A Gorgeous Loss.

For the son of an actor I've seen very few straight theater performances. My inclinations have always been more towards the musical theater variety but it seems that more and more often the meaningful works are being introduced Off-Broadway and in straight theater. Yesterday afternoon, after a rousing ballet class at City Center, I waded through the throngs of tourists as I made my way to Second Stage Theater on 43rd Street for a performance of "Eurydice." After hearing strong word of mouth, my expectations were high and I had no idea what to expect.

It seems like suddenly this myth is everywhere but in completely different forms. First came word from my father that he wanted to work on developing a dance on film piece based on an Anne Carson poem dealing with the myth. Then there was the Met Opera's production of "Orfeo ed Euridice" with choreography by Mark Morris and now Sarah Ruhl's modern retelling in the form of "Eurydice." What sets this production apart from the others is that it is told through the eyes of Eurydice who unexpectedly dies on her wedding day. As she journeys through the underworld, she struggles to accept her fate and exist in a world without her lover Orpheus.

From the moment I walked into the theater I knew that this was going to be a very different experience than I was used to. The tiled stage was tilted at an angle and stretched fifty feet high. There were rusted pipes hanging from the ceiling and a drainage system built into the floor of the stage. From a design standpoint, this production really is one of the most astounding I have ever seen. Eurydice navigates her way through the underworld and arrives in an elevator as a downpour floods over her, erasing her memory of the world she knew. She encounters three stones (in gothic costumes that look like they are straight out of "Shockheaded Peter") who warn her not to question things but accept her quiet eternal life in the underworld. However, Eurydice is quickly reunited with her father, who teaches her to remember the world she has left behind. He warns her of the trouble she is bringing because memories bring pain and eternity is a long time to wish for the past. Confused by her emotions, Eurydice exclaims "What happiness it would be to cry," one of my favorite of many poetic lines from the show. This perfectly sums up the idea that pain is sometimes essential to our existence.

What follows is a story about loss and the acceptance of fate that grows more beautiful with each passing moment. There are too many haunting images in this evening to go into but Orpheus' journey to the underworld is one of the most striking. Faced with a world without his true love, he swears to play the saddest music he knows (Arvo Part) until he can journey through the soil to be reunited with her. He stands at the edge of the stage releasing his soul to the world through a straw as she awaits his arrival in the underworld.

The playwright Sarah Ruhl does a brilliant job of developing the pain that these characters all feel from their situation. Sometimes she does it through her poetic words but most often through incredible staging which has Eurydice's father setting up a room built out of string to shelter his daughter or Eurydice trailing behind Orpheus around the room until they reunite. As many people know, the myth allows Eurydice to trail behind her lover and journey out of the underworld as long as she never calls out his name so he can look back and see her. She can follow behind him for eternity like a gust of wind that never stirs him. This proves to be too tempting for Eurydice and eventually she yells out his name and seals her fate to die a second death and return to the underworld. Sometimes we have to risk everything for that one moment of happiness.

This is really a world class production of an incredible story where every element comes together in perfect harmony. From the writing to the acting, the staging, the lighting and sound design, this is a theater experience that is not to be missed. Fortunately it has been extended through the summer so I urge you to go out and see "Eurydice" at Second Stage Theater.

Comments

[Jennifer]

aw, i hear lots of people love this production! i wish i was there!!

you should also run and see the fabulous diva, Patti LuPone in Gypsy at the City Center...hearing amazing things about the production.

I'm beginning to love things outside of ballet/dance/musical theater as well, I recently (a year or so ago) discovered straight plays.

on a completely different note, I said "hello" to Adrienne and Jackie yesterday, after Othello! It was really cool to meet them; I feel like I know them, after reading about them on your blog :)

[M]

I'm going to be seeing Gypsy thursday so I'll let you know all about it :-)

How was seeing Jackie and Adrienne? I miss those girls!!! Grrr I wish I was on tour.

[Jennifer]

please give me a full report on Boyd Gaines, playing opposite Diva Lupone, a favorite of mine from "Journey's End"

[Raniero da Calzabigi]

Incidentally, the version of the orpheus myth that the MET opera produced was written by Christoph Willibald Gluck and is titled Orfeo ed Euridice. I should know. I wrote the libretto. ;-)

[M]

Thank you for the correction! Funny because I was just looking through some old pictures and realized I had gotten it wrong when I saw a picture of the poster outside the Met. It's been fixed in the main post now :-) And thanks for the blog support as well!

[Larry]

Incidentally, the version of the orpheus myth that the MET opera produced was written by Christoph Willibald Gluck and is titled Orfeo ed Euridice. I should know. I wrote the libretto. ;-)

How did you feel about the production, Raniero? Were the 90 choristers all dressed in historical costumes to your liking?

[Rob]

All this talk of NYC theater makes me very sad I can't leave CA til January 2008 since I have no vacation with the new job til then. I haven't seen anything since I saw The Producers last August. Hopefully the next time I make it back you can give me a "go here" list of stuff to see Matt.