Review: Eurydice, Jermyn Street Theatre

A tale as old as time: a boy loves a girl, but she dies, and he ventures into the Underworld to bargain for her return. Then, when he looks back, he loses her forever. This timeless myth is currently playing out twice in the West End; Hadestown captivates audiences at the Lyric Theatre, while Eurydice now brings a fresh take to the story at Jermyn Street Theatre.

In this modern retelling written by Sarah Ruhl and directed by Stella Powell-Jones, Orpheus (Keaton Guimarães-Tolley) and Eurydice (Eve Ponsonby) sit on the beach, their young love blossoming; he’s into music, she’s into books. Their playful flirting soon deepens, and all of a sudden, they are set to wed. Both Ponsonby and Guimarães-Tolley are convincing, their flirtations and at times youthful self‑interest feel very real. Below, in the Underworld, Dickon Tyrrell gives a fantastic performance as Eurydice’s father. Though dead, he watches over her from afar, writing letters in the hope that she might somehow read them. Tyrrell portrays him with a calm, steady presence, brimming with heart, yet unflinchingly unflappable.

Being slightly bored at her own wedding party, Eurydice slips away with A Nasty Interesting Man (Joe Wiltshire Smith) – nasty, yes; interesting, not so much – who lures her with a letter from her deceased father. As she tries to escape his nastiness with the letter, she falls to her death. Waking in the Underworld, Eurydice is greeted by the Stones (Katy Brittain, Tom Morley, Leyon Stolz-Hunter) who act as a Greek chorus with a lot of charm and comedy, along with her father who looks to guide her in this new land. There’s a moment where no one can understand each other due to a language barrier for the newly dead. This has a brief build-up but then all of a sudden everyone can understand each other again. It feels like something significant is missing here, an opportunity that isn’t fully explored, as it is built up but then just fizzles out.

Enter the Lord of the Underworld (also played by Wiltshire Smith). Does this dual role suggest that he orchestrated Eurydice’s death? His first encounter with her in the Underworld features a juvenile, tonally awkward line about an erection, and he later insists that they should be together. It remains unclear whether the Nasty Interesting Man and the Lord of the Underworld are meant to be the same character, leaving unresolved the question of whether her death was part of a greater plan to claim her.

There are moments of lyrical beauty in Ruhl’s script, such as when Orpheus plans to ride a raindrop through the earth into the Underworld to reunite with Eurydice. Before his descent, he sends a book down to her through simple yet ingenious staging; a small winch lowers the book into the set, creating a visually striking and emotionally touching moment. Tina Torbey’s set design cleverly emphasises that letters and books passing through the earth will become dirty and muddied, adding another subtle and effective detail showing the distance between our world and the Underworld.

There are moments of good staging, and great humour in the Greek chorus of Stones – though, based on conversations on the way out, this opinion may be Marmite! The cast delivers solid performances, particularly in the standout work of Tyrrell. On the whole, though, it all struggles to come together. The story feels muddled, with too many scenes that confuse or feel disjointed leaving us, like Orpheus, looking back in search of clarity.

Written by: Sarah Ruhl
Directed by: Stella Powell-Jones
Set Design by: Tina Torbey

Eurydice plays at Jermyn Street Theatre until Saturday 9 November. Further information and booking details can be found here.