A companion piece to Filament’s concurrent production of Sarah Ruhl’s “Eurydice,” Omen Sade’s original adaptation takes a completely different tack on the classic Greek story of the musician who through his talent convinces the underworld to give his dead wife back to him, only to lose her again and forever when he breaks his only promise—to resist looking back at her as they leave the underworld. Sade’s nightclub-set piece is hypnotic, pulsating, dangerous and vividly immediate.
It’s all due to Sade’s faith in the strengths and talents of his collaborators, who flesh out the otherwise straightforward, bare-bones retelling of the myth. DJ Puzzle as “Fate” scores the entire proceedings with a seemingly endless stream of samples and loops. Kyle Land’s lighting design is moody but never obfuscates. As the lovers, Kevin Barry Crowley and Audrey Bertaux-Skeirik are surprisingly talented musicians. The Nymphs are versatile and seductive groupies. The show-stealers, though, are the bouffons, as multi-purpose baddie-clowns who somehow manage to thrill and scare and evoke laughter all at once. It’s an electrifying and immersive piece of physical theater that inspires awe even as it paints a heartbreaking portrait of doomed love. (Neal Ryan Shaw)
Filament Theatre Ensemble at the Lacuna Artist Lofts, 2150 South Canalport, (773)270-1660. Through May 28.
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