Jaystarr's 10/10 Report on 'eurydice'

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/13/07 at 9:47am

E3

'eurydice'
Second Stage Theater<(Off- Broadway Play)
Aug. 11, 2007 2pm matinee
Ticket price : Regular Price : $58.00- $65.00
( I paid ) $25.00 (thru my TDF membership) total of $ 27.00 (incl fees)

Score : 10/1-?

************
Synopsis :

The play open with eurydice & Orpheus at the beach .. expressing their love for one another.. Orpheus is a musican and he composed beautiful music for eurydice and he wanted her to remember it forever and she did bec. as she said.. the tunes are imprinted to her heart and her "memory" . Orpheus proposed to eurydice by giving her a string to tie around her ring finger.. On the underworld- eurydice's father was preparing a letter for her for her wedding day. The Wedding Day- eurydice was tempted by the Nasty & Interesting Man to follow him to his roof top apartment bec. he had something for her (which is her Father's letter ) . The N & I man professed his infatuation to eurydice and told her to leave his husband.. eurydice realized that it was a temptation and decided to flee but it was too late for her.. she fell down from the building's roof top.

eurydice arrived to the Underworld thru an elevator of pouring rain after being dip into the River of Forgetfulness. Somehow she thought that she was in another country and wanted to get a room reservation. She met the 3 stones (which sometime speak in unison like a greek chorus) namely Big Stones, Little Stone & Loud Stone.. then she met her Father which she cannot remember at all ( she cannot even remember what a "father is " ? or a family? ..all she can remember is pouting her lips to produce a sound like OOOO) All the dead person cannot remember their past lives or experiences bec. before arriving at the Underworld bec. they were dipped at the River of Forgetfulness.. The only person who can remember his past life is eurydice's father bec. he kept a pen & a notebook to remind himself and constantly write letters.

Her father comforted her by building her own room made up of strings. He taught her how to remember things by showing simple thngs that she like most in her life ..like the tree in their backyard.... The most emotional part of the play for me is when eurydice finally remember her family.. she told her father.. tell me more about your mother ? about my brothers & sisters and my own mother ? her father replied.. I dont wanna tell you things that youll remember- IT WILL MAKE YOU SAD ..

The grief stricken Orpheus composed the saddest music that even the Three Stones were affected by the melancholy of his music. Orpheus missed eurydice so much that he decided to kill himself (now this is open to interpretation, okay ? -I really dont know if he die here or just went to the underworld thru his music) by putting straw on his mouth... to search for eurydice.. His music was sooo sad that it opened the gates of the underworld that almost deafened the three Stones (BTW-they hated music)

Orpheus met the obssesed Lord of the Underworld (which we can assume that he was the Nasty & Interesting man too ? ) Orpheus demanded his wife back but the Lord told Orpheus that if he look back at eurydice (look at her in the face) he would lost her and she would die a second death (?) As one would assume ... eurydice called Orpheus' name and he look back at her ........

Were back at the Underworld again.. euridyce's Father who cant bear all the sadness finally succumbed to the suggestion of the Three Stones to dip himself to the River of Forgetfulness .... eurydice discovered his death father (? ) lying on the floor ...
Its kinda confusing bec. these people are already dead and they die again of second death or just loose all their "memory " ..Eurydice was sad and she decided to look for her Father's pen to write Orpheus a letter of forgiveness & a letter to his next wife ....before she dipped herself to the River of Forgetfulness (In the play- she washed herself with water from the water pump) Then Orpheus arrived now at the Underworld - Probably he is phyically "dead " now (thru the elevator with pouring rain ) and saw eurydice & her Father laying on the floor ... he saw her letter but cannot read , so he decided to put it on the floor and step on it with his bare feet to try to comprehend or make sense out of it.....

The Play ended .......

***********
10 Things I LIKE about the play (out of 10)

There are soo many things I like about the play..I will not enumerate them all bec. this will be too long to read.. but I will mentioned the Set Design by Scott Bradley .. the stage look like a shower .. a big shower with aqua marine tiles all over .. three drainage (only 1 is working) the 3 chandelier.. two of which was inverted and it came from the two non working drainage from the floor... the Elevator with pouring rain- the illuminated tiles that suggest the elevator is going down- oh my ! what an imagination !

Here's an interesting link about 'eurydice' stage design from NYTIMES :
(click on Multimedia left side : Audio Slide Show : Dreams of Underworld )
https://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/theater/reviews/19seco.html
-very interesting about how they did the staging

Sarah Ruhl's re-interpretation of a Greek drama using clever & contemporary dialogue, The cast....beautifully acted play....

One last thing I will mentioned the whole stage being tilted --- what an ingenius way to make the water all drained at the Left Side of the Stage, without affecting the other two drains... I thought that there will be soo much water in the play, but there were only two incidents that the water pour--- the elevator scene..most of the time the stage is dry... but the sound of water dripping is more powerful while watching and later--in my imagination...

1 Thing I DONT LIKE about the play (out of 10)

I guess the stage being tilted, it give me a little stiff neck . It was hard to focus with my head slightly tilted on the right.

**********
My Interpretation of 'eurydice'

First and foremost.. I saw the play all by myself... I was only able to get 1 ticket from TDF and I really dont wanna missed this great oppurtunity.. so I travel to NYC for a day trip (8 hours back & forth -just to see this play) It was worth it.. the 4 hours going back to Boston made me think about the play and interpret on how I see it.
My whole interpretation is really influenced by the two people who are very close to me.. My mother and my husband Chris...

Basically for me- the play is about RELATIONSHIP between our parents and our beloved special someone- it could be our spouse or significant other..

The Water symbolizes-- EMOTIONS for me... (different types of emotions) The Playbill design is two lovers dipped in a pool of water (pool of different emotions)

Two Strings : First the string that Orpheus tied no eurydice is obviously represents
"commitment" and the string that eurydice's father built as a room is " parental commitment (like providing us home, education & parental love)

Death = SEPARATION from our love ones.

The Three Stones=our ego/pride

Nasty & Insteresting Man= choices we made... things we wanted to try... idea that there is something out there which "more" for ourselves/ inabilty to be satisfied with our lives.

Letters= Communication/ talking things over

To look Back= our own guilt/ to put blames

Orpheus' Music= The TRUE & GENUINE LOVE (parents to daughter/son , husband/wife, husband/husband, wife/wife)

and one more thing.... the whole STAGE for me is my (or your) LIFE ... as I said .. things I like and I dont Like... we could see our lives as a beautiful work of art....full of symbolical things that if we stop and try to comprehend - we will see things in the different angle.. or you & I could see it as being distorted or tilted
or dysfunctional.... Greek Drama could either be a tragedy or a comedy but its all up to us-- to see things and interpret it -- and only true & genuine love can conquer all the obstacles in our relationships..

*********************

Pictures

The Second Stage




me holding my 'euridyce' playbill after the show


***************
Visual Aid to 'euridyce'

Eurydice & Orpheus


Eurydice descending thru the UnderWorld


The Three Stones ( Big Stone, Loud Stone & Little Stone)


The Lord of the Underworld with the 3 Stones & Eurydice


Orpheus descending thru the Underworld to search for Eurydice


BTW- There is still a chance to see this marvelous play.. it is extended till Aug. 26, 2007.. Hope you guys have a chance to experience' eurydice" and thank you for reading this

For additional information on 'eurydice" & how to get tickets:
https://www.2st.com/

J*






Updated On: 5/14/08 at 09:47 AM

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/13/07 at 11:56am

finally done-though I will still be correcting some grammatical errors here and there.
I hope you guys like it and thanks -J*

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 8/13/07 at 12:07pm

I always love Jay's reviews.

"1 Thing I DONT LIKE about the play (out of 10)

I guess the stage being tilted, it give me a little stiff neck . It was hard to focus with my head slightly tilted on the right"

LOL!!! You're too much.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 8/13/07 at 12:08pm

The pics are terrific, good job!

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/13/07 at 4:25pm

Hi All-

I finally found the discount CODE for 'eurydice' at the Second Stage Theater:

from broadwaybox...

Tickets just $50, reg. $65 !
Code : BWWD Expires : Aug 26, 2007
View & Buy discounted tickets online
Print
NOW EXTENDED Thru August 26 only!!

See eurydice for only $50 and save over 23%*
Good for all performances through August 26

Performance Schedule: through 8/12
Tues at 7PM / Wed - Sat at 8PM / Wed & Sat at 2PM / Sun at 3PM

Performance Schedule: 8/13 - 8/26
Tues at 7PM / Wed - Fri at 8PM / Sat at 2PM & 8PM / Sun at 3PM & 7:30PM

To reserve your discounted tickets for Eurydice:

1. ONLINE: Click Here and use code BWWD.

2. BY PHONE: Call 212.246.4422 or 800.766.6048 and mention code BWWD.

3. IN PERSON: Bring a printout of this page to 2ST Box Office, 307 W 43rd St. Mon-Sat 10-8 / Sun 10-3

*Offer is good for performances through 8/26/07 • Offer expires on 8/26/07
Subject to availability. Blackout dates ma

********************

PLAYBILL DISCOUNT : $ 55.00
CODE : PB42


*******************
Edit : FOR TDF Members : I just checked TDF and they added dates from Tuesday
Aug. 14- till Sunday Aug. 19 for $24.00 (TDF members only )


and dont forget .. 'eurydice' is playing till Aug. 26

and GO SEE IT..It will challenge your imagination

Thanks

J*






Updated On: 8/13/07 at 04:25 PM

[jaystarr]

Posted: 8/14/07 at 5:55pm

Let me add few more things...before I let this thread go

1. Divorce & Parental Alienation (separation) - definitely the themes in the play I talked about the water which for me are different types of emotions.. Example when 'eurydice' descend the underworld thru an elevator of pouring rain= that means.. when people get divorce- there's an pouring of different emotions like anger, self pity, doubt, resentment.etc...(same thing with Parental alienation- parents & their children grew apart from one another-and children start hating their parents for the way they were treated or the way they were brought up ...vice versa...

2. The river of Forgetfulness (in the play - washing their face from the water pump)
again water symbolizes emotion of self -denial ...when people face to much problems and adversities- we tend to go into that phase, we pretend that the present reality does not exist and submerge ourselves with an alternate reality.

3. lastly the barefoot = insensitivity to other's feeelings.

Now- its time for me to dip myself into the river .............. I think I already expressed what the play meant for me.

Thanks

J*

*****************
Additional Reviews on 'eurydice'

Theater Mania by David Finkle:
https://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/10958

NY Theater.com
https://www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/eury4556.htm

NY1com
https://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=238&aid=70894

NYTIMES by Christopher Isherwood
https://theater2.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/theater/reviews/19seco.html

eurydice in her own room

Updated On: 8/14/07 at 05:55 PM