UCO offers visually stunning ‘Eurydice’
Sarah Ruhl’s thoughtprovoking “Eurydice” was painted across the stage Thursday through Sunday at Mitchell Hall in Edmond. Produced by the UCO Department of Theatre Arts and masterfully directed by Kato Buss, the play examines themes of love and loss in an environment that is real, not-real and both at once. The world of the living is not like our world, and the world of dead things is not either.
Weaving through both worlds, Eurydice (Miranda Sumnar) provides the viewpoint; it is her loss and confusion that drives the story. Sumnar’s Eurydice stood out as the most passionate character; she was deeply and richly human, giving voice and face to a range of emotions.
Orpheus (Gabrielle Reece) dotes on Eurydice, writes and thinks songs for her, marries her and eventually seeks her out in the world of dead things. Reece played Orpheus with a deft touch; involved but distracted, loving but inattentive, paying attention but too late.
Inserting himself into the story is the Nasty Interesting Man (Cody Tabor), who engineers some part of Eurydice’s descent into the world of dead things, where he also appears as a Child who is lord of the underworld. Tabor’s performance, with his angry orange tie, was delightful and disturbing and nicely layered. Fulfilling several aspects of the passage from living here to living there, he personified death as a sexual predator and the god of the dead as a spoiled brat.
In the land of dead things, Eurydice encounters her Father (Miguel Dooley), who— rare among the dead — has retained his memory. So, it seems, has she; he helps her cope with her situation. Dooley’s performance was understated; this Father was loving, concerned and believably mature — an accomplishment for a young actor.
The chorus of Stones are the voice of the land of dead things. Loud Stone (Olivia Wells), Little Stone (Anevay Greenwood) and Big Stone (Tabatha DeVault) delivered advice and warnings to all in the land of dead things, sometimes serving the Child and sometimes thwarting him — but staying out of his way. Their coordination was excellent and their reactions emphasized the power of the Child.
The complex script demands a skill that often takes years to master: the ability to reduce tempo and volume without reducing energy and intensity. In this cast of young actors, that skill was predictably uneven, leading to some moments of emotional impact that fell a little flat. Even so, it was overall a solid performance by the entire cast.
The production team — scenic designer Devin Scheef, lighting designer Carson Decker, costume designer Elisa Bierschenk, sound designer Nick Poss and visual media director David Webber — created the layered environment that defined the show. They delivered a multisensory feast of form and color and sound. The palette stayed in the cool range for the most part, making the occasional streak of orange or red more powerful. The designers used saturation and light to create a range of color textures interwoven with a soundscape that connected all the locations as they shifted and morphed.
Costumes underscored and supported characters and action well. The Stones’ costumes were particularly brilliant; they coordinated with the set design, allowing the Stones to fade into and become part of the set or to disengage and exist independently. There were also deft references to another chief executive in the costume of the Child.
Upcoming events at UCO can be found at uco. cfac.edu or on the College of Fine Arts and Design Facebook page, uco.cfad. — Anna Holloway, for The
Oklahoman