Eurydice is a tale of love and loss. Based on a mythological tale told from a modern perspective, it is a tale of two lovers that ends in tragedy.
Orpheus (Jarod Caitlin), a very talented musician, falls in love with a nymph named Eurydice (Melissa Booey) who is the daughter of Apollo (Mike Harrison), the god of light and music. One day, he proposes to his lover, and she accepts.
On the night of their wedding, Orpheus plays wonderful melodies for his wife to be. They were destined to be together, or so they thought.
Then one day, a snake lunges at Eurydice, biting her shins and poisoning her, leading to her death. This made Orpheus extremely depressed. He played his saddest and most mournful song that caused all the gods to cry and weep for Eurydice.
The gods advised Orpheus to plunge into the dark abyss that is the underworld and rescue his bride. His song was so beautifully morose it even caused Hades himself to weep like a baby. He felt Orpheus’ sorrow and cut a deal with him.
The deal was for Orpheus to walk towards the surface, and allow Eurydice to follow behind him, but if he were to turn around and see his wife, she would disappear for a second time, never to be seen again. As Orpheus makes it out of the underworld, his impatience causes him to turn around too soon, leaving him with only the memory of his lover as she faded away.
In Eurydice, the perspective of the play is more from the heroine of the story and her journey into the underworld. As her soul reaches the abyss, her memory was wiped clean, as is the fate of anyone that passes through the River Styx.
There, she is greeted by the Stones. a trio of mischievous troublemakers who are more than happy to be the bearer of bad news. This band of little, big and loud stones help to move the story along, providing interpretation wherever it is needed.
The underworld is also home to Eurydice’s father, who managed to not forget how to read, write and speak the language of the living. Unfortunately for him, his daughter’s memory was wiped clean and she had forgotten the language, only speaking the tongue of the dead.
When he attempts to communicate with her, he fails to do so as she cannot understand a word he says. All but a few words were exchanged successfully, until she heard the name of her beloved: Orpheus. Then her memory came rushing back to her, bringing back the memories that made her the happiest, like those of her dead father and her living, breathing husband.
She lived happily with her father until the comically played Lord of the Underworld (Magnus Chan) arrived. It is very humorous to see a God riding a tricycle, wearing an over-sized crown and an open jacket exposing his bare chest for all to see, along with shoes that he most likely pilfered off Ronald McDonald.
He is not afraid to jump and run, even make a dramatic entrance through his secret trap door. Hades is an ecstatic character that will sure leave the audience grinning long after his performance.
Despite the awesome acting, a modernized play cannot do without a few stage effects. Get ready to experience a stage with water effects as the elevator that leads to the underworld. A fountain was installed to mimic the effects of the River Styx, but the audience should not worry in fear of flooding as proper plumbing was installed to prevent such a tragedy.
Props such as a giant a marionette to express the Lord of the Underworld’s “growing up” phase also adds excitement to the play. This puppet is extraordinarily huge that it actually takes two people to maneuver it.
Projections were used to demonstrate letters falling, or characters forgetting their lives as humans. Surreal lighting set a mood for every scene.
With an amazing soundtrack to boot, Eurydice is a spectacle that no one should miss.