Theatre Preivew | Contemporary work based on ancient myth performed by 3Ps

“Eurydice,” the major theater production of Pen, Paint and Pretzels (3Ps), debuted last night in Balch Arena Theater.

For those unfamiliar with “Eurydice,” the work incorporates two stories and plots. The first of these tales is referenced in the title. In the classic Greek myth “Orpheus and Eurydice,” Eurydice, the wife of the talented musician, Orpheus, is stung and killed by a viper on the night of their wedding. In the original version, Orpheus bravely travels to the underworld in an effort to reclaim his lost young bride. However, this 3Ps production is not a reenactment of this ancient tale, but rather a modern reincarnation of the tragic story. “Eurydice,” written by playwright Sara Ruhl in 2003, incorporates much from the original, keeping the same names and characters from “Orpheus and Eurydice.” However, “Eurydice” also takes several liberties, at times deviating from its mythological source material and blending in a few of Ruhl’s life experiences.

Among other changes, Ruhl has invented the character of Eurydice’s father, who is already dead prior to the beginning of the play. At the start of the play, the audience is introduced to Eurydice as she pines for her lost parent. On the day of her wedding to Orpheus, Eurydice’s desire to connect with her deceased father prompts her to follow a stranger away from the celebration, after he bates her with a mysterious letter. In this re-imagined piece there is no snake to bite Eurydice — instead, the stranger tricks Eurydice into dying.

As the title implies, “Eurydice” places more emphasis on the woman’s perspective. The audience is privy to Eurydice’s thoughts, feelings, struggles and decisions as she navigates through the worlds of the living and the dead.

This unique female-focused lens is what initially attracted director Cole von Glahn to the piece. When asked why he selected “Eurydice” as the 3Ps fall major production, von Glahn, a senior, explained that in his time at Tufts, 3Ps has never performed a full-production by a published female playwright. That is, until “Eurydice.”

“I thought that was unfortunate, considering that I think a lot of the best current American playwrights are women,” von Glahn said.

Stylistically, too, “Eurydice” may be an important milestone for Tufts theater.

“I think [this play is] different from a lot of the other things that get put on here,” von Glahn said. “‘Eurydice’ is a contemporary piece that is riffing off of a classic.”

He feels the play fits in well with the Department of Drama and Dance’s efforts to gradually branch out from the American classics that have constituted the bulk of Tufts’ past productions.

“Eurydice” has been a challenge to produce. Water features prominently in the play — some scenes include an aqueduct and the river of the underworld — and the 3Ps production uses real water on stage to bring the set to life. The set designer for “Eurydice,” Jeff Richmond, said that having water on set — something that hasn’t happened since 2011 — is “a lot more work,” but also says that he is excited to see the play in action.

“I think it’s going to be a great piece of art and a great piece of theater,” Richmond, a senior, said. “[Our director] is unbelievably knowledgeable in so many aspects of theater, and I think that his vision [for] the shows he has directed have always been really strong.”

For his part, von Glahn hopes that audience members come prepared to consider the play’s thought-provoking themes of love and death.

“[It’s a] beautiful play that has a lot to say about family, love and memory,” he said.

Performances of “Eurydice” will be tonight and Saturday, Nov. 16, from 8 to 10 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $7 and can be purchased at the Balch Arena Box Office in the Aidekman Arts Center or by calling (617) 627-3493.