‘Eurydice’ Takes the Stage March 31
by Bailey Basham, Messenger Staff Writer
Making its Sewanee debut is “Eurydice,” a play written by Sarah Ruhl focused on retelling the myth of Orpheus from the perspective of Eurydice, his wife. The story follows Eurydice as she decides to choose between returning to earth with Orpheus or remaining in the underworld with her father.
The performance, which will be directed by senior Nathaniel Klein, will run from March 31 to April 2 in the Tennessee Williams Center.
“My take on ‘Eurydice’ is that the play is not a modern retelling, as I have often heard it described, but rather it is the true, occult history of Eurydice, Orpheus, and Eurydice’s father, this last figure being one whose story and identity has been totally lost to history. Ruhl’s script is brimming with magic in every page, and I wanted to push that and see what that magic could accomplish for us that nothing else can,” Klein said.
Klein said he has long been drawn to Ruhl’s work and her unique use of language.
“About two years ago, I became particularly attached to her ‘Passion Play,’ which works with history, religion and identity in really beautiful ways. I [eventually] arrived at ‘Eurydice’ as a piece which was very different from other plays I’ve directed but still had several strands that I could personally and artistically connect to,” Klein said.
For the last seven years, Klein has been directing in some capacity, and he said directing has always seemed like the most straightforward method of giving life to his ideas.
“With ‘Eurydice,’ visually, we played off the fantasticism that I think is inherent in Art Nouveau and Art Deco and how those visual forms can evoke the past, which I connected to visions of underwater worlds and different interpretations of Atlantis. Water is a motif that runs strongly through the entire piece, and looking at the underworld as in being in some way under the land of the living opened numerous possibilities for what our world would look like physically,” Klein said.
Jim Crawford, associate professor of theatre at the University, added that the Sewanee community is perfectly suited to host the performance.
“There’s such reverence for classics here, and at the same time, an eagerness to see these ancient stories told from a fresh perspective,” Crawford said. “I’m thrilled we’re producing ‘Eurydice’ – Sarah Ruhl is a truly great writer, probably my very favorite living American playwright. Every play she writes is unlike all of the others, they seem to spring forth from her extraordinary imagination. Her dialogue is sharp and poetic, sometimes enigmatic. Her plays are full of words and images that stay in the mind of an audience for a long time. I’m equally delighted to see what Nathaniel brings to ‘Eurydice.’”
The performances will be at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, March 31 and Friday, April 1, and at 2 p.m., Saturday, April 2. Tickets may be reserved at <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/e...;.