Review: ORFEO ED EURIDICE at Goshen College is a Well-Designed Treat

Life's path exposed me to Goshen College's music department early on when I joined the Elkhart County Youth Honors Orchestra. The campus community of Goshen College is delightfully tinged with music. Such deep-seated passion is palpable in their current online-only production of Christoph Willibald Glück's Orfeo ed Euridice.

As is now expected in these times, a live audience is not an option for these deserving theatre artists. However, creativity and ingenuity on behalf of director Amy Budd and producer Anna Kurtz Kuk, as well as designers and cast, elevates an evening in front of a screen into a night spent traveling alongside Orfeo's descent into loss and love.

Playing under Goshen College's Dr. Scott Hochstetler's baton, the orchestra establishes an upbeat mood quickly turned on its head in story and design. The music throughout the performance is almost offensively good. Gliding camera shots add professional value to the production and make for an easy watch.

Themes of unevenness permeate all areas of design. Alex Miller's costuming immediately grabs the eye and establishes the off-kilter narrative. Face masks are integral pieces to a costume rather than worked around. Asymmetric tunics and cloaks communicate pain and chaos when enhanced by lighting designer Jacob Classen and choreographer Tom Myer's work. A beautiful longing to the body language of the ensemble is juxtaposed with jarring swaths of light.

Orfeo is "a phenomenally talented musician," and Bek Zehr lives up to the description! An impressive understanding of the text is displayed through vocalization-such effort results in ease and confidence. I would have loved to see the same dynamic body language of the chorus at the beginning of Zehr's performance. In my mind's eye, the grief of Orfeo is as physical as it is emotional.

The chorus shines in both dance and poses throughout Act 2. Scenic designer Nathan Berkey's set perfectly frames the stage space, while Classen's lighting draws focus and creates texture. The painting of the greek columns adds a simple yet effective touch of decay to the Underworld.

Euridice, played by Kailey Rice, is well worth the wait. Reunited, the pair must deal with the disconnect required by Amore, played dreamily by Lisa Rosado Rivera.

Rice is the center of attention as soon as she hits the stage. Dressed in a symmetrical purple dress, she draws the audience's eye yet not of her husband. Her confusion and the ensuing frustration are easily read through her eyes and body language. The audience wants for her.

A push and pull to the end, it is with love that Orfeo can overcome. A thoroughly pleasant watch, the many hands which went into Goshen College's production of Orfeo ed Euridice did so with great consideration to storytelling. I wouldn't call myself a lover of opera, but I do love a well-designed production. Goshen College continues to impress.

A minor critique regarding production: the font of captions was small enough for me to struggle with reading at times, so I imagine they could prove difficult to read for others as well.

Reserve free tickets here for Saturday, March 27th at 7:30 pm and Sunday, March 28th at 2:30 pm.

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