Orpheus brings Eurydice to a see a surprise he got for her. He gives her the sun, the moon, the stars, and all the oceans because he loves her so much. He also has his favorite melody in his head and he is trying to get her to remember it. She is not good with beats or music though. She just likes to read. All day and all night. Orpheus says that he is going to make her hair into a twelve instrument band so that she can here the melody. He says she is going to fly in the air because the music will carry her.
Next, Orpheus and Eurydice get married. Right before the reception, Orpheus gets in the shower so that he will not have to deal with greeting all the guests. This pisses Eurydice off. Eurydice retreats to a water pump to drink nasty water at her wedding celebration. She is bored because she is not with Orpheus at the moment and she is sad because she claims that a wedding is a celebration for a father and daughter. "It is the day they stop being married to each other." Her father is in Hades, (the underworld) and cannot attend her wedding.
Since he cannot be present, he writes her a letter. He drops the letter into a magical mail box and falls into the wrong hands. As Father is dreaming of how he would act at his daughter's wedding, an Interesting/Nasty Man is speaking with Eurydice out side her wedding. He asks her if she is homeless. Then finds out her name.
She leaves this man to share a dance with Orpheus. They are happy, they have champagne. Eurydice goes back to the water pump and the Nasty Man says Your name is Eurydice is it? I have a letter from your father, it is in my extravagantly huge condo a couple of blocks away. Eurydice is immediately excited to hear this news and agrees to leave her wedding to go with him. They climb the 600 steps to get in, and she says that she can see her wedding from all the way up there. All of a sudden Nasty Man gets real creeper, he loosens his tie and tries to get her to drink champagne and then makes a bottle of water appear out of thin air. Then he comes on all strong and is like, "Leave Orpheus, marry me." and she is like "Ew gross, NO." She grabs the letter from her father out of his vest and begins to run down the stairs. Right as he tells her to go slow, she falls and tumbles down all the stairs, and the letter lands next to her dead body.
Orpheus's happy music then turns into a sad dreary thing that makes the entire universe sad. While this is happening, Eurydice is in a raining elevator. When the door opens, she can't speak. She gets on a boat, then a train, then she finally meets three stones and her father. She does not know it yet though. She calls him a tree. And says love is like laying naked under him. And then they keep talking about being dipped in a River...
Father makes her a room out of string. They talk and catch up. Orpheus begins to send letters saying that he is going to rescue her. Her Father teaches her to read again because you cannot read in the underworld. Time passes and Orpheus finally shows up. Father is so excited for her to go back and be in love. Eurydice is excited, but she loves her father so much now that she cannot bear to leave him.
Orpheus scoops her up and takes her back to the middle. After she leaves her father is so sad that he wants to go dip himself in the River again. So he goes and then appears to have really really died. After he does this, Eurydice comes down, just to visit and sees her father in this state. It hurts her so bad that she writes a letter to Orpheus that is addressed to a new wife. She then dips herself into the River and lays next to her father.
The story ends as Orpheus comes to the underworld, picks up the letter and is mad he cannot read it.
Plot Summary:
First Movement
Scene 1
Eurydice and Orpheus in 1950's bathing suits. Orpheus showers Eurydice with gifts. They talk about their favorite subjects; books and music. They hint at marriage, then race into the ocean together.
Scene 2
We are introduced to Eurydice's father. He narrates a letter to the audience about what he would say at Orpheus and Eurydice's wedding if he were on earth. He drops the letter into an imaginary mail box.
Scene 3
Their wedding. Eurydice soliloquy, mainly about her father. Orpheus is taking a shower. We are introduced to the Nasty Man/Ruler of the Underworld.
Scene 4
Orpheus and Eurydice share a dance. Eurydice decides she wants more water, so she leaves his side, even though Orpheus voices that he would not like her to.
Scene 5
The Nasty Man reappears and tells Eurydice that he found a letter addressed to her, from her father. While slyly hitting on her, he convinces her to accompany him back to his apartment to get the letter.
Scene 6
Orpheus begins to worry and starts calling for Eurydice.
Scene 7
The Nasty Man and Eurydice arrive. He gets very creepy and comes onto Eurydice. She grabs the letter, begins to run down the stairs, she trips and falls, then descends to the underworld.
Second Movement
Scene 1
We are introduced to the stones, or the chorus. Eurydice cannot remember anything, and she cannot read because she had to swim across the River of Forgetfulness. She tells us her journey to the underworld. Then Eurydice and her father meet face to face.
Scene 2
Orpheus writes a letter for Eurydice to remind her of the love they had.
Scene 3
Eurydice and her father get acquainted. Her father builds Eurydice her very own room out of string.
Scene 4
Eurydice sits in her suitcase.
Scene 5
Orpheus writes to Eurydice telling her he is venturing to the underworld to find her.
Scene 6
Father reads Orpheus's letter to Eurydice. He describes to her the emotions she should be feeling. She remembers Orpheus's name.
Scene 7
Orpheus writes another letter. He tells Eurydice about a crazy dream that he had, and he asks her to come back.
Scene 8
Eurydice and her father have been fully acquainted. She asks her father to tell her about their entire family. He declines because he does not want her to feel a life time of sadness.
Scene 9
Her father teaches her different words. Words that were once common to Eurydice before coming to the underworld. He finally gives in and begins talking about his childhood, and then their family. Eurydice and her father share a very special moment that words cannot quite describe.
Scene 10
Orpheus writes another letter, with it he sends the Collected Works of W.S.
Scene 11
Eurydice receives the book and has no idea what to do with it. He begins to teach her to read. They share another very special moment over a quote from King Lear.
Scene 12
Orpheus tries to reach Eurydice through information. He examines a globe and says that he will find her.
Scene 13
Eurydice and her father try to carry the tune to "I got rhythm." The stones get mad, Eurydice and her father confess to each other that they are both horrible singers.
Scene 14
Ruler of the underworld comes in as a child on a red tricycle and threatens to dip her back into the River of Forgetfulness. He also wants to make sure she is comfortable, in a very odd way.
Scene 15
Orpheus discovers a plan to use his music to get to the underworld.
Scene 16
Eurydice tells her father a story about Orpheus.
Scene 17
Orpheus writes Eurydice another letter, enthused about his plan to come and find her. He also adds that he will not be practicing his magic because the word practice was made up by a coward, he will store his magic until his instincts call for it.
Scene 18
Eurydice tells her father about Orpheus's plan to find her.
Scene 19
Orpheus executes his plan.
Scene 20
Orpheus arrives and knocks on the door of the dead. The stones become alarmed.
Third Movement
Scene 1
Orpheus meets the Ruler of the Underworld. The Ruler says that if Orpheus begins walking home and does not look back, Eurydice is his to have. But if he looks back she will disappear.
Scene 2
Eurydice's father takes her to the gates of the underworld. He says she must go back to her husband and when they have children that they must come visit one day. They have a very sad parting, and in a split second Eurydice discovers that she wants to stay with her father instead.
The Stones try to convince her otherwise. She sees him and follows him, then catches up and calls his name. He turns around and all at once, his plan is ruined. Eurydice is slipping away and he is telling her not to go, but it is too late she has made her decision.
Scene 3
Eurydice's father is terribly sad about losing his daughter. He dips himself into the River of Forgetfulness so that he could forget the pain of her absence. Right as he does, Eurydice comes back for him. The stones taunt her, and the Ruler of the Underworld designates her as his new bride.
Eurydice writes a letter to Orpheus apologizing for her decision. She closes the letter with a note to his new wife.
Eurydice then dips herself into the River.
Immediately after that, Orpheus appears in the underworld. He finds the letter, and cannot read it.(!)
Scene 4
Eurydice sits in her suitcase.
Scene 5
Orpheus writes to Eurydice telling her he is venturing to the underworld to find her.
Scene 6
Father reads Orpheus's letter to Eurydice. He describes to her the emotions she should be feeling. She remembers Orpheus's name.
Scene 7
Orpheus writes another letter. He tells Eurydice about a crazy dream that he had, and he asks her to come back.
Scene 8
Eurydice and her father have been fully acquainted. She asks her father to tell her about their entire family. He declines because he does not want her to feel a life time of sadness.
Scene 9
Her father teaches her different words. Words that were once common to Eurydice before coming to the underworld. He finally gives in and begins talking about his childhood, and then their family. Eurydice and her father share a very special moment that words cannot quite describe.
Scene 10
Orpheus writes another letter, with it he sends the Collected Works of W.S.
Scene 11
Eurydice receives the book and has no idea what to do with it. He begins to teach her to read. They share another very special moment over a quote from King Lear.
Scene 12
Orpheus tries to reach Eurydice through information. He examines a globe and says that he will find her.
Scene 13
Eurydice and her father try to carry the tune to "I got rhythm." The stones get mad, Eurydice and her father confess to each other that they are both horrible singers.
Scene 14
Ruler of the underworld comes in as a child on a red tricycle and threatens to dip her back into the River of Forgetfulness. He also wants to make sure she is comfortable, in a very odd way.
Scene 15
Orpheus discovers a plan to use his music to get to the underworld.
Scene 16
Eurydice tells her father a story about Orpheus.
Scene 17
Orpheus writes Eurydice another letter, enthused about his plan to come and find her. He also adds that he will not be practicing his magic because the word practice was made up by a coward, he will store his magic until his instincts call for it.
Scene 18
Eurydice tells her father about Orpheus's plan to find her.
Scene 19
Orpheus executes his plan.
Scene 20
Orpheus arrives and knocks on the door of the dead. The stones become alarmed.
Third Movement
Scene 1
Orpheus meets the Ruler of the Underworld. The Ruler says that if Orpheus begins walking home and does not look back, Eurydice is his to have. But if he looks back she will disappear.
Scene 2
Eurydice's father takes her to the gates of the underworld. He says she must go back to her husband and when they have children that they must come visit one day. They have a very sad parting, and in a split second Eurydice discovers that she wants to stay with her father instead.
The Stones try to convince her otherwise. She sees him and follows him, then catches up and calls his name. He turns around and all at once, his plan is ruined. Eurydice is slipping away and he is telling her not to go, but it is too late she has made her decision.
Scene 3
Eurydice's father is terribly sad about losing his daughter. He dips himself into the River of Forgetfulness so that he could forget the pain of her absence. Right as he does, Eurydice comes back for him. The stones taunt her, and the Ruler of the Underworld designates her as his new bride.
Eurydice writes a letter to Orpheus apologizing for her decision. She closes the letter with a note to his new wife.
Eurydice then dips herself into the River.
Immediately after that, Orpheus appears in the underworld. He finds the letter, and cannot read it.(!)
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