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Regional Reviews: Las Vegas Eurydice Playwright Sarah Ruhl's Eurydice gives a fresh spin to the Greek myth of young newlyweds Orpheus and Eurydice, in which Eurydice's untimely death and descent into the Underworld leads her devastated musician-husband to pursue every means to be reunited. A Public Fit is giving the play a snappy and stylish production under the capable direction of Jake Staley and Breon Jenay. A bit of a slow burn to start with, the performance gains momentum once Eurydice reaches the Underworld; having no clue what has happened, she thinks she is simply traveling, and gets frustrated when she can't check into her hotel. Things get even livelier from here, with actual rain pelting the stage, a snarky chorus of anthropomorphic stones butting in when the mood strikes them, and Orpheus finding increasingly creative ways to deliver his broken-hearted love letters. (Beware, the use of messenger worms can lead to smudgy stationery.) Adam Dunson has natural stage presence as Orpheus. He is every inch the head-in-the-clouds musician–not much of a stretch, it turns out, as Dunson composed the show's original music. Nicole Unger starts out a little stiff and shouty as Eurydice, but soon warms to the role and lets her comedic talents shine. Benjamin Loewy brings the best energy possible to the somewhat underwritten role of the Lord of the Underworld, who appears both as a would-be séducteur and–inexplicably–as a scooter-riding child. The chorus of stones (Adriana Chavez, Aurora Maria Murphy, and Bethany Nicole Taylor) are a hoot, proclaiming the rules of the underworld in edgy goth make-up while whirling fluidly to Tracey Corea's choreography. The show's beating heart, however, is Timothy Cummings as Eurydice's father, who preceded her in death and becomes her loving guardian in the Underworld. A welcome presence on any stage, Cummings elevates the production with his uncanny emotional depth. Pulling everything together are Dunson's original music and Constance Taschner's moody and evocative sound design, both of which linger well after the final bows. A Public Fit Theatre Company's Eurydice runs through March 2, 2026, at the SST Studios, 4340 S. Valley View Blvd., Suite 210, Las Vegas NV. Performances Fridays, Saturdays, and Mondays at 7 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. For tickets ($35-$45) and information, please visit www.apublicfit.org. Cast: Additional Creative:
Lighting Designer: Joshua Wroblewski |