For those of you who missed it, last weekend Davidson College’s Theatre Department put on the show Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. Directed by Davidson senior, Matthew Schlerf, the sold out Friday performance was absolutely astounding. To get you all caught up:
The show is a take on the classic Greek myth of Orpheus and his wife, Eurydice. In the story, Eurydice dies and Orpheus, by playing beautiful music, goes down to the Underworld to save her. He succeeds, but with the condition that he must not look back to see if she’s following him. Unfortunately, he does, and she goes back to the Underworld, leaving him alone. It’s a tragic tale that the play puts a few spins on by introducing Eurydice’s father to guide her in the afterlife, as well as a predatory Lord of the Underworld who’s also interested in her.
The play moved me deeply, dealing with themes of love and loss between lovers and family. Savannah Deal’s Eurydice managed to brilliantly capture and portray the deep, painful emotions her character was going through. Her performance pushed me to the edge; as her character broke down, so did I. I couldn’t hold back the tears for the rest of the show. I also want to give a shout-out to the wonderful performance of Ryan Rotella, who played the Lord of the Underworld. Ryan gave a conniving and nasty performance that unnerved the entire audience. He came off as not just a threat to the characters within the show, but at times, he felt like a threat to everyone in the room. All of the acting was fantastic, completely immersing viewers in the world of the play.
The set, designed by Chris Timmons, was a brilliant amalgamation of what seemed to be a collection of trash and a series of underground pipes. It felt like an underground world, somewhere between an unusual farmstead and a dreamland. It worked perfectly for a setting that seemed to straddle life and death. The second story of the stage also allowed for dynamic and interesting movement of the actors. The costuming, by Carolyn Bryan, was playful for some and simple for others, but overall, it fit in nicely. While generally seeming to come out of the 50s, it felt timeless. Everyone on the creative team managed to put together a seamless and new world.
Congrats to the cast and crew for such a beautiful, moving performance!
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