A Dazzling Death

Last night I visited Second Stage Theater to review eurydice, playwright Sarah Ruhl's rhapsodic modern retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.

I'm still puzzling out the intricacies of this arresting story, one of the finest and most sophisticated meditations on death I've seen on a stage or anywhere else.

Until I find the appropriate words to describe it (my review will come out next week), take a look at Charles Isherwood's lovely description in the New York Times.

And if you're in the vicinity, do yourself a favor and see this show; if the storytelling doesn't agree with you, it will be enough to experience the absolutely stunning design. Fittingly, the Tony Awards committee just announced that in 2008 it will begin to give out Tony Awards for sound design (for both a play and a musical). I'm hoping that this play will move to Broadway so that the amazing Bray Poor could be recognized next year. As Orpheus and Eurydice travel to the underworld and back again, they move through a robust, dynamic cascade of noise--a cloud of sound so nuanced and particular that I didn't fully appreciate it until I exited the theater into Times Square and was met with its signature squawk. It's amazing how a seamless team of designers can take you to another world entirely.

Pictured is Maria Dizzia as Eurydice, arriving in the underworld via fantastical elevator (Photo Credit: Sara Krulwich).