Once again, we have reached the beginning of yet another semester here at NDSU and it is time to welcome everybody back. And I thought that I might do so by writing about something that characterized my break from school (and something that I have written about several times already): “EPIC.”
The ninth and final installment of “EPIC” titled simply as “The Ithaca Saga” was released on Christmas Day—exactly two years after the original release of “The Troy Saga” in 2022. With five songs to complete the forty songs of the musical, this saga was an incredible, beautiful end to an incredible, beautiful story.
I have written about “EPIC” before (fairly recently even, with the release of “The Vengeance Saga” at the end of October) but here is a quick explanation for those who are new to this musical (as many online seem to be). “EPIC” is a musical retelling of Homer’s “Odyssey” created by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, who also plays Odysseus. A note for newcomers: “EPIC” as it exists right now is a concept album (though a very polished and well-produced one) and still has intentions to keep growing. With that said, it is time to look at the songs themselves.
“The Challenge” is the first time the listener really gets to meet and hear Penelope, and I must admit that I was through the roof with happiness. Ever since originally reading the poem, I have loved the character of Penelope. Anna Lea’s portrayal of her cunning, exhaustion and hope on top of her gorgeous voice made the character immediately engaging and understandable, despite only meeting her in the last saga.
“Hold Them Down” is the suitors’ song as they plot to finally take what they believe to be theirs. The song, actually quite reminiscent of “Hellfire” from Disney’s “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” is a wonderful villain song in that it leaves the listener feeling disgusted and horrified at the characters’ actions—an intentional decision considering the events of the following song.
“Odysseus” is an intense song, depicting Odyssseus slaughtering the suitors that have dared to hurt his family. The actors playing the various suitors in this song all have wonderful voices, but the highlight for me was the choral chanting of Odysseus’s name throughout the entire song, reminiscent of songs earlier in the musical.
“I Can’t Help But Wonder” is a very sweet song about the reunion of Odysseus and his son, Telemachus. The soft guitar part in particular—something not really heard elsewhere in the musical—was my favorite part of the song. Additionally, the reunion between Odysseus and Athena after their fight in “The Cyclops Saga” was very bittersweet and also a nice lead into the final (and my favorite) song.
“Would You Fall in Love With Me Again” is the final song of “EPIC” and is the reunion between Odysseus and Penelope. Both Jorge and Anna bring so much emotion to their roles and it makes the song so simultaneously heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. The instrumentation itself is also incredibly gorgeous, especially with the swell of the “Just a Man” motif towards the end of the song as the couple finally embrace each other again. The song is beautiful and the effort that went into it is obvious as it is so well constructed and ties so wonderfully with the rest of the musical. I also love how this song in particular has seemed to really extend far into the internet and is being appreciated by so many more people.
Overall, “The Ithaca Saga” was a gorgeous end to “EPIC” and I cannot wait to see where this musical goes in the future and receives all of the recognition it rightfully deserves.