Author: Annie Hoang
While I haven’t seen much live theater beyond the confines of high school plays and a showing of When You Give a Mouse a Cookie when I was in the second grade, I found myself thoroughly enjoying Seattle University’s production of Eurydice. If you’re unfamiliar with the play, it’s a retelling of the Myth of Orpheus, shifting the narrative from the tale of a man seeking to defy death to the perspective of his lost love, Eurydice, as she grapples with the decision to follow her lover back into the land of the living or remain in the Underworld alongside her late father. In essence, it is a tale about human connection, illuminating the transitional nature of relationships as love becomes grief.
The playwright, Sarah Ruhl, leaves plenty of blank space in the original script to fill in with unique interpretations of environment, character interactions, and costume design, and this production’s cast and crew did a wonderful job of creating powerful moments with well-thought out blocking and mise en scene. Characters move with an air of musicality during pivotal moments, accompanied by lighting and sound that brings to life the whimsical nature of Ruhl’s script. Flashes of light accompany snapshots of Eurydice falling down the stairs to her death, her spiraling movements fluid and dramatic as the audience observes her descent from the land of the living. As Eurydice follows Orpheus out of the Underworld, both characters are illuminated in shifting lights of blue and red, casting long shadows along the walls of a theater and shrinking the space between them, creating an intimate atmosphere as the two experience the final transition from love to grief.
All of this is paired with a cast of strong actors, each embodying their characters in a distinct manner. The chorus of Stones struck the perfect balance of amusingly strange and downright ominous. The relationship between Eurydice and her father was all at once heart-warming and heart-breaking, highlighted by the actress’ moving and complex depiction of Eurydice’s inner conflicts. Orpheus comes across as youthful yet determined and the Lord of the Underworld shines in his alternating roles of the Very Interesting Man and his much younger, rockstar-reminiscent alter self in the Underworld.
Per the Greeks’ affinity for tragedies, Eurydice ends on a poignant note. There is no happy ending in which the lovers are reunited or the grieving daughter reconciles out with her late father in an eternity of peace. Instead, audience members are the only ones left with the bittersweet memories of young love and the close bonds of family, long gone from the memories of characters who have joined the forgetful ranks of the dead.
Nevertheless, this certainly won’t be the last play that I see at the Lee Center, and I hope you find the time to see one of their shows as well!
Annie Hoang | Be like a stone! | KXSU Arts and Music Reporter