The Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has seen countless retellings over the years, to the point that theatregoers in London can currently watch two very different takes on the story a mere five minutes walk apart. While the Lyric Theatre offers a (literally) all-singing all-dancing production in the musical Hadestown, US playwright Sarah Ruhl’s Eurydice at the Jermyn Street Theatre is a quieter and more thoughtful affair.
Ruhl’s retelling puts the narrative very much back into the eponymous heroine’s hands. Instead of focusing on Orpheus’s quest to save his love from the underworld, Ruhl puts Eurydice (Eve Ponsonby) into the spotlight as she journeys into the Land of the Dead.
There she finds a chorus of stones (Katy Brittain, Tom Morley and Leyon Stolz-Hunter), whose purpose appears mainly to be to explain what the rules of the underworld are and how Eurydice is breaking them, the Lord of the Underworld (Joe Wiltshire Smith) and her dead father (Dickon Tyrell).
The core theme of the play is grief. Written in the aftermath of Ruhl’s own father’s death, it is perhaps unsurprising that she chooses to focus on the relationship between Eurydice and her father, lending a new dimension to the more familiar story of Orpheus arriving to lead his bride out of the underworld. Ruhl’s script is poetic but also funny, although it could benefit from tightening in places, with some aspects of the narrative failing to land as effectively as others.
The small stage of the Jermyn Street Theatre presents some limitations, but Tina Torbey’s set is versatile if minimalist, while sound and music from Carmel Smickersgill help to transport us into the Land of the Dead with soft dripping sounds reminiscent of a damp cave.
Eve Ponsonby is a spectacular leading lady, expertly portraying Eurydice’s emotional journey. Meanwhile Keaton Guimarᾶes-Tolley plays Orpheus with a naivety which hovers on the line between charming and irritating. He is interested in little else beyond his music and Eurydice and seems only truly to understand the former.
It is this relationship which poses one of the biggest challenges of the performance, Eurydice and Orpheus often seem neither to understand nor to particularly like one another. It is hard to see particularly why Eurydice would choose to follow her husband given the earlier depictions of their relationship. The stones, while providing comic relief particularly in the case of Katy Brittain, also often feel superfluous to the action.
While this play strives to be more than the myth, it seems to reach a natural ending at the point at which the original story does, with the scenes that follow feeling laboured and somewhat unnecessary. Eurydice is a thought-provoking and emotional play with a talented cast. Given some tightening and development it could achieve the resonance it deserves.
Eurydice runs at the Jermyn Street Theatre until 9th November. For more information and tickets, follow the link here.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3*)
Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | photography by Alex Brenner
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