Road Less Traveled Productions breaks new ground Friday when "An Iliad" opens in Buffalo.
The one-man show, starring Matt Witten and directed by David Oliver, runs through March 30 at Road Less Traveled Theater located inside the Market Arcade Film & Arts Centre on Main Street.
"It is an adaptation of 'The Iliad' by Homer," Oliver said.
"I go through my career assuming that powerful theatre is going to draw people, and it ("An Iliad') is very powerful."
Most versions of Homer's "The Iliad" run well over 400 pages. "An Iliad" is produced to last 90 minutes.
"It's honestly quite daunting when you're presented with a script that is 45-pages long of you just talking," said Matt Witten, who has spent most of the last year gaining command of the dialogue.
"The shear amount of what's required to put into one's brain was the first hurdle. That was quite a process."
Based on a recent rehearsal, Witten appears to have mastered the material.
"An Iliad," co-written by actor Denis O'Hare and Lisa Petersen, has been well-received around the country.
The show also features original music from local composer Al Kryszak.