Stage Review - Penelope (ArtsWest)

Stage Review - Penelope
Presented By: ArtsWest - Seattle, WA
Show Run: November 29 - December 21, 2025
Date Reviewed: Wednesday, November 26, 2025 (Preview)
Run Time: 90 Minutes (no intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Some shows ease their way in, and some start with a bang. Penelope at ArtsWest is more of the latter: it greets you with a world already in motion, a mood already thick in the air, and a woman who has already been waiting far too long. Directed by Kelly Kitchens and running onstage through December 21, this one-woman musical—adapted from writings in The Odyssey and performed here just phenomenally by Chelsea LeValley—is a meditation on longing, memory, resilience, and the stories we tell ourselves when the person we love is far from reach.

Through the scenic design of Julia Welch, ArtsWest transforms its stage into a smoky night-club-meets-cabaret space, a visual frame that immediately tells the audience this will not be a conventional retelling of Homer. The band is onstage with Penelope, seated behind a single velvet chair that faces a small table bearing only a glass and a decanter of what resembles whiskey or some other dark spirit. The scene is immersive and intimate, with low lighting and deep reds: the velvet of the chair, the tablecloths, even the theatre seats themselves echo the same wine-red palette. Behind the band, a jagged rock backdrop glows under red lighting, creating a cavern-like aura—part nightclub, part mythic underworld.

Before Penelope sings a note, we hear it: the sound of waves rolling. That choice, from sound designer Erik Siegling, belies the first impression of the cabaret setting and quietly grounds us in her origin—this is a woman whose life has always been marked by the sea. Then comes the opening number, “A Very Long Wait”, a powerful, emotionally charged, and exquisitely sung introduction that sets the weight of her story in motion. It’s a heavy beginning, intentionally so, but immediately impactful.

What’s remarkable is how quickly the heaviness lifts. After invoking her longing for Odysseus, Penelope shifts with ease into something lighter—welcoming, jovial, playful. Chelsea’s emotional agility is one of the production’s strongest assets. In the middle of a humorous anecdote, a memory can seize her, and sadness crosses her face in an instant. These transitions never feel forced; they spring naturally from the emotional logic of the moment.

The design elements support that fluidity. The back of the stage, shaped to represent the edge of a cliff—hinting at Penelope’s house perched at the precipice—adds to the sense of isolation. Lighting designer Christopher Mumaw saturates the evening with deep reds and warm shadows, creating some of the production’s most striking emotional tableaux, especially during songs. It is beautiful work and integral to the storytelling.

Under the musical direction of Mathew Wright, the accompaniment adds an even greater emotional depth to Chelsea’s vocals. With Mathew on keyboard anchoring the sound alongside Mitchell Beck on percussion, the ensemble of strings becomes its own emotional narrator: the cry of Amanda Spires’ violin, the groan of the cello played by Michelle Dodson and Kumiko Chiba, and the sigh of Lauren Hall’s viola each contribute layers of texture. The result is a soundscape that amplifies Penelope’s every emotional turn, from longing to levity to heartbreak.

Director Kelly Kitchens gives Chelsea the full stage as her domain, and she uses it with a dancer’s instinct. She moves through the space with ease, often coming close to the audience and clearly comfortable within their presence. At the same time, she maintains a strong awareness of her placement—she always feels grounded, intentional, and connected, and her flowing costume from designer Chelsea Cook adds to the wispiness of the movement.

Vocally and emotionally, Chelsea delivers a sweeping range. She taps into Penelope’s anger and desperation over years of waiting, her resentment toward the suitors, and the deep ache of loneliness that has settled into her bones. Yet she also delivers the relief, joy, and love that surface when Odysseus finally returns. Her presence is light and almost ethereal at times—she seems to float across the stage, carried by Alex Bechtel’s haunting, genre-blending score.

ArtsWest’s production of Penelope is a striking fusion of cabaret, classical myth, and contemporary emotional storytelling. It is intimate, atmospheric, and anchored by a singular performance from Chelsea LeValley, whose command of nuance elevates the entire piece. For a story about waiting, loss, and love stretched thin by time, this musical feels bracingly alive.

Penelope runs on stage at ArtsWest through December 21. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://www.artswest.org/.

Photo credit: John McClellan