play structure
Eurydice is structured like a CONCERTO.
A concerto is composed of three movements, just as Ruhl splits the play into three movements. Each takes on a different tone.
A classical music piece that features a single soloist playing with and against a full orchestra.
First Movement
Short, dramatic, thematic duality.
Second Movement
Slow, lyrical.
Third Movement
Fast, energetic, conclusive.
7 Scenes
Orpheus & Eurydice's relationship vs. Eurydice's encounters with the Nasty Interesting Man.
20 Scenes
Eurydice & her Father's relationship develops; they take their time.
3 Scenes
The action that commences following Orpheus's Underworld arrival is quick and dense.
Orpheus is our musician and Eurydice is our titular character. Who is our soloist?
How does time function differently in each movement?
Excerpt from "Eurydice in German," Sarah Ruhl's 100 Essays
"The woman playing Eurydice was divine. And I could understand every word she spoke, even though she was speaking German, a language I don't speak. I always knew where she was in the punctuation. And this experience made me wonder: is there an emotional melody or rhythm underlying a play that is beyond translation? And if a very good actor can act this rhythm, then does a motion follow rhythm, and no externally imposed style can intervene? And the experience made me long for meter. Deprived of meter, without the intrinsic rhythm of the Greeks or the Elizabethans, are playwrights now like seamstresses working without needle and thread?"
“Everyone has a great, horrible opera inside him."
~ Sarah Ruhl