EPIC: Ancient Myths meet Modern Musicals

The countdown begins.

Tens of thousands of people gather in wait– fans from every corner of the globe, holding their breath in anticipation, each waiting for the same thing.

Excitement is in the air. This is more than just a livestream to these people. It's a community– one that transcends borders, cultures, time zones. It’s a collective heartbeat pounding to the sound of the tick of the clock. Everyone lives different lives, but here, they are bound together through one thing and one thing only– music.

Three, Two, One… Then silence.

… A second passes. Then two. Then, the screen lights up.

EPIC The Musical: The Troy Saga.

EPIC is a musical adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey, an ancient classic depicting the story of Odysseus on his way home from the Trojan War. The project was started by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, the director, lyricist, orchestrator, and actor for Odysseus himself. 

What got me into EPIC was simple. First of all, I love musicals– Hamilton, Ride the Cyclone, Next to Normal, Hadestown… And that’s just naming a handful. Second of all, I love Greek Mythology. A near abnormal amount. Castor and Polydeuces, Asteria’s Flight, Sisyphus and Thanatos… you get the gist. I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs about how much I love the Percy Jackson series, and how much I loathe it at the same time for its inaccuracies.

So it’s needless to say I was hooked right off the bat. A new, up-and-coming adaptation of the Odyssey, with extraordinary vocals and stellar orchestration? It was almost too good to be true. 

But what do I know? Here I am, telling you it's real. And yeah– it is pretty epic. (that was a pun. laugh.) 

With prominent actors like Brandon McInnis of Demon Slayer as Apollo, Mason Olshavsky of SNL as Tiresias, and Troy Doherty of The Last Ship as Hermes, it doesn’t take much to assume this is more than just a simple garage project. Amassing over half a billion streams on Spotify, it's clear that EPIC has gathered quite a dedicated following.

Now, EPIC isn’t exactly your typical theatre production. It’s not even on stage, really. It’s a forty track concept album released in EPs, or ‘sagas’. As a matter of fact, the final saga only came out this past Christmas. There’s nine sagas, each following a new addition to the storyline. It starts in Troy, where Odysseus and his army launch the final plan to defeat the Trojans, and ends in Ithaca, in which Odysseus returns home to his kingdom.

To be clear, yes, this is a thematic review– Well, partially me reviewing it, partially me getting on my hands and knees and begging you to listen to this masterpiece of a musical– but it’s also very, very biased. I’m the type of person to develop interests in quick bursts of fixation, but ever since discovering EPIC a year and a half ago I’ve been obsessed. I’m serious– this very well might genuinely be my favourite piece of media… ever. Also, don’t be upset if I spoil the story for you. If it wasn’t obvious enough already… It's based off of a 3000 year old ancient epic. Sorry.

So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the world of EPIC: The Musical.

EPIC starts in Troy, during the last phase of the Greeks’ plan to defeat the Trojans. Odysseus, the main character of this narrative (played by Jorge Rivera-Herrans), explains the game plan to his army, now hiding in the horse they’ve gifted to the enemy. Here, we’re introduced to Odysseus’ motive– Getting home to his family; his wife Penelope (Anna Lea), and his son Telemachus (Miguel Veloso, or MICO). Right off the bat, Odysseus makes it clear that he’ll do anything to see them again– and throughout the course of the story, we see him follow up on his promises to the extreme. Ten years ago, he had left his kingdom to fight in the Trojan war, and if his plan went without flaw, he’d see his family again soon. (Spoiler, he doesn't.)

Anyways– the narrative takes twists and turns and suddenly, the unassuming trek home has gone from a week to ten years long. Odysseus makes more losses than gains, having to learn the ritual of sacrifice amongst his own fleet to get home– because to reiterate, he’d take any means necessary to see his wife and son again. It’s a lesson he has to learn from friends and gods alike– the importance of ruthlessness by nature if he wants to return home. 

The main recurring theme within EPIC is the thin line between man and monster, and how ruthlessness and sacrifice are necessary for each their own gain. We see it first when Odysseus is pitted against his first enemy, Astyanax… Who is an infant. This is the first difficult choice we see Odysseus having to make. Because on one hand, this is the son of Prince Hector. If Odysseus allowed him to live, he would take vengeance on him, or worse, his family. But on the other hand… killing babies is just an immoral thing to do.

But what do the Greeks know about morals? Odysseus drops the baby off a tower.

This sacrifice hurts Odysseus, at first. Especially since Astyanax had reminded Odysseus of his own son back home. But that's before he loses his men to the cyclops Polyphemus… who tells his father Poseidon (Steven Rodriguez), who subsequently murders just about the entire fleet. Poseidon makes a clear point in Track 13, ‘Ruthlessness’, that he could’ve killed off Polyphemus and his fleet would have been safe, and it was his own kindness that ultimately cost the lives of his crew. Odysseus goes through a sort of epiphany in the Act 1 closer, ‘Monster’, in which he decides that for the remainder of his journey back home, he has to show ruthlessness, for it is mercy upon himself.

His newfound ruthless endeavour saves him, just as Poseidon says. He sacrifices both his friends and his morals for his return to home, and he has to learn to be selfish to achieve personal gain. When Zeus forces him to make the choice between himself or his fleet, he chooses himself. He convinces himself more and more that he's less of a man and more of a monster with every conflict he faces.

Upon his final return home, he hits the peak of his ruthless nature in his advent to see his wife and son again. The suitors occupying his castle are slaughtered one by one in Song 38, ‘Odysseus’, even after their pleas for mercy. In the subsidence of his rage, he finally reunites with Penelope in the heartwarming finale, ‘Would You Fall in Love with Me Again’. Odysseus believes he’s too far gone, too in touch with his merciless nature to be loveable like he once was. Penelope proves to him that he’s still her husband, in spite of what he had to do on his trek back home.

And that’s EPIC.

In total, there are nine sagas, and I’ve been a fan since the second one came out. It's been a huge part of my life for a while, and I don't think I’ll ever shut up about it until the day I die. I wouldn’t usually consider myself a sentimental person, but I’ll be honest– The finale had me crying like a baby. Are there better Odyssey adaptations out there? Probably. Does the lyricism in EPIC fall weak in comparison to other musicals? Kinda. Is this still the best piece of media on the internet that anyone can consume (in my totally unbiased opinion)? Yes. No birthday, holiday, or event will ever give me that experience of listening to the height of the final orchestration for the first time, feeling a chill run down my spine with all the instruments rattling my bones at once.

So professionally, as an article writer: I hope that at the very least this has convinced you to listen to EPIC– regardless of whether you're into mythology or theatre and whatnot.
… And as the #1 worldwide EPIC fan: Please, please, please listen to the beautiful, life changing, cinematic masterpiece that is EPIC: The Musical.