Penner vs. the Hydra

a comedy of many loves

"...my love is like the hydra: for each part you cut away, it comes back twice as strong."

from "Penner vs. the Hydra"

About the Show

In this bawdy bacchanal featuring witty one-liners, fallacious philosophy, and dazzling dance, a fallen Catholic in a police state must justify his penchant for polyamorous relationships by coming up with a legal definition of love.

WARNING: This show contains profanity, partial nudity, and adult humor.

It's an age of evolving definitions, and Maximum Verbosity, the original lords of loquacity, are taking on the legislation of love in a new romantic comedy set against the exploits of the ancient heroes. Biblical figures, Greek gods, and enraged ex-lovers all come into conflict in this comically cacophanous quest.

Performance Dates

Friday, February 4th at 7:30pm (opening night with free reception)
Friday, February 4th at 10pm: The Kirsten and Dean Show
Saturday, February 5th at 2pm: Kirsten & Dean (cancer benefit in memory of Mikael Rudolph)
Saturday, February 5th at 7:30pm
Sunday, February 6th at 2pm (matinee)
Sunday, February 6th at 7pm: The Kirsten and Dean Show
Wednesday, February 9th at 8pm: The Kirsten and Dean Show
Thursday, February 10th at 7:30pm (pay-what-you-can night)
Friday, February 11th at 7:30pm
Friday, February 11th at 10pm: Joking Envelope's "CHOCOLATES and SHAME"
Saturday, February 12th at 7:30pm (closing; two-for-one couples night)
Saturday, February 12th at 10pm: Joking Envelope's "CHOCOLATES and SHAME"

Bold dates represent performances of Penner vs. the Hydra; italicized dates represent other shows being produced in the space (including Joking Envelope's CHOCOLATES and SHAME by Rockstar Storyteller Joseph Scrimshaw and a new show by physical comedy duo Kirsten & Dean. Bring a programme from Penner vs. the Hydra to either of the other shows for discounts (see below)!

Location

People's Center Theater
425 20th Avenue South
Minneapolis, MN 55454

(Parking is available on the street (free after 6 p.m.) or in the parking ramp on the north side of the building.)

Tickets

Ticket prices for Penner vs. the Hydra are $18.00, $16.00 with a Fringe or Rockstar button discount. Ticket prices for The Kirsten and Dean Show are $12.00, $10.00 with a Fringe button discount ($9.00 with a programme from Penner vs. the Hydra); ticket prices for CHOCOLATES AND SHAME are $10.00, $8.00 with a Fringe button discount (or a programme from Penner vs. the Hydra).

For reservations, leave a message (stating your name, callback number, and number of tickets) at the Maximum Verbosity box office line at (952)926-6728, up to 48 hours in advance of the show; you will be called back within 24 hours to confirm.

Script Information

a one-act comic fantasy with ballet
by phillip andrew bennett low
inspired by material from Apollodorus of Athens and Hesiod
with additional material by Elizabeth Byrd
estimated running time: 75 minutes

Cast: one male, six female, three dancers, ten total.
Setting: a courtroom.
Time: heavily anachronistic amalgamation of Ancient Greece, Biblical times, and modern-day.

Produced? Yes, at the People's Center Theater.
Family-friendly? No: contains partial nudity, profanity, and frank sexual dialogue.