Granted there are other matters to consider these days (such as the scourge that has divided our country), but if you need a brief break, give an ear to MC's latest podcast - Jonah, Act III.  Surreal as it is, this is the part of the book everyone knows: Jonah’s attempt to escape the Lord by hiding aboard a ship to Tarshish; the Lord’s targeted storm that flushes him out from belowdecks and forces the crew to appease the Lord’s anger by throwing Jonah overboard; Jonah’s rescue by the great fish; his change of heart and deliverance. The fish is relieved to be rid of him, but it's far from over for Jonah. As Coleridge wrote in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner - The man hath penance done/ And penance more will do. 

In this episode the Lord catches up to Cain, now Jonah, and speaks sense to him, making Jonah an offer he should not refuse -  a quid pro quo of tat removal for a preaching stint in distant Nineveh.  Jonah deliberates with himself, his wife Abigail, son Enoch, and best friend Nathan, before rashly deciding to head to Joppa for a fast boat to Tarshish, presumably beyond the Lord's reach. As if that weren't incentive enough, in this episode we have secured a cameo appearance of MC's daughter, Jessica as Abigail in Scene IV. Enjoy. 

And now for something completely different? We have all heard of the story Jonah and the Whale, even if only throught Disney via Pinochio. But what do we really know of this minor prophet of the Old Testament? Well, my Jonah is a Pythonesque take on the book of the Bible in which the epon is a repeat offending sinner, a bit like Midas but a very different animal altogether. I have hewn to the general outline of the biblical Jonah, which is only four chapters, but, as to be expected in any MC production, liberties have been taken, and there are, even by my pre-established standards, some very strange elements in this interpretation, not all entirely the culpa of your beloved MC. 

In Act I after an introductory prologue of course, our Jonah catches up with two fellow prophets who, after an unsettling encounter on the road, provide him with some medicinal fortification to gird him for doing the Lord's bidding, which is to preach to the people of distant NIneveh lest the Lord destroy them utterly. In the course of these preparations for his assignment, some of the backstory to the Lord's selection of Jonah is revealed, as well as more background into Jonah's character, or lack thereof. Why Jonah indeed! At any rate, enjoy this deep dive into the tale of the great minor prophet Jonah!

In this culminating episode of Medea, Jason must face the full force of his wife Medea's rage over his imprudent desire to marry the princess Glauke of Corinth and abandon the woman who had helped him succeed in his quote unquote heroic quest for the Golden Fleece. The end is not pretty but that is the point as Medea yet again shatters the norms of behavior expected of women in the classical world.  

In this episode our power couple hits some bumps in the road. Through Medea's magic cauldron sleight of hand, Jason and Medea ascend the throne that Pelias had previously promised and that was rightfully Jason's, but the townspeople drive them out because of the suspicious circumstances of their accession to the throne. Pariahs again, Jason and Medea approach Corinth where it appears their hard times may take a turn for the better, until Medea, who has risked everything for her beloved, learns of Jason's thoughtless plan to re-marry - a beautiful, nubile princess named Glauke - in order to secure some stabilty for their menage. Tune in to Medea Act IV, but strap yourselves in, for hell hath no fury...

Having finessed their escape from King Aeetes, Jason and Medea return to Jason's home with the object of their quest in hand - the golden fleece! Jason's wicked stepfather, the usurping King Pelias, had promised the kingdom for the fleece. Will he honor his promise to cede the throne to Jason (and Medea)? If he does not honor that promise - and he won't of course because he's one of those really wicked uncles - what will the newlyweds do given all that they have risked? They should be on the throne that was rightfully Jason's in the first place. How will they react to Pelias's decision? Will Medea take matters into her own hands again? Will there be collateral damage from her actions? Was the second prophecy - beware a young relative - accurate after all? Find out in Medea Act III. 

Again with Medea's magic, Jason and Medea steal the fleece from the serpent that guarded it for Aeetes. Furious at having been betrayed again by his own daughter, Aeetes and his armada set off in pursuit of the Argo and the stolen talisman. Ethnocentrically, the Argonauts thought their ship was the fastest ever, yet Aeetes's boats are poised to overtake them. Things do not look good for our newly affianced, but of course with Medea on board, they will surely get through this trial as well, but how, and at what price? Tune in again to Medea to find out the resolution of this latest dilemma.    

Everyone knows the cautionary tale of Midas and the golden touch, Act I, but this Midas has the backstory as well – what the king had done to earn his foolish wish for the proverbial touch. In Midas's celebrated rose garden two laborers stumble upon the passed out body of the old satyr Silenus and take him to their king, Midas, in hopes of a reward. Midas offers Silenus a place to stay as he dries out (as if!) and the silver-tongued Silenus earns his keep by entertaining Midas himself with wonderful stories. For safekeeping Silenus, the dear mentor of Dionysus, the god grants Midas the infamous wish. Midas makes the foolish wish, can’t eat, golds his daughter by accident, repents the wish, it’s forthwith unwished, and the rest is history, er, mythology. This is Act I of MIdas in its entirety - from the backstory to the unforeseen consequences of that foolish wish.

Most everyone these days has heard of Tyler Perry's Madea, right, but not necessarily of Medea, niece of Circe?  Well, believe it or not, the source for this formidable character (read: badass) is the Colchidean witch, Medea, who herself has no equal in the canon of classical mythology. This might explain her enduring appeal for MC and others across the millennia. In this episode, Medea: -Act I, our beloved MC provides a little background to the second offering of his plays ripped from classical mythology, and, after that, the entire first Act.  

In Act I, Jason and the Argonauts, after an arduous journey across the Black Sea, land in Colchis to take back the fleece that king Aeetes holds in his possession. The king, hoping to kill off the Greek pretender, assigns Jason two impossible tasks to make him quote unquote earn the fleece. If not for Aeetes's daughter's intercession (love at first sight) and black magic (her aunt is Circe), Jason would die on the spot. For her assistance Jason had promised to marry her. When Jason prevails in these labors, the king Aeetes is not happy and, citing illegal help by his own cherished daughter no less, again refuses to give up his beloved talisman, the fleece. What will the two newlyweds do now? For the answers tune in to Medea -Act I.

How will Midas handle himself in the afterlife, having made a mess of his mortal one with his acts of folly? Hear what the judges in Hades think of this inveterate fool. Hearken to their final judgment where the little king of Phrygia will spend his eternity. Lend MC your ears now and find out the final disposition of king Midas.