Wilma’s ‘Half-God of Rainfall’ is a mesmerizing, dizzying journey through Greek and Yoruba mythologies

Capping off a week of Philadelphia celebrations for the Eagles, it’s no surprise that The Half-God of Rainfall, an epic poem about a superhuman basketball star, began with a “Go Birds.” On Friday night, hours after the parade antics on Broad Street, the theater hummed with cheery energy to root for another athletic hero.

Enter Demi (a convincingly childlike Anthony Martinez-Briggs), the son of high priestess Modúpé (the captivating Jessica Johnson) and Zeus (a cold and cruel Keith Conallen), whose sobs can trigger earth-splitting floods. He’s the titular half-god at the center of this epic poem by Nigerian playwright Inua Ellams that combines Yoruba and Greek mythologies for a production that’s part verse recitation and part theater.

It takes time to acclimate to this style of storytelling that both shows and tells as the cast speaks directly to the audience. The ambitious production marks the directorial debut of Lindsay Smiling, the longtime Wilma actor who now serves as co-artistic director.

The dense, verbose text — over which some actors stumbled, understandably, on opening night — created a dizzying journey through a war between gods and mortals fought across time and place. If the audience felt lost at times amid the deluge of plot details, the exquisite set and lighting design, credited to Dahlia Al-Habieli and Thom Weaver, respectively, helped keep everyone on track.

As Demi rises in fame and power, eventually joining the Golden State Warriors, he learns that other half-gods have competed in American sports before, including legendary Sixers point guard Allen Iverson and, of course, Chicago Bulls icon Michael Jordan. But he also learns the violent truth about his parentage: After Zeus unfairly won a competition with the Yoruba god of thunder Sàngó (Brandon J. Pierce), Modúpé was his prize. In a particularly difficult scene, Modúpé describes Zeus raping her, explaining that “each spike of him cut at her spirit.”

In other works inspired by Greek myths, stories of Zeus’ rampant sexual abuse often leave out his victims’ experiences to focus more on the offspring. In Half-God, Modúpé takes the spotlight, delivering a chilling monologue about Zeus haunting her every moment while she balances PTSD and raises her beloved son alone. The play’s shift of focus to Modúpé midway through its runtime, however, sidelines Demi’s character growth and leaves the mother-and-son relationship somewhat under-explored.

Can someone like the almighty Zeus ever be held accountable? When the situation seems totally helpless, both mortals and gods alike band together to fight the celestial tyrant who has wreaked so much havoc. It’s a lesson that Smiling hopes the audience will embrace today, as he writes in his director’s note: “We are looking at our difficulties. We are trying to reimagine our possibilities.”

(Community/Arts)

Nigerian playwright Inua Ellams tells the story of a half-god basketball player, combining Yoruba and Greek mythologies for a production that’s part verse recitation and part theater.

⌚️ Through March 2,📍 265 S. Broad St., 🌐 wilmatheater.org

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