Last Friday, on April 4, I attended the Brandeis Theater Department’s latest show, “Eurydice.” Written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Dori A. Robinson ’00, this modern retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus is told from Eurydice’s perspective.

After dying on her wedding night, Eurydice lands in the underworld where she meets her late father who encourages her to remember the life and love she had forgotten. When Orpheus arrives in the underworld to retrieve Eurydice, she must choose between returning to Earth with him or staying with her father. This play was a beautiful exploration of grief and of love in all its forms. 

One actor’s performance that stood out was that of the lead, Katherine Bulthuis ’27. Bulthuis spoke earnestly, portraying joyous love, innocent curiosity and the frustrating adjustment to her new life in the underworld. She moved across the stage gracefully, yet still with so much power. David Feit Mann ’25 also performed beautifully as Eurydice’s father. He played the role with great sensitivity, allowing the audience to see their own father figures in his performance. His dedication to his daughter had the audience in tears, from comforting her after she forgot her own identity to dancing with her before handing her off to Orpheus, a moment that was absent at Eurydice’s real wedding. While the audience was brought to tears in many moments, they also erupted into laughter in others. Simon Link ’28 transformed within moments from the unsettling, cutesy Child of the Underworld to the demanding, formidable Lord of the Underworld with a blood-curdling laugh. 

The set was also exceptionally beautiful. A wooden-framed glass house was constructed on stage, decorated with lights and vines. With many windows and doors, the actors were able to symbolized the changes in settings and existence in between the two worlds. Colorful and creative lighting was used throughout the show to bring comfort and express the characters’ joy or celebration in some moments, as well as to show their fear and loneliness in others. Music and poetry were strewn throughout, framed as a way to express a longing that cannot otherwise be put into words. 

My favorite part of this production were the costumes, designed by Kat Lawrence ’22. This show was full of original designs handcrafted in Brandeis’ costume shop, headed by Brooke Stanton. I particularly enjoyed the costumes of the “managers” of the underworld, a group of five Stones that moved like dancers and whispered demands to Eurydice throughout the show. Each Stone was dressed in a unique costume featuring oversized, geometric and gravity-defying stone formations. 

Eurydice, Father and Orpheus’ costumes in the underworld all shared blue drips extending from their shoulders, a symbol of the river that newcomers are dipped in to erase their memory before they arrive in the underworld. This similarity built an especially strong visual connection between Eurydice and her father throughout the show, as he tried to help Eurydice remember the many joys of her life and to cope with the inevitable pain of loss that came with recovering her memory. The Lord of the Underworld also had an especially impressive costume. A red, puff-sleeved overcoat with gold detailing and a pointy, popped collar was paired with leather platform boots and dark, spiky eyeliner, transforming the cute — but still creepy — child of the underworld into an evil lord. The many outfit changes throughout the show kept the audience on their toes and added an extra element of attention to detail that was apparent throughout this entire production. Congratulations to the cast and crew of “Eurydice” on a wonderful show!