The Artistic Home chose a sure-fire winner for its return to in-person productions, with a creative staging and knock-out cast in Eurydice by celebrated playwright Sarah Ruhl. The "press night" show October 28 at the Den Theatre found a well-oiled machine delivering flawless performances. The joy of sitting in a sold-out room was soon surpassed by the show itself.

Distilled from a range of Greek and Roman myths, Eurydice recounts the story of Orpheus, the renowned demigod musician—his playing could draw tears from the stones—who descends into hell to lead his young bride Eurydice back to life. She was killed prematurely, and so the lord of hell permits her to leave—but Orpheus must not look back before they reach the surface, or she will be lost to him. When he reaches the surface, Orpheus does look back, losing Eurydice, who hasn't fully emerged. Most retellings focus on his tragic loss.

Ruhl’s 2003 play resets the story, taking the perspective of Eurydice. Played by Karla Corona, this Eurydice is a captivating character, a reader and thinker, a modern young woman immersed in self-discovery. Corona gives us an endearing innocent but strong Eurydice, magnetic. She has fallen in love with Orpheus, but he is even more in love with her. Bored at her own wedding reception, Eurydice strays and meets her early end, triggering Orpheus quest to bring her back. 

But in the underworld, Eurydice has an enveloping experience vastly more intriguing than Orpheus efforts, and she eventually meets her father (Javier Carmona). The play centers largely on the immense and unshakable love between Eurydice's father and his daughter. (Ruhl dedicated the play to her own father.)

Carmona gives us a surpassingly good performance. Before his daugher arrives, he is following her wedding from below, and by a simple shift in his expression goes from joy to sorrow, and back again, as he suffers the lost opportunity to give the bride away. When they are later brought together, he nurtures Eurydice and comforts her in his new home.

"Rock-star" performances are given by the incredibly entertaining and mean-spirited Chorus of Stones: Will Casey as Big Stone, Alexander McRae as Loud Stone, and Ariana Lopez as Little Stone. And as real standout is Todd Wojcik (above), arguably the best performance of the night, as “Nasty Interesting Man.” Wojicik gives us an almost indescribable package of self-infatuation, malice and brattiness, that alone is worth the price of admission. 

The production team includes Kevin Hagan (Scenic and Lighting Design), Zachery Wagner (Costume Design), Petter Wahlback (Sound Design), Randy Rozler (Properties Design), Julian Hester (Assistant Director), and Jac Pytlik (Stage Manager).

Eurydice had its world premiere at Madison Repertory Theatre, Madison, WI in 2003, and following high profile productions at Berkeley Repertory Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre, it opened off Broadway at the Second Stage Theatre in 2007 and at the Young Vic in London in 2010. Artistic Home's production will be performed at The Den Theatre, 1331 N. Milwaukee Ave. in Chicago, Thursdays through Sundays, November 4 through November 21, 2021.