‘Lysistrata’ stages a West L.A. rally

The essentials: A coalition of independent-minded women withhold sexual favors to force their bellicose menfolk to end an interminable war. With its forwardlooking swipes at gender inequality and social hypocrisy, Aristophanes’ subversive comedy has been running, on and off, since 411 BC. While this interpretation by L.A. playwright Eduardo Machado initially seems to align with the classical story and structure, it soon diverges into something far more rich and strange.

Brenda Strong (“Supergirl,” “Desperate Housewives,” “13 Reasons Why”) brings a sobering contemporary focus to the title role, as grief and rage drive a once-complacent citizen to lead the women’s antiwar revolt after all the men in her family are killed in action.

Why this? Director and choreographer John Farmanesh-Bocca is no stranger to bold interpretations of classics.

His Not Man Apart company brought a visceral, highly physicalized performance style and sharp social critiques to “Titus Redux” and “Ajax in Iraq”; in 2016, his “Tempest Redux” turned Shakespeare’s magical plot on its head with a single tragic visual moment that conjured up the tragedy of the Syrian refugee crisis.

This latest project draws more inspiration from today’s protest movements than from Greek antiquity.

Details: An Odyssey Theatre and Not Man Apart co-production at Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles. 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays; ends Aug. 4. Additional performances 8 p.m. June 28, July 11 and July 25. $30 to $35 ($10 on June 15 and July 11). (310) 477-2055, www.OdysseyTheatre.com