The myth of Orpheus' descent into the underworld to retrieve Eurydice, his dead love, has always had an enormous allure for artists, allowing them to explore such themes as the nature of trust in a relationship and the power of art. In Sarah Ruhl's convoluted Eurydice, these ideas are present but ultimately become secondary to the playwright's gimmickry and her exploration of the bond between father and daughter.
Ruhl's Eurydice (a strident Maria Dizzia) finds herself in Hades because she's been summoned inadvertently by her deceased father (played with dignified gravity by Charles Shaw Robinson). He has managed to retain his memory of earthly things and must re-educate his daughter once she has arrived. His tutorials allow the two to renew their bond, much to the chagrin of the Lord of the Underworld (played with haughty petulance by Mark Zeisler), who's progressively getting younger for no apparent reason.
Equally nonsensical (and overly cute) flourishes are found elsewhere in Eurydice. Rather than reading a letter that wafts to Hades from the grief-stricken Orpheus (winningly played by Joseph Parks), Eurydice stands on it. Similarly, she tries to eat a book that he drops down a hole in the hope that it will reach her. Ruhl's reinvention of the myth's climax also proves problematic: Eurydice's self-centered insecurity — and possibly her unconscious desire to stay with dad — leads to Orpheus' fatal final glimpse of her.
Without question, Ruhl's script gives director Les Waters and his designers ample opportunity for invention. Rain floods designer Scott Bradley's skewed stage, which resembles the bottom of an intricately tiled swimming pool. Costume designer Meg Neville dresses the three-person chorus of stones (Gian-Murray Gianino, Carla Harting, and Ramiz Monsef) in elaborate Victorian ensembles, and sound designer Bray Poor creates a highly imaginative soundscape. It's all beautiful to the senses, but Eurydice is meant to be emotionally shattering. Instead, it simultaneously intrigues and annoys.
Presented by and at Second Stage Theatre, 307 W. 43rd St., NYC. June 18-July 21. Schedule varies. (212) 246-4422 or (800) 766-6048 or www.2st.com. Casting by Tara Rubin Casting, Amy Potozkin, and Paul Fouquet.