Grace McLean to Star in Musical Penelope at CSC

Classic Stage Company (CSC) has announced the addition of Penelope to its 2026-27 season for a two-week run. A contemporary musical retelling of Homer’s Odyssey from the perspective of Odysseus’s wife, Penelope will run December 10-20, with an opening night on December 11, at CSC’s Lynn F. Angelson Theater.

Grace McLean, who co-wrote the book of the musical with Alex Bechtel and Eva Steinmetz, stars in the production directed by Steinmetz. Bechtel also wrote the music and lyrics and will join McLean onstage on piano, alongside four to-be-announced musicians as a musical Greek chorus.

Penelope premiered at Hudson Valley Shakespeare in 2023, followed by productions at Signature Theatre in Washington, DC in 2024, Theatre Horizon in association with Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival in 2025, and the Ancram Center in New York in 2025. The production just concluded a run at the 2026 Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Penelope was also the recipient of the 2026 Richard Rodgers Award for Best New Musical from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. Penelope: Live from Joe’s Pub is available on all listening platforms.

The rest of the creative team will be announced at a later date.