CHICAGO – Brushing up on your Greek mythology might be a good idea before seeing Sideshow Theatre Company’s Chicago premiere of “Idomeneus” by Roland Schimmelpfenig, translated by David Tushingham.
    Or maybe not.
    There’s confusion on how the story panned out, and that’s what is addressed by a 15-member ensemble in this hour-long play directed by Jonathan L. Green.
    “The play explores what happens when a community tries to tell a story together, a story riddled with contradictions and disagreements about our own shared history,” said Green.
    Idomeneus was known as the King of Crete and a bold warrior who led troops during the Trojan War. According to the legend, on his voyage home after an absence of 10 years, Idomeneus ran into a terrible storm that claimed 79 of the 80 ships in the flotilla; his craft was spared.
    To secure that safe passage, Idomeneus promised Poseidon he would kill the first living thing he encountered upon his return. The sacrificial lamb turned out to be none other than Idamantes, his teenage son by Meda.