★★★★★
Adelaide Fringe. The Yurt at the Migration Museum. 10 Mar 2026
The now established tradition of Wright and Grainger producing challenging, yet beautifully crafted iterations of gig theatre inspired by Ancient Greek mythology sees Selene, a work beautifully crafted by the duo in collaboration with Megan Drury. This wonderfully rich storytelling continues to blend myth with a deeply human experience. With the phenomenal success of Eurydice, Orpheus, The Gods! The Gods! The Gods! and Helios—previous explorations intertwining Ancient Greek mythology with contemporary life setting a high bar—Selene does not fail to deliver.
The original mythology sees Pandia, abbreviated (irritating for she who is named so) to Panda, as the personification of the full moon. Born of Zeus and the moon goddess Selene. Pandia translates to "all brightness" or "all-divine," representing light, beauty, and youth. She is associated with the Athenian festival of the same name. And herein lies the genius of the text. While the mythology presents Selene drawing the moon across the sky using a silver chariot, Wright & Grainger present Selene as a truck driver, frequently away from her daughter at night. When the show opens, Panda is 16 and the embodiment of potential marred by deep anger and resentment about the loss of her father many years earlier in an accident.
The original myth sees Selene deeply in love with the mortal, Endymion. Our Selene remains in love with her deceased beau. Where Zeus grants Selene’s wish that Endymion be granted immortality, Zeus places him into an eternal, ageless sleep. An ageless sleep in Wright & Grainger’s iteration indicated by a proliferation of photographs of Panda’s father around the little North Yorkshire cottage close to the Kilburn White Horse hillside carving.
Megan Drury’s storytelling sees her embody the journey from teen to young woman within the orbit of her mother, Selene, in a performance at once electric, warm and tender. Drury draws us into a world where the mythical becomes intimately personal.
We journey through Megan’s transitions between her angry confused teen years, her night club-based explorative late teens and early twenties and, finally, to a point in her mid -twenties where she comes to recognise her inherent value. It’s gorgeously evocative, crisp writing, every image placed with care, every moment delivered with sincerity. The final moments of this extraordinary narrative brought many audience members’ eyes to shine with tears of joy, a joy, I think, of recognition in themselves.
Grainger’s music provides an unobtrusive yet ever present foundation beneath the narrative, enhancing mood and emotion without ever overwhelming the story. Together Drury’s superbly delivered narrative and Grainger’s soundtrack, create an atmosphere that feels gently timeless, illuminated by simple and effective lighting, further enriching this extraordinarily vivid delivery.
Selene explores longing, resilience, identity, self-acceptance and the illumination one experiences with that. It feels both ancient and immediate, familiar and freshly imagined.
Drury moves effortlessly between mythic scale and human fragility, guiding the audience with precision and compassion. The intimacy of the space amplifies every shift in energy and emotion, making the experience profoundly engaging.
Selene is storytelling at its most affecting. Wright & Grainger once again demonstrate their remarkable ability to transform myth into something achingly real. A radiant and memorable work.
Go see it.
John Doherty
When: 19 Feb to 21 Mar
Where: The Yurt
Bookings: adelaidefringe.com.au
