Turning Homer Tropical: A Playful Take on The Odyssey (and why the sea isn’t the enemy)

Andy Walsh and Jill Elizabeth dig into Derek Walcott's stage version of The Odyssey, emphasizing its Caribbean retelling and how that shift remakes the poem’s tone and themes. He says the play’s playful language and stage directions make it feel like something that really needs to be seen, not just read. She loved the use of Billy Blind as a bard and the oral‑tradition rhythm that turns the sea from antagonist into companion. They riff on gods who lose clear moral authority, Penelope as more human and teasing, and a delightfully side‑questy Odysseus rather than a pure hero. He reminds listeners this was a member‑voted pick for the All Reading Counts series and she plugs merch and bonus content — all proceeds go to public libraries. It’s a warm, witty chat that makes a 3,000‑year‑old story feel refreshingly local, playful, and very stageable.

Andy gets the ball rolling and Jill hops right in, and together they peel back Derek Walcott’s island-flavored Odyssey with a grin. He teases out the basics—Telemachus hunting for his dad, Odysseus bumbling through Cyclops, Circe, Sirens—while she keeps nudging the Caribbean lens, saying the sea here feels like a neighbor, not an enemy. He compares it to Nolan’s big-screen take and Homer’s grand poem, she praises Walcott’s musical rhythms and Billy Blind as the bardly storyteller who makes the lines beg to be heard aloud. They swap theater-kid banter about how the play probably shines brighter onstage than on the page; he imagines the staging, she imagines the laughs from the servant roles. Casual, funny, and oddly tender about a 3,000-year-old tale getting a new accent.

They also wink at the play’s playfulness: Odysseus isn’t a marble statue of heroism here but a human with side quests and questionable priorities. She points out the clever dialect shifts—formal lines for the high-born, Caribbean lilt for the servants—that poke at who gets taken seriously. He applauds Walcott’s wordcraft and the oral-tradition vibe, while she dreams of seeing the Scylla/Charybdis tentacle sequence live. It’s a breezy, warm conversation that makes ancient epic feel like a neighborhood tale with punchlines and poetry.

Takeaways:

• Jill praised Derek Walcott's Caribbean-set stage version, noting Billy Blind channels oral storytelling with lively Caribbean rhythm and humor.
• Andy pointed out that the play's staging would add colors, textures, and comic moments the page alone can't deliver.
• They reminded listeners that All Reading Counts merch and bonus-episode proceeds are donated to public libraries to promote literacy.
• Jill observed that setting the Odyssey in a Caribbean lens changes the sea theme into something nurturing rather than purely adversarial.
• Andy noted Walcott's rewrite makes Odysseus feel more human, distracted, and walked through side quests instead of constant heroics.
• Jill loved how servants' Caribbean dialects undercut 'proper' language, playfully challenging who and what gets treated as important.
• They teased a bonus 'Muppet Odyssey' idea, inviting members to hear which fuzzy puppets would play gods, heroes, and the lone human.

.

Be sure to check out our merch, find extra content, and become an official member of Systematic Geekology on our website:

https://systematic-geekology-shop.fourthwall.com/

.

Check out all of our "All Reading Counts" series:

https://player.captivate.fm/collection/3706021e-22e5-4598-ae1d-732ec8e275a9

.

Check out other episodes with Andy:

https://player.captivate.fm/