I Can't Help But Wonder - Epic: The Musical
There is no feeling like finding a story or piece of media that immediately touches you and rewires your brain chemistry, even to a small extent. I won’t say that Epic: The Musical has completely altered my world, but boy does it have me in a chokehold! So much so that I’ve been trying to get friends and work colleagues alike to listen to it this past week.
Rather than chastising myself about not having listened to it earlier, I’m choosing to reframe it. I’m glad and proud of myself that I finally gave it a try. It’s not a loss – it’s a gain. Moreover, the last saga came out just recently, so choosing to listen to it now, in January, has its benefits. I can binge it without interruptions!
I don’t know how else to talk about Epic apart from repeating, over and over, that it’s so cool and amazing and cohesive and emotional. I’ve always liked the story of the Odyssey, and do mean to read the full original poem soon,[1] so the musical was already tailor-made for me. Odysseus is given such a sympathetic yet richly complex interpretation, Telemachus is my new blorbo (cinnamon roll that must be protected at all costs), and I keep getting emotional about Athena’s friendship with Odysseus.
The songs are all amazing, each great individually and then building upon each other with each new saga. The layering and repetition of character motifs, of previous songs, as well as the narrative themes of each saga… Chef’s kiss. The entire cast is amazingly talented, and the production value is off the charts. This was made with so much love and passion, and it shows.
Most importantly, while it is a streamlined adaptation that (for now) doesn’t have visuals apart from commissioned artwork and short animatics, it really hits to the emotional core of the story. Epic is able to identify, draw out, and present character growth, emotional ties, and relationships that listeners can immediately understand and identify with.
When I was participating in Les Mis Letters two years ago (a Dracula Daily inspired newsletter where you read one chapter of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo per day for an entire year, supported by a lovely community on Discord and Tumblr),[2] I remember someone talking about the book vs the musical. While the book[3] is able to go into more depth, to explore themes and questions and character elements the musical can’t really touch upon, the musical is able to distill the emotional impact and themes with just one song (rather than five or so agonizing-for-the-reader-and-characters chapters of Jean Valjean deciding to reveal his identity in order to spare an innocent man).
The particular song in question was “Who Am I?” When I listened to the song at the time, I found it was just ok. I understood what that person meant, but didn’t really experience it for myself.[4] Then I had the privilege to watch a Broadway Across Canada production of Les Mis this past summer (having finished reading the book), and all I can say was that watching that song being performed live, Jean Valjean singing “I am Jean Valjean!” — that was so powerful and cathartic.
Epic: The Musical is very much like that. In its two acts, 9 sagas, and 40 songs, it is able to encapsulate pages of story and dialogue into individual songs that connect, intersect, and call back to each other. It’s a three-thousand year old poem being remade anew, yet doing so by making a lot of its original themes and plot come alive.
Like I was telling my friend the other day (because I’m unable to stop talking about this musical), it makes me so emotional that these stories keep being remade and keep touching us. That, just like Six (which is now a very successful Broadway musical), Epic originated as a college thesis. That passion for history and old stories can lead to amazing musicals the world over is discovering and enjoying. I truly hope Epic: The Musical continues to grow and find its audience, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store.
As Alec Hardison always says, “Age of the geek, baby!”
Now I’ll go back to replaying the Wisdom saga, if you don’t mind 😉
[1] I gleefully got my hands on Emily Wilson’s translation a while back!
[2] While I wasn’t able to fully participate in it last year, I’m glad it continued, and I hope it continues.
[3] Which is actually so good, and I really enjoyed reading it!
[4] Until I watched it live, I’d never really listened to the musical, or watched the musical movie starring Hugh Jackman. Apart from knowing the names of certain songs, and being able to sing along “Little People/C’est la faute à,” I went into it relatively blind.