“Eurydice” at Shasta College

(Jim #10) — I walked into the new Shasta College play “Eurydice” last Friday with no real knowledge of what I was getting into. I did remember that the last time director Robert Soffian utilized an on-stage seating arrangement — for the Yasmina Reza play “Art” — it was terrific.

I displayed awful theater form by arriving about two minutes late for the show. (I attended the play with Jon Lewis, which makes this story kind of classic. Jon and I are both former editors of d.a.t.e., the arts and entertainment guide for the Redding Record Searchlight. I think we’ve both written columns scolding people about arriving late for plays. Oh, well.)

Anyway, I need to go back and catch those first two minutes, because this show has really stayed with me. Written by Sarah Ruhl, “Eurydice” plays off the Greek myth about Orpheus, who looks back at his lover Eurydice before leaving the underworld and loses her.

The beauty of Ruhl’s work is it feels ancient and modern at the same time. My mind instantly went to work on attempting to solve riddles and possible metaphors within the play, but it wasn’t long before I was hit emotionally in a completely unexpected way. I never saw it coming.

There’s this heartbreaking innocence to the characters, and when they experience loss, it hits you right between the eyes. As an audience member, you viscerally relate to the confusion, longing and sorrow they’re feeling. It’s really brilliant writing.

The play isn’t all about loss. It also manages to be humorous, reflective and lighthearted as well. It’s not super heavy and it packs a lot of universal truth into its 90 minutes.

Soffian had a strong vision in guiding this show. Josselyn Carter (as Eurydice) and Dave Whitaker (Orpheus) have excellent chemistry and their love bond seems genuine. Dean Williams, one of the area’s most recognizable actors, plays an understated role as Eurydice’s Father. He’s a stabilizing force, which is one of his many strengths as a performer.

Really catching my eye with his intensity was Mark Teeter, who plays three roles, including Lord of the Underworld. He’s absolutely captivating to watch and I hope to see him in more plays in the area.

Whitaker looks like this buff version of Owen Wilson and he played some nice guitar licks during the show. I was thinking that if he and Teeter were in some kind of band, I’d be very interested in seeing what they came up with.

The show’s sets (by designer David Fraser) were also impressive — I loved the use of an elevator in which it rains inside. The intertwining music Soffian uses is killer (maybe some of interludes could be cut a bit shorter).

I didn’t understand every element to the play and there are some bizarre things going on. But I don’t think understanding every element is the point. What a person can grasp right on the surface is moving enough.

If you want to go deeper, it seems like there’s a lot rich terrain to explore. The show continues at 7:30 p.m. today though Saturday (March 20-23). Tickets are $7 (I think, Jon paid).