The Arthropologist

Greek drama gone wild: Houston arts groups get ancient, reimagine classicalthemes

Misha Penton as Klytemnestra in Divergence Vocal Theater's "Klytemnestra - TheOriginal Subversive Female"
Photo by Kerry Beyer
Misha Penton, left, as Klydemnestra surrounded by choros members Isiah Gentry,Chelsea Cooper, Jonathan Sanford, Blythe Nguyen and KC Shuette in Agamemnon, aUH Honors College Center for Creative Work production
Photo by Dave Nickerson
"The 12 Tasks of Hercules," archival inkjet print, 2010, from the photographicseries, "House/Hold, Hillerbrand + Magsamen"
San Francisco 2002 production of "Ariadne auf Naxos;" Houston Grand Opera'sproduction opens April
Photo by Ken Friedman
Giovanni Maria Benzoni, "Young Dionysus with a Nymph," 1866, marble, The RienziCollection, gift of Mr. and Mrs. Harris Masterson III
"Diana," archival inkjet print, 2010, from the photographic series, "House/Hold,Hillerbrand + Magsamen"
Rienzi Folly Garden
Photo by Paul Hester/Courtesy of Rienzi
Titian, "Diana and Actaeon," 1556-1559
Bought jointly by the National Galleries of Scotland and the National Gallery,London, with contributions from The Scottish Government, The National HeritageMemorial Fund, The Monument Trust, The Art Fund (with a contribution from theWolfson Foundation) and through public appeal, 2009
Anton von Maron, "The Return of Orestes," 1786, Gift of Nina and Michael Zilkha,The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Angelica Kauffmann, "Ariadne Abandoned by Theseus," 1774
Joseph-Marie Vien, "Greek Lady at the Bath," 1767
Artist Meg Brooker at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum in Austin
Photo by Sheila Fox

The House of Atreus gets a make-over as Houston hands the keys to the city over to Dionysus this spring, with some delicious reimagining of classical themes.

The mythmastering begins tonight at 6:45 pm, when University of Houston students re-enact an ancient Greek ritual, as the Honors College Center for Creative Work puts on their own Dionysia. The festivities begin with an Agora (food and drink) and an Ekphrastic Art Exhibit at the Honors College, which culminates in a procession to the theater for a performance of Aeschylus' Agamemnon, with a new translation by Center for Creative Work director John Harvey. Performances continue on April Saturday and Sunday at UH's Wortham Theater and Monday at Khons.

The students are joined by professional actors, Brandy Holmes as Cassandra, and Divergence Vocal Theater founder Misha Penton as Klydemnestra. Holmes took Cassandra's central dilemma into her own solo show.

"If you knew exactly when you would die, would you want to?" asks Holmes, in her piece Yes, Cassandra, recently performed at the Houston and New Orleans Fringe Festivals. "Cassandra wrestles with this knowledge, which eventually drives her mad."

Can't a girl get a break now and then for killing her husband? Penton has her own views on the other great Greek icon, and the following weekend, the Dionysia continues with Klytemnestra: The Original Subversive Female, at her new Spring Street Studio, Divergence Music & Arts, on April 15 and 16.

"She is vulnerable, brilliant and cunning, yet there is something 'other' about her, perhaps supremely female, that stands in absolute rejection of male domination," says Penton. "She's the embodiment of chaos."

Music is by Dominick DiOrio, who also composed the incidental music for Agamemnon. Dancer/choreographer Meg Booker and actor Miranda Herbert complete the Divergence team. Both are well studied in the classics, and used to artists having their way with Greek literature. "In grad school, we called it Greek schmearing," jokes Herbert.

If Booker looks like she just stepped off an ancient Grecian urn, as well she should, she's a fourth generation Isadora Duncan dancer.

"Duncan studied how the Greeks depicted the body in ancient art, for the line and shape in her dances. She envisioned beauty as harmony in form, not just the human body, but also the relationship between the body and both natural and architectural forms," says Booker, Texas' leading Duncan scholar. "Duncan wanted to recreate theater in the tradition of the ancient Greeks—to create performance that integrated text, music and dance."

Don't expect Booker to be all airy, either. "Duncan’s technique allows for a wide range of expression, and Klytemnestra is no light maiden," adds Booker.

As for Penton's classical penchant, the soprano can't help herself.

"I'm interested in the reinvention of classic women. These characters were originally created by men, but they have immense influence to disrupt the status quo," says Penton. "How can they be re-imagined to reveal their innate, powerful, female qualities, lifting them out of just being stories old dead guys wrote about women."

Being abandoned on the island of Naxos by Theseus is no picnic for Ariadne. Enter Zerbinetta in Strauss' beloved opera within an opera, Ariadne auf Naxos, and the plot thickens. With Christine Goerke (Ariadne/ Prima Donna), Laura Claycomb (Zerbinetta), Susan Graham (Composer) and Alexey Dolgov as Bacchus and the Tenor, expect a powerhouse performance by Houston Grand Opera on April 29-May 10.

Ixion got in a tiff with Zeus, and let's just say things didn't turn out well. Earlier this Spring Bootown, hilariously folded the myth of Ixion into a story about the unknown fate of Amazonian explorer Percy Harrison Fawcett in Cut Down. Bootown's co-founder and Cut Down's devised theater scribe, Philip Hays, describes the process.

"It's not that glamorous. I was clicking around Wikipedia, and ended up in the pages on Greek Mythology. I clicked on the first name I didn't know (Ixion)," admits Hays. "The story heightens the 'whoopses' of everyday and turns them into 'oh shits' of monstrous proportions."

No discussion of Greek drama gone wild in Houston would be complete without a big shout out to the brave but nutty folk of the now-defunct Nova Arts Project, who produced the most absurd version of Sophocles’ Oedipus Trilogy ever with Oedipus 3 in 2006. Who could resist a play titled The Gods are Just Big Poop Heads, which made sweet fun of Greek freak Martha Graham? Even the Graham company made fun of themselves with The Clytemnestra Remash Challenge.

My only regret is that no one chose the crumbling ruins tucked into the graceful gardens of Rienzi, known as a "folly," as their stage. While you are at Rienzi, snoop around the collection to count the number of Bacchus images.

Visual art goes classical bonkers every other century or so and the evidence is everywhere in Houston right now. The painters in Antiquity Revived: Neoclassical Art in the Eighteenth Century at the MFAH, running through May 30, were drawn to classical themes for obvious reasons; these are killer stories wrought with visual tension.

The thread provided by Ariadne, which helped Theseus find his way out of the Minotaur's labyrinth, inspired Tamalyn Miller's curious doilies, crafted from clothesline, string and electrical wire in her Spirit House installation at Project Row Houses. "Its intricate pattern and traditional material-thread-suggest the Minotaur's labyrinth of Greek mythology," writes Miller, in her artist statement.

Anyone can get mythic. Lawndale studio artists Stephan Hillerbrand and Mary Magasmen, of Hillerbrand + Magsamen, honor the heroic in the ordinary in their witty and poignant series, House/Hold, opening on April 22. A bold portrait of Magsamen cradling her dog is appropriately named Diana, after the goddess of hunting. The 12 tasks of Hercules depicts Hillerbrand posing as a superhero holding a ton of toys, of all things.

The 16th Century Italian master Titian couldn't resist Diana and her gang either. Titian and the Golden Age Venetian Painting: Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Scotland, opens at the MFAH on May 22.

To bone up on your mythology and classical lit, keep a copy Edith Hamilton's Mythology or Joseph Campbell's Hero with a Thousand Faces handy at all times. According to Campbell, myths remain active in our psyche because they are still relevant to our paths on this earth. That, and they are just damn good soul-crushing tales.

See you at the other end of the Labyrinth.

Martha Graham couldn't leave Clytemnestra alone either. Watch the Martha Graham Dance Company perform Graham's 1958 classic

HGO offers a taste of Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos

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where to party on NYE

Close out 2025 with a bang at these Houston New Year's Eve parties

Photo by Cathlin McCullough

Experience sets by four DJs at Meow Wolf.

Whether 2025 has been good or bad, you owe it to yourself to end this year with a bang. And that’s why your friends at CultureMap have laid out more than 20 places – bars, pubs, nightclubs, even a children’s museum – that’ll be closing out 2025 in a grand, festive manner.

Happy New Year, and drink as much bubbly as you can reasonably consume — just leave the driving to someone else:

Art Club’s first NYE will feature one of their favorite artists from this year: Neon Indian. Expect an unpredictable sonic journey with an artist who crafts immersive DJ sets that weave deep cuts, vintage textures, and dancefloor energy. 10 pm.

Axelrad will have a free NYE bash with a champagne toast, a midnight cash ball drop, and live music from bands Azul and Rupert & Friends, as well as DJ sets from Rikkiton, Eleven Toes Down, and IYKYK. Shop Local Market will also be there with vendors. 7 pm.

Bar Boheme will get the New Year started with Rudy Rincon & GRUPO KACHE, delivering infectious rhythms that'll have people dancing all night long. They’ll also have an all-you-can-eat buffet until 10 pm, a champagne toast with grapes, and more. 7 pm.

Best Regards will transform into a full winter wonderland/Alps-inspired Après-Ski lounge for “An Après Affair.” For this champagne-forward celebration (complete with DJ-led energy building to a midnight toast), faux fur, metallics, and "Alpine-chic" attire are encouraged. 8 pm.

Children’s Museum Houston will throw its annual NYE-during-the-day bash for kids, where they’ll be counting down until the clock strikes noon. The first 200 children will receive “Happy New Year” necklaces to kick off the celebration. 9 am.

Constellation Field in Sugar Land will host a midnight fireworks display as part of its Sugar Land Holiday Lights display. Adults (21-plus) can upgrade to the New Year's Eve Ball in the Regions Bank Club that includes an open bar, DJ, a champagne toast, and premium seating for the fireworks. 6 pm.

Dan Electro’s will be mixing vibes, funk, world reggae, and rock & roll for a New Year's concert in the Heights. Bayou City Funk, demrootsmusic, and Charlie Danger’s Jet Set will play the music, while champagne will be available for purchase. 8:30 pm.

The Flat will be opening its doors to partygoers looking to ring in the New Year with Jamaican grooves. For this NYE edition of “Reggae Wednesday,” Flabba Dabba and KingFari will be spinning tunes while Caribbean food will be available on the patio. 9 pm.

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium will have its third annual, interactive murder-mystery event on NYE. Ticket holders get access to the mystery and a complimentary welcome beer or cocktail, as well as private dining and access to their cocktail and reserve beer menu. 7 pm.

The Foundation Room at House of Blues will get real soulful with “If It Don't Feel Like 90s RnB: New Year's Eve Edition.” Host/local R&B vocalist Keith Jacobs will be providing the vocals, while The Ken Chatham Project serves up the sounds. 9 pm.

Grooves of Houston will throw a “Tux & Tennies” party, where dressing up in your finest evening wear (complete with fresh fly kicks) is a requirement. There will be a midnight cash balloon drop, a champagne toast, a brunch buffet, and much more. 8 pm.

Heights Social will be the starting point for the Heights NYE celebration on W. 20th St. For $60 (and two drinks), you can skip the line and check out the parties at Heights Social, BLVD Park, Say No Mas, and Cattlemen’s Country Club. 8 pm.

Hotel Saint Augustine will be throwing a free soiree in their listening lounge. Described as an evening “filled with elegance and indulgence,” with a complimentary midnight toast. But, to be honest, they had us at “music, decadent caviar, and truffles.” 9 pm.

Hotel ZaZa Memorial City will roll out the red carpet for a Hollywood-style NYE, so dress to impress. Wine, beer and cocktails will be flowing, with a bubbly toast popping off at midnight. There will also be live entertainment and a hors d'oeuvres station. 10 pm.

Houston Museum of Natural Science will ring in the New Year with “Mixers and Elixirs: New Year's Eve.” Enjoy live music from Danny Ray and the Atlantic Street Band, and catch a screening of Ocean’s Eleven (2001) in the Wortham Giant Screen Theatre. 9 pm.

McGonigel’s Mucky Duck continues its tradition of celebrating Irish New Year’s Eve, where they get their “Auld Lang Syne” on at 6 pm. Pat Byrne, Kristopher Wade, EJ Jones, and Frances Cunningham will be around with some fiddle music. 4:30 pm.

Meow Wolf Houston will have its first-ever NYE celebration inside Radio Tave, giving guests full access to explore the worlds while moving through distinct DJ-driven zones. The lineup features Houston artists Machine Elves, IMAX713, PHARAX, and KINOTE. 8 pm.

Neil’s Bahr will be adding something new to their annual NYE rager – karaoke! At their new location, partygoers will get the chance to sing their heads off. The party will also offer cheap champagne, classic cocktails, silly hats, and all the free hors d'oeuvres you can handle. 8 pm.

Numbers will serve up another NYE spectacular, which includes a $2,026 balloon drop at midnight, along with a champagne toast, and complimentary party favors. Longtime Numbers DJ Wes Wallace will be in the booth spinning. 9 pm.

Off the Record Listening Bar is planning a big New Year's bash with live sets from Keith Jacobs (again) & the B-Sides Band, DJ Ortiz, DJ Youngstreetz, and FlemmDoggyDogg. A welcome cocktail is given to the first 50 RSVPs. 8 pm.

Pimlico Irish Pub will continue its tradition of celebrating NYE on Ireland time, when the clock strikes midnight at 6 pm. They will have complimentary swag, a champagne toast, and a livestream of the Ireland NYE celebration. 2 pm.

POST’s New Year's Eve Celebration features a Great Gatsby-inspired celebration of glitz, glamour and over-the-top excitement. The grand finale will be a midnight fireworks spectacle orchestrated by pyrotechnic artists Celestial Displays. 9 pm.

Shoeshine Charley’s Big Top Lounge will have a NYE bash with performances by rockabilly group Shame on Me, synth-punk rockers TV Dolls, and Americana band Brightwire. There will also be a free champagne toast at midnight. 8 pm.

The Spot Lounge & Bar will celebrate NYE with its signature welcoming energy, music, handcrafted cocktails, and bubbly. A limited-edition, holiday cocktail lineup features festive twists on classics, blending bold seasonal flavors with approachable comfort. 2 pm.

Tejas Brewery will be celebrating the New Year with a rooftop shindig. Your ticket includes a free first beer and a champagne toast at midnight, as well as live music (from brotherly rock trio Wolf Moon) all night and a great view of the downtown fireworks. 8 pm.

Velocity - Sim Racing Lounge will have a special, family-friendly celebration. They’ll be hosting an exclusive ticketed event featuring unlimited sim racing, a live DJ, goodies throughout the night, light bites and, of course, that midnight champagne toast. 7 pm.

houston new year's eve entertainment