‘Eurydice’ comes to York Arena Theatre

By Kelsey Joachim

Western Herald
Playwright Sarah Ruhl creatively retells the Orpheus myth “Eurydice” this weekend at the Western Michigan University’s York Arena Theatre in the Gilmore Theatre Complex.

Sarah Ruhl adds flare and flavor to the classic tale of Orpheus. For those who don’t know the tale, a basic summary goes something like this: the main character Orpheus, the best musician that ever lived, goes on a rescue mission when his beloved Eurydice dies of a snake bite.

He dredges into the underworld to retrieve her by charming the gods with his sweet music. Once granted permission, he disobeys the gods orders not to look back, but he couldn’t resist the passion he felt for Eurydice and loses her again, this time forever.

Sarah Ruhl brings a new spin to this classic myth.

“This version is far more fun because of the way this playwright approached the myth in general. It’s told from Eurydice’s point of view and deals with her relationship with her dead father in the underworld,” said Rachel Napoleon, who plays the character Eurydice.

“Also, it is far wittier and way more fun then any Greek myth. It’s not really Greek at all besides the tragic ending; it’s really youthful and vibrant. It has great contemporary style in the language as well, it’s not that far off from a Tim Burton love story or ‘Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind’ and ‘500 Days of Summer,’” Napoleon said.

In the story Eurydice’s father is dead and so is she. Ruhl turns it into not only a love story, but into a dilemma. She brings an innovative yet complex element to the tale, that truly gives it a comedic, interesting and entertaining new life by focusing on Eurydice’s choice to return to earth with Orpheus or stay in Hades with her father.

“The best new addition to the play is [her] relationship with the father. At the heart of this play, that’s what it’s about: how you go from being someone’s daughter to being someone’s wife. A father and daughter have such an intricate relationship that never really is explored in theatre in relation to a typical man and wife relationship. It’s a great dichotomy between the two and the play really opens it up,” Napoleon said.

“Ms. Ruhl’s quirky contemporary meditation on a much-mediated-upon story has some of the subliminal potency of music, poem and cockeyed allure of a surrealist painting. It’s pretty funny, too,” said Charles Isherwood, of the New York Times.

Performances run Jan. 28 through Jan. 30 at 8 p.m., Feb. 4 through Feb. 6 at 8 p.m., and Feb. 7 at 2 p.m. Seating is general admission and costs $20, $15 for seniors and WMU faculty/staff, and $5 for students.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=14486

Posted by heraldstaff on Feb 3 2010. Filed under A & E, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

http://HeraldStaff