The show is breathtaking before it even begins. In the small, intimate theater, there is deep, low lighting that reveals an entire wall of open umbrellas. The sight is unusual and awe-inspiring, even in the world of theatre. When the play starts, the audience is immediately engrossed in a production with terrific costumes, a superb cast and one of the best surprises of all: live music. There is no play quite like Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice.”

The story is not an uncommon one: as in the classic Greek myth, the musician Orpheus and his wife Eurydice are deeply in love before her untimely death. He travels to the underworld to rescue Eurydice, playing his music and singing her name. Orpheus is told that he can take Eurydice back to the world of the living, only if he can get her there without looking at her. Unfortunately, the couple’s emotions overwhelm them, Orpheus looks back at his wife and Eurydice is lost once again. The playwright, Sarah Ruhl, was fascinated with the idea of telling this story from Eurydice’s point of view, and she managed to do so in an extraordinary way.

From that, the DU Department of Theatre created a beautiful interpretation of the story of Eurydice. Even aside from the intriguing set and staging of the show, it was the actors who made the show such a success. The cast is comprised of Eurydice (Meagan Traver, Castle Rock, Colorado), Orpheus (Aaron Dupuis, Grandview, Missouri), Father (Erik Hanson, Denver) and Lord of the Underworld/A Nasty Interesting Man (Trevor Fulton, Grand Junction, Colorado). “Eurydice” also features a “Greek chorus” of sorts, a Chorus of Stones: Big Stone (Cullen Madrid, Denver), Little Stone (Liz Butler, Pittsfield, Massachusetts) and Loud Stone (Daniel Crumrine, Portland, Oregon).

What was particularly striking about this show was the obvious chemistry of the cast; Traver and Dupuis, along with Traver

and Hanson, shared an effortless connection on stage. They brought an immense amount of genuine emotion and energy to the performance, especially in their monologues. Fulton was wonderfully creepy and humorous, providing both a hair-raising discomfort at some times and clever comedic relief at others. Madrid, Butler and Crumrine were a bizarre team—the audience either forgot that they were on stage or could not be diverted from their in-sync movements and vocalizations. In their week of performances, the cast seemed to hit that perfect point where the show is well-rehearsed and natural but also raw, exciting and limitless.

Other features in the show included a river, an elevator in which it always rains, a room of rope and, of course, the wall of umbrellas. All of the music was delightful as well, a mix of recorded effects, singing and live instrumentation. The show greatly revolved around Orpheus’ passion for music, and the haunting tunes and beautiful melodies added another level of depth and spirit to the already impressive production.

Much to the credit of “Eurydice” director and DU theater professor Anne Penner, along with the help of assistant director and student Ashley Campbell, the play was a memorable, unique experience. “Eurydice” ran from Feb. 10-14 and performed sold out shows in the Byron Rehearsal Hall every single night.