4 stars
This is the story of Eurydice, although she prefers to be called Leni. Mostly known as the wife of Orpheus, this story is an opportunity for the theatre-makers to unshackle her from the bounds of her marital association—and they achieve this, albeit predominantly in the triumphant closing scene.
Image courtesy of The Flanagan Collective & Gobbledigook Theatre.
The team behind Orpheus returns to FRINGE WORLD with its sister show Eurydice. As the title suggests, this time we focus on Eurydice and apart from a name drop early on, we’re mostly through the story before Orpheus appears.
Presented as prose poetry with a musical accompaniment, the story brings the characters into the modern era.
Sure, there’s still the mystical elements—gods and demigods abound, and as expected the underworld plays a part in the story—but Eurydice’s mother works in a cafe, and we’re largely familiar with the world within which the story unfolds.
There’s a real progression in the setting, from the almost entirely mundane opening scenes to the decidedly chthonic finale, and this serves to mirror the titular character’s growth.
While the world-building in the early stages wasn’t as solid as we’d have liked, it wasn’t long before the stark white walls of the performance space vanished and we were drawn into the narrative.
Yoshika Colwell delivers the majority of the spoken word narrative, while Phil Grainger does the same with the music, although they switch roles and occasionally come together for specific parts.
In particular, Granger’s ability to personify the very different characters of Aristaeus and Orpheus is impressive, as is Colwell’s impassioned delivery during some of the more emotional moments.
Colwell’s vocal projection was somewhat lacking, which was particularly challenging given the layout of the room, with the stage dominating the centre, cat-walk style, and the audience seated either side. As Colwell turned her head to deliver to each side of the room, the other half missed much of what was said. The performance space didn’t help with this, with high ceilings and hard surfaces echoing the performers’ voices. This won’t be an issue when Eurydice moves to The Shambles next week, and the show will be all the better for it.
Regardless of these challenges, The Flanagan Collective & Gobbledigook Theatre deliver another beautiful show. The format is unique and the narrative is enthralling, resulting in a modern classic of storytelling theatre.
Tickets available from the FRINGE WORLD website.
GLEN SEABROOK-BENSON