The story of Orpheus is one of the most well-known Greek myths, and it has been recounted for thousands of years in a variety of mediums. Rinde Eckert's "Orpheus X" is a haunting panoply of sounds and images that provides a satisfying twist of the traditional legend. A multi-sensory extravaganza, this production casts a mournful tone on the story of the greatest musician of all time.
In legend, Orpheus's music helps Jason retrieve the Golden Fleece and charms the gods after he loses his wife Eurydice when she is poisoned by a snakebite. He is allowed to descend to the underworld to retrieve her, but he violates the conditions set by the gods. By looking at her before reaching the terrestrial world again, Eurydice is lost forever.
Eckert's modern production is both refreshing and evocative. Orpheus is a rock 'n' roll star, widely loved for his catchy, if bland, songs. Eurydice is an obscure poet, who dies in Orpheus's arms after his cab plows into her. Orpheus becomes obsessed with Eurydice and attempts to reconstruct the dead stranger through her personal possessions and her poems. Mired in pop culture, he is unable to comprehend the depths of her art. She is a riddle to be solved, and in a manic attempt to end his obsession, he descends to the underworld in order to bring her back.
It is a challenge to create an adaptation of such a well-known story without boring the audience or threatening the integrity of the plot. Eckert responds to the challenge admirably. He plays with the mood more than the plot, thereby allowing certain themes to take prominence. Obsession, death and disillusionment with modernity dominate the play. Eurydice, normally a passive figure in legend, assumes a more prominent role in this production. This heightened importance makes her an acting agent behind the plot and allows for an ingenious, if untraditional, ending.
The show features several outstanding contemporary artists. Rinde Eckert is well-known in the theatre world, and in addition to writing the text and music, he also plays the central role. "Orpheus X" continues in the tradition of his last work, "Highway Ulysses," also an adaptation of a Greek myth, which won numerous awards and accolades. Denise Marika is an iconic figure in modern art, and her work is featured in major venues nationwide. It is a real treat to see her work on stage, and her video and set design adds depth to this epic production.
The show is incredibly well done. Too often, "modern" interpretations are overwhelming and tastelessly extravagant. "Orpheus X" has a certain restraint and a stark moodiness that are superb.
What the show lacks, however, is vocal sophistication. Suzan Hanson, as Eurydice, is a powerful soprano who makes each wrote note painfully apparent. Eckert does a fine job, especially in the final number, but this show deserves more. On the other hand, John Kelly makes no excuses about his voice, which is not so much opera as it is Broadway, and does an admirable job switching between the roles of John and Persephone.
Eckert's score is an extraordinary conglomeration of chamber music, rock 'n' roll riffs and jazzy modulations. As Orpheus, Eckert is rarely without his electric guitar, and he improvises haunting melodies throughout the show. Off to the side, a double bass and viola throw a distinctly classical element into the mix. Formal operatic duets and trios, interspersed with modern arias, cover the range of musical styles. As Orpheus descends to the underworld, his journey is a manic frenzy of notes and building tension that is like an acid trip gone wrong. The finale is especially moving - dark, wistful, and piercing.
In traditional dialogue/aria structure, poetic and emotional content is conveyed through song, and narrative content is conveyed through spoken word. In an inversion of this classical structure, Eckert's songs express incredibly mundane topics, such as the process of taking out a pen to write. In dialogue, however, the actors engage in lengthy poetic musings about modern life or death. While this makes idiomatic speech nearly impossible, it heightens the dramatic effect substantially.
The Zero Arrow Theatre, the second performance area for the American Repertory Theatre, is an amazing space. Newly erected, it is both fresh and modern, despite the most uncomfortable seating this reviewer has ever experienced. Nonetheless, the set design is striking, with two enormous I-beams intersecting across the stage. A four-man band is visible to the side, and, throughout the show, Marika's videos are projected on a number of surfaces. Her videos are a perfect complement and provide a glimpse at the internal thoughts of the protagonists. The total effect is austere, dreary and powerful.
This show has amazing potential, and is a successful combination of multiple mediums. "Orpheus X" adds a valuable adaptation to the canon of mythic reinterpretations and brings together several great artists of the time. An amalgamation of ideas, styles and textures, the show is darkly beautiful and a triumph of modern theatre.
