Review (PDF)

Eurydice

Dramatic Comedy / 5m, 2f / Unit Set In Eurydice, Sarah Ruhl reimagines the classic myth of Orpheus through the eyes of its heroine. Dying too young on her wedding day, Eurydice must journey to the underworld, where she reunites with her father and struggles to remember her lost love. With contemporary characters, ingenious plot twists, and breathtaking visual effects, the play is a fresh look at a timeless love story. "RHAPSODICALLY BEAUTIFUL. A weird and wonderful new play - an inexpressibly moving theatrical fable about love, loss and the pleasures and pains of memory." - The New York Times "EXHILARATING!! A luminous retelling of the Orpheus myth, lush and limpid as a dream where both author and audience swim in the magical, sometimes menacing, and always thrilling flow of the unconscious." - The New Yorker "Exquisitely staged by Les Waters and an inventive design team... Ruhl's wild flights of imagination, some deeply affecting passages and beautiful imagery provide transporting pleasures. They conspire to create original, at times breathtaking, stage pictures." - Variety

Paperback: 74 pages

Publisher: Samuel French, Inc. (2008)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0573662444

ISBN-13: 978-0573662447

Product Dimensions: 5 x 0.2 x 8 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #35,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #24 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Ancient & Classical #39 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > American Literature #70 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Dramas & Plays > Regional & Cultural > United States

Eurydice (published by itself as well as in a Sarah Ruhl collection with Clean House) is a post-modern reinterpretation of the myth of Orpheus from the viewpoint of Eurydice, the woman who dies twice. This is a modern play and not a Greek tragedy, although the dramatic structure is reminiscent of one. Rife with fantastical images and beautiful language, what Ruhl has given us is a sorrow-tinged tale of memory and loss that places exciting demands on actors, directors, and designers alike. The brilliant addition here is Eurydice's father and the exploration of the relationship between a father who died too soon and the daughter that misses him. An earlier version also had a grandmother who was cut from the final version. A ninety-minute play performed without intermission, Eurydice is a dense play about memory, loss, and love...with a trace of humor added as well. Oh,and there's also a chorus of stones and a devil on a tricycle. An excellent read, a joy to direct. Highly recommend this play and the rest of the playwright's published work. In the Next Room IS available through that Sammy French, btw.

Our theater company is just finishing our run of Eurydice. Suffice to say it is a beautiful and moving play, with a great deal of imagery that not only leaps off the page for the reader, but can be brought vividly and engagingly to life. The story is about dealing with death and memory and the characters themselves are each rich and interesting in their own way. Each one is another voice witnessing death and attempting to deal with it in a different way. An absolute must-read, must-see, must-perform from an exceptional playwright.

A strange little play that probably needs to be seen - I assume - to be appreciate although I'm usually very good at being able to see the theatre in my head, picture staging possibilities, hear voices, etc. I didn't read the script until several years after I first heard about the play when I was teaching a university-level Greek mythology academic writing course, so I looked forward for a long time to being able to settle in with the play for a couple of days. In truth, however, I couldn't wait for the thing to finally be over!. I was so disappointed! The play is a silly little thing in my estimation, the" Orpheus and Eurydice" myth itself much richer in depth; this variant makes a trifle out of its classical position. And for what purpose? I really didn't want to laugh about the plight of the characters, and I can appreciate the irony without smiling, which I felt I was being manipulated into doing. And the annoying Chorus of Stones - was it supposed to be cute? - left me - well - cold. Were the short scenes supposed to be profound? I could not identify with any character and was holding out for some care to be aroused in me. Even at the end I was still waiting... . When I finished my reading I sat still for only a few minutes wondering if some feeling from some source I may not have recognized would flood me somehow. Instead, I walked over to my bookshelf and without the slightest bit of emotion filed the play away. On second thought, I think I'm going to bring the volume to the second-hand book store.

Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice was a passionate and moving piece of theatre. It's the kind of theatre that I fear I will never get the opportunity to run into again. Right from the opening line I was invited into a wonderful world with blissful and naive characters. The story is a commentary on the epic tale of a Greek Mythology but with a unique and colorful spin that transports its readers into the future. The "Alice in Wonderland" type underworld that was painted out for me was a vast and eerie setting that got under my skin while at the same time calmed me down. I can not recommend this play enough. The ideologies of family, love, loss and life run wild in this amazing showcase of art, and truly reminded me once more what art really can be

Great little read, but, beware: need your box of Kleenex nearby.

Orfeo ed Euridice/Orphée et Eurydice: Italian and French Libretti (Italian Edition) Eurydice