Perseus Bayou: The Search for the Cajun Medusa

C'est bien! This award-winning musical for family audiences takes the classic Greek myth of Perseus and his quest for the snake-headed Medusa and resets in post-Civil War Louisiana. To save the bayou from the evil Polydectes, Percy must journey to the edge of the human world with the help of a conjure woman, Miss Anthena, and a trickster, Panther Hermes. Along the way, he meets a sword-swinging gal named Andromeda who wins his heart. Percy's adventures take him to the land of the one-eyed fantomes gris (the grey sisters) and finally to the dark heart of the swamp, the lair of the Medusa. Percy's coming-of-age is vividly told in this highly theatrical work that features songs, dance, masks and a giant alligator. The score, inspired by Cajun music, integrates music continuously in the action. Nominated for five Helen Hayes Awards, it was commissioned and originally produced by Theater of the First Amendment, George Mason University's professional theatre in Fairfax, Virginia. The original cast recording was the winner of a Parent's Choice Award.