What do you get when you take your standard musical, combine it with five characters from Sophocles’ Greek tragedies, and infuse it all with your favorite memorable elements of the 90s? You get Olympus Records, a self-described “90s rock Greek tragicomedy,” playing as part of The New York International Fringe Festival this summer. Honing in on the classic tale of what would happen following the break up of a rock band, Olympus Records proves to be hilariously innovative while providing commentary on the ruthless ways of the music industry.
Olympus Records takes five protagonists from Sophocles’ Greek tragedies -- Odysseus, Antigone, Electra, Ajax, and Philoctetes — and sets them in a sibling-driven 90s rock band, ironically named Sophocles. Due to tension and diverging interests, the siblings decide to break up and pursue separate solo careers as a way to reclaim their individuality while being away from the band and the spotlight that fame provides. However, as each sibling tries their hand at finding their niche in the music industry, things go dismally wrong, and the siblings come to realize that the music industry that doesn’t care about them or their personal interests. If it sounds heavy, don’t worry — it’s not. To lighten up the mood are cheesy boy band numbers, a creepily obsessive fan girl, and music TV show host Johnny Nightly, standing in as a overly enthusiastic gossip driven version of Carson Daily during his TRL days.
The performances in this original tragicomedy are excellent, with all members of the cast possessing the ability to sing, act, and dance, exceptionally well, easily allowing all actors involved to be given the coveted triple threat label. While every member of the cast played their parts well, there were a few standout performances, most notably from Jacob Thompson (Ajax) and Scott Raymond Johnson (Philoctetes). Thompson as Ajax provides raspy, rugged vocals that are perfectly in tune with the spirit of 90s grunge rock and roll, causing some fists in the audience to raise in the air as they felt the grit of his songs. His bulging muscles and black eyeliner add to his believable bad boy mystique while complementing his deliberately egotistic persona. Johnson as Philoctetes almost serves as Thompson’s opposite in playing the dimwitted, yet charming sibling of the five. Equally funny and cute in his portrayal, Johnson was successfully able to win over the female portion of the audience with suggestive hip thrusts and serenades. Another person to give praise to is costume and graphic designer Nikki Bosso, who brought the 90s back to life through the accuracy of her selected wardrobe, which contained overalls, beat up converse, and tons of black and red plaid.
While the combination of ideas in this play appear to be ambitious when written on paper, the ideas presented to the audience were not only easy to follow, but extremely fun to watch as the cast was able to cause many uproars of laughter. All in all, Olympus Records is a hit.
For more reviews of FringeNYC shows, click here.
