Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl
Directed by Jessica Abdallah

Full Program [PDF]

Whether you realize it or not, you probably already know the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus, with the help of his superhuman musical abilities, compels the Lord of the Underworld to return his new bride, Eurydice, to the world of the living. But there's a catch: Orpheus must walk away from the Underworld and trust that Eurydice is behind him; if he looks back then he will lose her again. At its heart, the myth is about being patient and keeping one's faith. 

I love Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice because, while it pays tribute to the heart of the original myth, it also succeeds at finding its own voice in order to take the story even further. This play is so much more than just a reimagining of the classic Orpheus and Eurydice myth: it is a refreshing opportunity to hear from a female protagonist so often overshadowed; it is a beautiful exploration of love, loss, grief, and the memories we cling to; and, it is a powerful love letter from a woman to her father. 

Ruhl wrote the play in 2003 because she wanted to keep having conversations with her father who had passed away when she was a teenager. She weaved together parts of the myth with memories of her father, memories of young love, and memories of the journey we must all take when we lose someone who means the world to us. Her protagonist, Eurydice, loses love twice - first her father and then Orpheus - and is faced with the struggle to discover who she is without them. In its use of poetry, images, movement, and sound, Eurydice delightfully challenges not only the artists working on it, but also the people who see it, to search beyond the surface and reimagine the possibilities. 

This play is both poetic and everyday - both mythic and mundane - because isn't that true for all human existence. The emotions we feel as humans when faced with love and loss, don't they feel mythic and mundane all at once? 

— Jessica Abdallah, Director