Last weekend my plus one and I descended to the depths of Hades (located two stories below Flinders Lane at the fortyfivedownstairs theatre.) We were there for Melbourne Shakespeare Company production of Eurydice by playwright Sarah Ruhl.
Ruhl’s poetic script premiered in 2003 as a contemporary retelling of the classic story of Orpheus and Eurydice. (One of ancient Greece’s most famous and tragic love stories, the original tale follows Orpheus’ descent into the Underworld to find his recently deceased bride Eurydice and bring her back to the land of the living.)
In Ruhl’s version, Eurydice is pulled between remaining with her father in the underworld and rejoining her new husband Orpheus. Dedicated to her father after his death, it’s a play about love, grief, loss and memory.
The script is a designer’s dream, with the land of the living and land of the dead open to interpretation. MSC designer Nathan Burmeiser introduces Orpheus and Eurydice as half naked youthful lovers in a messy bedroom. A veil of plastic sheeting serves as the delineation between the living world and the underworld. (Simple but effective; it’s foggy, like a hazy memory.) Stage right there’s a pile of detritus, stage left a phonebooth, and a line of soil runs in-between. 
It’s compelling storytelling on an indie-theatre budget. The actors, designers and director transformed lyrical words into a cohesive story through a shared vision and thoughtful staging. Artistic director Jennifer Sarah Dean selected Gary Abrahams to direct the production, noting “his extraordinary ability to balance theatrical imagination with emotional truth.” 
The enigmatic Aisha Aidara plays Eurydice and the seductive Devon Braithwaite rules an underworld populated with queer-coded characters. (My plus one and I were divided if this represented queer villainy or softened the sting of death.)
Dean was compelled to produce the script in Melbourne, saying, “to explore the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is to sit with the impossible human longing to hold onto those we love, even as time, grief, and mortality insist upon their disappearance.” Eurydice (like Ruhl) is torn between life and her desire to be united with her father.
Melbourne Shakespeare Company’s Eurydice is a poetic, melancholy letter to lost loves.
Tickets are already selling out.
Jenny
Jenny Schmidt is an event aficionado. When she’s not attending live theatre, you can find her sampling the latest craft beer or sipping a creative cocktail.
Eurydice runs 28 May – 14 June 2026 at fortyfivedownstairs, 45 Flinders Lane
Melbourne 3000. Run time 90 minutes. Book tickets now
