BWW Reviews: ORPHEUS Descends...at Theatre/Theater

As mentioned before, the director and creative team really do give it the old college try. Independent filmmaker and director Lou Pepe paints a remarkably vivid and ominous version of this decaying Southern underworld with a lurking Greek chorus sporting garbage masks and David Mauer’s fractured set design is wonderfully vivid and effective. Efrain Schunior’s concept of having the cast perform their own sound effects a la the old radio days adds a humorous and ingenuitive touch. But at the end of the day, what Orpheus’ descent really comes down to is subpar material. Neither evocative nor particularly relevant in today’s setting, the only thing from the show that actually resonates from the original myth is the basic moral of the story. We need to learn our lesson, move on, and not look back.

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Orpheus Descending plays Theatre/Theater, located at 5041 W. Pico Blvd., L.A. Tickets are $25. The show runs 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 21. For tickets call (800) 838-3006 or visit www.brownpapertickets.com/event/92508.