve got a show that’s sure to be a hit with your audience and actors.
See "Greece Is the Word: The Zeusical!" for the musical version.
Productions
Behind The Scenes
With Playwright Stephen Murray
What inspired you to write this play?
I have always been fascinated by ancient stories and how different cultures used stories to explain our world. The Greek myths in this show were used to explain the changing of the seasons, the phenomenon of an echo, and why spiders spin webs. Science would later provide a more complete explanation, but the stories remained. People love to tell stories and hear stories. In our modern world, these stories are still relevant. With a little modern twist or two, new audiences can discover the amazing tales in this show.
What's your favorite part or line in the play? Why?
My favorite moments in developing this show were watching performers interact with each other in the diner while in character. Imagining moments such as Athena and Aphrodite chatting over a cup of coffee, or Nike and Artemis meeting for lunch allowed my actors to give more depth to their characters. I also enjoyed imagining Cerberus as a three-headed version of Scooby-Doo.
Tell us about the characters.
The characters of Greek mythology are very well known and have been portrayed in theater, film, and works of art many times. I enjoyed re-imagining them in a contemporary context. Zeus as a cook and proud diner owner, Hera as a waitress and moral compass for her husband, Amazons delivering packages, Arachne becoming a web designer. These already familiar characters can become even more familiar to us by placing them in a modern setting.
What did you try to achieve with this play?
My goal was to create a show that could serve as an entertaining introduction to Greek mythology for younger viewers and a fun way for actors and audiences already familiar with the original stories to experience them in a new context.