Flowertown Players Open Studio Series With Supernatural Rock Solid Love Story

Jeff Walker,  Entertainment Writer

First introduced in 2003, 'Eurydice' by playwright Sarah Ruhl puts a modern day spin on the story of Greek bard Orpheus, retelling the mythical poet's (now a songwriter) journey through the eyes of his wife Eurydice. In their first black box Studio Series offering for the 2024-25 season, Flowertown Players in Summerville under the direction of Julia Sorenson turn in a heartwarming rendition of Ruhl's stage play. 

'Eurydice' revisits the tale of Eurydice and Orpheus, two young lovers on the cusp of their wedding day. Unbeknownst to Eurydice, her deceased father has been trying to reach out to her, by writing letters from the underworld, offering her fatherly advice from beyond the grave.

Meanwhile, the Lord of the Underworld, a conniving character who can travel back and forth from both dimensions, has his eye on the fair maiden, spinning a ruse that leads to Eurydice's demise and entrance to abode of the dead, where she is reunited with her father. As they re-kindle their relationship a heart-broken Orpheus continues to search for his new bride, sending Eurydice letters reminding her of the love she left behind.

Sadly communication in Hades is prohibited, as is crying, and singing, leading new arrivals to be dipped in the river, turning them into stones. 'Eurydice' the stage play is an eccentric story wrapped around four different stages of love. There's first love (father's love for a daughter), young love (the newlyweds), lost love (separation), and fatal love ('til death do us part).

While there are seven in the ensemble cast, there are the four principle characters, with the remaining three members filling the roles as the Big, Little, and Loud Stones. And although they may be hardened boulders, the few lines they inject add volumes to dialogue. 

The young couple smitten by romantic love are refreshingly represented by Katie Fleming and Jake O'Donnal. In her fourth outing at Flowertown Fleming exudes a soft precociousness with a hint of naivete, while O'Donnal who's making his Flowertown debut, takes on the role as the aspiring musician from a pie in the sky dreamer mentality. Together they share tender moments, all the while experiencing the newness and differences serious first time relationships encounter.

David Moon has a handful of productions under his belt on the Summerville stage. His portrayal as Eurydice's devoted father, a lost soul in the afterlife who still has pre-death memory, only adds to his impressive resume, filling the role in a optimistic low-key manner. Rounding out the main cast and making his 10th appearance at Flowertown, Zach Rettig turns in a nice depiction as the beguiling underworld overlord, instilling an equal measure cunning and eternal youth to the character.

A shoutout to Teresa Elj, Julie Crist, and Rhonda Windberg as the triple threat annoying and derogatory boulders. Although they are smaller parts, they are still rock (pun intended) solid performances and integral to the overall production. 

Love, loss, memory, and the afterlife ripple through 'Eurydice'. Given Flowertown Players is community theatre, the cast and crew captured the true spirit of Ruhl's original production, especially since it's being presented on their smaller Studio Series stage. Mythical while modern, 'Eurydice' is a deadly yet timeless love story. If you embrace live raw form theatre than  Flowertown Players will provide a pleasant escape from our present day reality.

Performances run weekends Sept 12th - Sept 22nd. For more visit https://www.flowertownplayers.org/eurydice/