Eurydice...

by Sarah Ruhl
Stageworks Theatre

Shimberg Playhouse
May 29, 2010
Tampa, FL

If happiness presents itself both in life and death, which one would you choose?

Eurydice is a play by Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Ruhl about the relationship of Eurydice and her husband Orpheus both alive and beyond the realm of death. Breathing new life in the classic Greek myth of Eurydice, Ruhl's version differs slightly, but makes up for with heartbreaking dramatics that leave you thinking. Presented by Stageworks Theatre at the Shimberg Playhouse, Eurydice is an up close look at the love of a woman both from life and death.

We meet Eurydice and Orpheus one day on the beach hopelessly in love. Through Orpheus' guile, they marry very quickly and host a grand wedding. On a walk for water, Eurydice meets an aptly named "Interesting Man" who lures Eurydice back to his apartment with promise of a letter from her dead father. After realizing the Interesting Man's true intentions, Eurydice manages to secure the letter but ultimately falls to her death. Once Eurydice arrives in the underworld she is met by her father, but has no recollection of who he is. Orpheus vows to never give up his search for Eurydice and sends letters via a worm. Once presented with a choice of staying with her father in the underworld or returning to Orpheus, Eurydice must decide which life she wants.

Dahila Legault & Dayton Sinkia

With razor sharp dialogue and deeply motivated characters, Eurydice was not only well written, it was also well performed. Dayton Sinkia and Dahlia Legault delivered excellent portrayals of Orpheus and Eurydice. They made a sound connection within the first fifteen minutes which added to the level of loss after Eurydice's death. Jim Wicker's moving performance of Eurydice's father twisted the knife on an already tragic tale. Wicker's ability to switch from heartbroken father to mistaken porter was well played. Kudos. I particularly enjoyed "The Stones", or should I say, "The Stooooonnnes". Their layered and cascading dialogue entertained both comicly and dramatically. With all the wonderfully acted parts of the play, I must say I was not thrilled with the part of the Interesting Man or the Child both played by Chris Perez. I understood the Interesting Man's role of the tempter, but I thought the role of the Child was nonsensical and not really needed to make the story any better. It's hard to swallow a razor scooter riding, falsetto talking Child in Hell. Maybe a slightly different approach next time.

I walked into the Shimberg Playhouse curious of what I was going to see. I knew the play was written by a MacArthur Genius Grant award winner, but I didn't expect myself to get sucked into the story the way I did. I guess in a "happily ever after" storytelling society I was wasn't expecting the ending presented on stage. Although with that being said, why should every story end the same way? Eurydice surely raised questions about what I would do in a similar sitation, and how deep love can truly be. Without knowing much of the Greek myth of Eurydice, I still found this production of Eurydice strong enough to stand alone as it's own story. If you changed the names of Eurydice and Orpheus to Ivelise and Owen, you wouldn't be lost on the themes of unconditional love, loss and ambition.

All in all I found the production of Eurydice to hit on all cylinders but one. The text had strong dialogue and syntax. The actors, except for one, did a fantastic job of presenting the ideas of the characters. The staging of lights and live "rainfall" score well in the spectacle category. And of course being presented up close as it was really allowed the pathos of the story take place.

Eurydice plays until May 30 at the Shimberg Playhouse. If you are unable to make the show before it closes, be sure to catch Dead Man's Cell Phone also written by Sarah Ruhl playing June 3rd through the 20th presented by Jobsite Theater.

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Music of the Post - emery