Talk about your tough decisions. Eurydice must choose between staying in the underworld with her beloved father or escaping with her new husband — a life or death decision.
Writers Theatre, under the direction of new Artistic Director Braden Abraham, shares playwright Sarah Ruhl’s original and poetic version of the Greek myth “Eurydice,” opening Sept. 29 and running through Oct. 22. Preview performances begin Sept. 21.
Showtimes are 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. some Wednesdays, 7:30 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays, 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. some Sundays.
Abraham said he chose to stage “Eurydice” because “Sarah Ruhl is brilliant at balancing thought and emotion. And the language is so lyrical and also spare and direct. It’s a play that really closes the distance between the actors and the audience. It’s a play that invites you in with its mystery and its humor.”
All those elements make the play perfect for Writers Theatre, he said. “The proximity, breaking down the distance between the audience and the actors, the exceptional writing, and that sense of shared imagination are really central to the mission and experience we want for our audience at Writers Theatre,” he said.
Abraham noted that the episodic nature of the play offers a directing challenge but he has high praise for the work of Wilmette native Ruhl.
“It’s both really moving and also funny,” he said, while it addresses issues of love, art, and nature.
“It keeps surprising you,” Abraham said.
“I think it’s a fascinating take on the myth because we know so little about Eurydice,” said Sarah Price, who plays the title character. “And Sarah (Ruhl) really embraces her struggle as a muse — what she represents to these different men while she’s still trying to figure out as a young woman who she is without any of them or with them. It’s a very relatable struggle brought to modern times very beautifully by Sarah.”
In addition, Ruhl has created an interesting character for Price to play. “She’s really funny and she’s really smart,” Price said. “I think she’s a bit of an intellectual. She gets really excited about philosophical notions.”
On the other hand, the actor noted that Eurydice is “a little lost.” That’s because she is dealing with the early death of her father and being deeply in love with someone although they don’t connect on some important issues, Price noted.
“She’s definitely in a place of transition and trying to sort herself out,” Price said. “I think it’s a really moving story about grief and I think that it’s just as relevant today.”
Price praised Ruhl’s beautiful language noting that there is poetry in the script. There’s also humor and deep emotions, she indicated.
“One moment’s incredibly funny and the next moment’s devastating,” Price said.
‘Eurydice’
When: Sept. 29-Oct. 22; performances begin Sept. 21
Where: Writers Theatre, Alexandra C. and John D. Nichols Theatre, 325 Tudor Court, Glencoe
Tickets: $35-$90
Information: 847-242-6000; writerstheatre.org
Myrna Petlicki is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
