EMA Review: Eurydice ***** Delicious

By Paul Atreides

Author, Playwright, and Theatre Critic at EatMoreArtVegas.compaul-atreides.com

I love a good story about the afterlife. So, of course, Orpheus would appeal to me as he travels down to the Underworld to reconnect with and retrieve his bride, Eurydice, who has died on their wedding day. A heck of a plot. Considering it’s all Greek mythology, it’s a classic and has been told in many different ways. But it’s always told from Orpheus’s point of view.

Playwright Sarah Ruhl turned that on its head and brought us Eurydice. The same tale of lost love and yearning, but from her point of view, her experience in the Underworld, longing to return to her husband.

As directed by Jake Staley and Breon Jenay for A Public Fit, the production takes a very stylized presentation. It comes across more as a ballet with words than a play. Words are spoken a bit too boisterously. But the very odd thing about it all: It works.

Adam Dunson’s original music for the production is both beautiful and dissonant. His portrayal of Orpheus fine-tunes it, or maybe the music fine-tunes the portrayal. Add in Tracy Corea’s wonderful choreography for Eurydice, played by Nicole Unger, and the Underworld’s Three Stones played by Adriana Chaves, Aurora Maria Murphy, and Bethany Nicole Taylor, and the ballet is complete.

Playing Eurydice’s dead father, Timothy Cummings’ performance is so calming and understated that it becomes a perfect counterpoint to the tale's horrors. Add Benjamin Loewy as the Man/Child Lord of the Underworld. His ability to shift from devious fun to enticing womanizer to threatening overlord in an instant creates a fully three-dimensional character who gets laughs and chills.

Technical aspects are on point. Joshua Wroblewski’s lighting for Eric Koger’s set moves the piece through time and space from oceanside to Orpheus’s home to the afterlife. It’s all so cleverly lit that you wonder how Cummings constructs a wall with a ball of yarn. The sound design wraps around and envelopes the space, giving a sense of immersion in the play's world.

This is the type of production that may take some thoughtful contemplation after you leave the theatre to fully construct a reaction.  Maybe stick around for The Buzz afterward. When I left, I didn’t really know what to make of it; I had to mull it over. And that’s a good thing, really. That’s what good stories are: they have staying power, make you ponder. It’s why the story of Orpheus and Eurydice has been around for centuries, and I highly recommend this telling.

 When:  7 p.m. Friday, Saturday, Monday; 2 p.m. Sundays through March 2

Where: 4340 S. Valley View Blvd, Suite 210

Tickets: $35 - $45 (www.apublicfit.org)

Grade:  ***** Delicious

Producer: A Public Fit; Artistic Director: Ann-Marie Pereth; Producing Director: Joseph D. Kucan; Director: Jake Staley, Breon Jenay; Choreographer: Tracy Corea; Scenic Design: Eric A. Koger; Lighting Design: Joshua Wroblewski; Sound Design: Constance Taschner; Costume Design: Kendra Faith; Production Stage Manager: Martin Hackett