Eurydice

By Sarah Ruhl

Directed by Blanka Zizka

April 30 – June 1, 2008

 

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The New Yorker review of the Off-Broadway production of Eurydice
Director Blanka Zizka talks about the rehearsal process
What Audiences are Saying         What the Press is Saying

"The Wilma production, with its spare, abstract, sloping sets and stylized acting – all superior to last year’s production in New York – lent itself the unorthodox sound envelope created by four voices and solo cello in tight-knit, even microtonal harmonies…Composer Twining’s Eurydice remarkably transcends the greatness that audiences may already know…Great music dwells where least expected!"
-The Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/20/08
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"Theatrically bold, slyly comic, and visually and aurally fascinating, Eurydice ends the Wilma's 29th season on an artistic high note!"
-Philadelphia City Paper, 5/13/08

"…a big, bold production at the Wilma…with stunning visual images…[an] outstanding vocal ensemble…this young, successful playwright continues her talented journey!”

-The Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/9/08

 

"The Wilma's Eurydice resonates with a strong cast...a partnership with composer Toby Twining makes theater magic!"

-Edge Philadelphia, 5/9/08

 

“The Wilma’s production is visually dazzling and offers moments of poignant reflection, and Toby Twining’s original score is mesmerizing!”

-Philadelphia Weekly, 5/14/08

 

"Go see this marvelous production!"

-Stage Magazine Online, 5/9/08

 

“…brilliantly conceived with an almost painterly care…a blissful work of art!”

-The Bulletin, 5/9/08

 

“A spectacular Wilma production with all the inventiveness you could wish for…creating stunning visual effects…playwright Sarah Ruhl is a sleight-of-hand magician putting on a dazzling show!”

-Broad Street Review, 5/10/08

 

“…elaborately staged with a haunting, live musical score...this new Eurydice offers unique design and dialogue that will stay with us for some time!”

-KYW, 5/9/08

 

“Brilliant…I don’t think it gets much better than this!”

-CurtainUp, 5/12/08

 

“The play is a gift to a visionary director, and Blanka Zizka’s circus-inspired production at The Wilma Theater is at once fanciful and heart-rending.”

-Obit Magazine, 5/13/08

 

"Like all fine poems, songs, and paintings, it's a love letter to the world...a magical play...among the most moving moments I can remember seeing on a stage...you may find yourself taken to heights of emotion that theater too rarely achieves..."
-The New York Times

 

"...wild flights of the imagination, some deeply affecting passages, and beautiful imagery provide transporting pleasures."
-Variety

 

"...exhilarating...we enter a surreal world, as lush and limpid as a dream, where both author and audience swim in the magical and thrilling flow of the unconscious."
-The New Yorker

 

Pulitzer Prize nominee and MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship winner Sarah Ruhl enchanted Wilma audiences in 2005 with her heartwarming play, The Clean House.  Finally, with Eurydice comes the artistic reunion theatergoers have been waiting for.  On the day Eurydice is to marry her true love Orpheus, a tragic misstep sends her plummeting to the surreal depths of the Underworld.  Memories are forbidden in this world of the dead, but an unexpected reunion with her father vividly awakens Eurydice’s mind with the love she felt in life.  When Orpheus braves the gates of hell to find her, Eurydice must painfully decide whether to remain with her father or return to her Earthly love.  A modern tale of loss and love, Eurydice is the classic myth of Orpheus retold from the heroine’s point of view, abounding with surprising plot twists, quirky humor, and an original musical score unique to this production.

 

Approximate running time (subject to change): 90 minutes with no intermission
 

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Eurydice is made possible in part by a grant from the Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, a program of the Philadelphia Center for Arts and Heritage, funded by The Pew Charitable Trusts and administered by The University of the Arts.

Eurydice is supported in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Michael J. Finney, Honorary Producer