Story last updated at 1/13/2010 - 12:14 pm
Playwright Sarah Ruhl may not yet be a household name for Juneau playgoers, but upon learning that she is a former student of Paula Vogel's, it's easy to see her as a part of the extended Juneau theater family. And how lucky we are to be introduced to her work through Perseverance Theatre's wonderful production of "Eurydice."
She, in turn, introduces us to the character of Eurydice, who plays second fiddle to Orpheus in most versions of the classic story of the two lovers and Orpheus's quest to rescue Eurydice from the Underworld.
Ekatrina Oleksa Sotomayor is an enchanting Eurydice in Perseverance's production, and it is easy to imagine why the men in the play (Orpheus, Eurydice's father, and the Nasty Interesting Man/Lord of the Underworld) are so stuck on her. In some ways, she is the most intriguing of the characters because her motivations and desires are not as straightforward as everyone else's.
In the opening scene, we learn that she and Orpheus (Jed Hancock-Brainerd), though wildly in love with each other, sometimes have a bit of trouble communicating about their other passions--Orpheus's head is full of music, while Eurydice is more interested in books and philosophy.
On the day of her wedding, Eurydice admits a little disappointment--"I always thought there would be more interesting people at my wedding," she says--which is then seized upon by a Nasty Interesting Man (Ryan Conarro), who tempts her to his high-rise apartment with the promise of a letter from her father and perhaps even a bit of his own charm, then sends her tumbling to her death after she declines his advances.
The Underworld in which she arrives certainly has its downsides--it's damp, you can lose some or all of your memory depending on how long you're dunked in the river, and the chorus of Stones might get on your nerves--but it's hard to deny that it is quite an interesting place.
And once Eurydice's doting father (Jerry Demmert) helps her regain her memory, she seems to be having a pretty nice time being dead. He builds her a room out of string, tells her stories, and teaches her to read again.
So when word comes that Orpheus is on his way to rescue Eurydice, it's easy to understand her hesitation to follow him out of the Underworld. Her decision doesn't seem to be a choice between being alive or being dead, but a choice between her father and her husband, the known and the unknown. Her hesitation is apt to lead to tragedy, and not just for her.
Yet it's hard to come away from "Eurydice" feeling that you've seen a tragedy. Yes, characters die, and sometimes more than once. But the play paints an encouraging, if slightly strange, version of an afterlife, and a world in which the divisions between the world of the living and the world of the dead aren't absolute. A world in which death might not mean losing someone forever, a world in which there is hope of recovering lost memories.
Each member of the solid cast is given time to shine, and I found myself reacting almost as Eurydice does to the earnest, endearing Orpheus; the steadfast, comforting Father; the creepy yet seductive Nasty Interesting Man and his alter-ego, the Lord of the Underworld; and the obnoxious yet harmless Stones. I also left very sympathetic to our heroine's dilemma, feeling sorry to have to leave the whimsical Underworld of "Eurydice."
"Eurydice" by Sarah Ruhl, directed by Roblin Gray Davis. Set design by Akiko Nishijima Rotch, lighting design by Art Rotch, costume design by Brieanna Lewis, music and sound design by Ed Littlefield.
With Ekatrina Oleksa Sotomayor (Eurydice), Jed Hancock-Brainerd (Orpheus), Jerry Demmert (Father), Ryan Conarro (Nasty Interesting Man), MK MacNaughton (Little Stone Stone), Aram Aghazarian (Big Stone), and Rebecca Noon (Loud Stone). With music performed by Jocelyn Clark (zheng, kayagum, percussion, voice) and Ed Littlefield (trumpet, vibraphone, percussion).
Runs through January 31 at Perseverance Theatre. For tickets visit http://www.perseverancetheatre.org/ or call (907) 463-TIXS.
