From the moment the narrator, also known as Hermes, the god of communication, first began to introduce us to the setting and cast of characters, I knew there was something a little bit different about this production compared to other ones I’ve seen. I felt pulled in from the beginning, like I was a part of the imaginary world that many people had diligently devoted much of their time writing, building, directing, and rehearsing in order to manifest a brilliantly-crafted masterpiece.

The sets were dynamic, the music was well-composed and very fitting, and the singing and acting were beautiful and compelling. When you were in The Underworld, you felt like you were in the Underworld. When a character was in despair, you felt that too. There were times when I could hear sniffles all around me. My eyes watered up a couple of times, but the dams didn’t quite break.

The play involved many elements from Greek mythology, but the story itself takes place somewhere in the modern age. The story focuses on the courtship between Persephone and Hades, who is actually a business magnate who recruits desperate workers to labor for him in The Underworld to bring him primarily precious metals and oil, giving up their freedom and creative vision in the process. Parallel to the story of Hades and Persephone runs the story between Orpheus and Eurydice. The contrast between them was that Hades was a wealthy businessman, while Orpheus was an idealistic musician who was hardly getting by in life. He was fueled by his optimism for a better world, and little else.

Orpheus succeeded in winning the heart of Eurydice, just as Hades had done with Persephone, but he lacked that material wealth that Hades had to pay the bills, keep food on the table, and build a life of security and comfort. Eventually, Eurydice caved in and signed on for a life of security laboring hard for Hades in The Underworld, leaving Orpheus behind.

When Orpheus discovered the fate of Eurydice, he immediately set off on a long and arduous trek to The Underworld in search of her. What he found was a bruised and indentured Eurydice, and a callous and unforgiving Hades who was determined to make Orpheus pay for trespassing on his property. Orpheus’ pleas were heard by Persephone, who remembered when Hades was more like Orpheus, and she like Eurydice, when their relationship was a budding romance full of feeling and possibilities, not just a contract to be lived out. Persephone then convinced Hades to give Orpheus a chance to prove himself, and Hades granted it, begrudgingly. If Orpheus could sing a song that moved Hades, he would let both he and Eurydice go back to the surface. To find out how this wonderful story ends, I recommend going to see it live if you have the opportunity. I don’t want to spoil the ending.

After the performance was over, I had the honor of speaking to one of the cast members, Dominique Kempf, who played one of the three Fates, who seemed indifferent to the suffering of humankind and almost seemed to take delight in it at times. Offstage and in-person, however, Dominique was a very kind and genuine person, which speaks well of her acting ability to play the opposite convincingly. I look forward to Dominique’s return to the Overture stage sometime in the future, as well as other performances of this caliber.