In part one of this deep dive, I went through Act 1 of Epic The Musical, written and directed by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, who wanted to create something loosely based off of Homer’s Greek epic, The Odyssey. Act 1 consists of the first five sagas. Now, I will dive into Act 2, which consists of the final four sagas. If you haven’t read part one, some of this might confuse you. To read part one, click on this link: https://lswhawk.com/arts/a-deep-dive-into-epic-the-musical-act-1/.
The Thunder Saga was released on July 4, 2024 and consists of five songs. This saga focuses on the challenges Odysseus faces as he journeys home to Ithaca. He encounters sirens and the monstrous Scylla. Here we also meet thunder god Zeus, “Father of Gods” played by Luke Holt. Odysseus’ crew kills one of sun god Helios’ cattle and Zeus is sent as punishment.
My favorite song of this saga is “Thunder Bringer.” Holt as Zeus is absolutely amazing. His voice fits Zeus and the song so well. Holt uses a deeper voice than the other vocalists, almost like Steven Rodriguez does for Poseidon but without the rasp. The song is a powerful portrayal of Zeus and his dominance over pride and ultimate authority. I’d say the reason this song is so addicting is because of Holt’s vocal cadence, which is the way that words flow, the rhythmic lyric choices and the emotion it draws out for listeners. Holt’s characterization of Zeus is excellent. He delivered the idea of a “dominating aura” and you can almost feel the intimidation in his voice.
The Wisdom Saga was released on Aug. 30, 2024 and contains five songs. This saga shifts from Odysseus and focuses on Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, played by Miguel Veloso. The scene shifts to Ithaca, 20 years after the Troy Saga. In this saga, we also learn that Penelope has suitors attempting to steal her away and Telemachus tries to confront them. Meanwhile, Odysseus is trapped on the island of Calypso, which leads to Athena trying to convince other Olympian Gods to allow Odysseus to return home. She takes Telemachus under her wing and trains him to fight.
One song in this saga is “Legendary,” where we finally meet Telemachus, Odysseus’ son, 20 years after Odysseus left Ithaca. This song is basically Telemachus dreaming of living a legendary life like his father. Although the song is upbeat and happy, the lyrics give off the impression that Telemachus is having an identity crisis after hearing how legendary Odysseus is. He feels trapped because of the stories and wanting to reach the heights of his father. I would also like to say that the casting for Telemachus is perfect because he sounds almost exactly like a younger Odysseus. In the background we can also hear piano, which means Athena is close by and foreshadows the next song by telling us that Athena will swoop in to help Telemachus against the suitors.
Another song in this saga is “Little Wolf,” a confrontation between Telemachus and Antinous, one of Penelope’s suitors played by Ayron Alexander. In this song, there’s some symbolism used. The suitors refer to Telemachus as “little wolf,” which is an interesting comparison. As everybody knows, wolves are pack animals, however, Telemachus is alone. Calling him a wolf might also be used to emphasize his bravery or loyalty to his family, or his “pack.” In the background, we hear more piano. Athena’s back! Teagan Earley’s voice is so pretty and she’s really good at putting emotions in her words and how she sings things. I also love the line, “Let’s teach this dog a lesson // In front of all his kind // One young wolf has a larger heart than all these men combined,” because not only does she refer to Antinous as a dog, a ranking lower than a wolf, but she also calls Telemachus a “young wolf” which, in this context, is more positive than “little wolf.” I swear, every song with Athena in it is automatically a banger. Her piano leitmotif just adds so much to the song’s instrumental. It makes it more.. Epic.
The Vengeance Saga was released on Oct. 31, 2024 and contains five songs. This saga concludes Odysseus’ journey home to Ithaca, illustrating a hardened and more brutal Odysseus. In this saga, Odysseus is released from Calypso’s island, confronts Poseidon near the shores of Ithaca where he then attacks Poseidon with his own trident and demands the storm be lifted so he can get home. I do have to say, I think this saga might be my least favorite, it just feels more like a transition to the final saga. This is because it focused mainly on one, dramatic event, that being the fight against Poseidon, unlike the other sagas where multiple things happened. That being said, I will still listen to all the songs because it’s Epic The Musical and I think Rivera-Herrans is an excellent songwriter.
My favorite song of this saga is “Dangerous,” a duet between Hermes, played by Troy Doherty, and Odysseus that essentially serves as a warning, which is depicted from the title. This song is just captivating, the overall sound is unique and not something I’ve heard anywhere else that I can remember. It’s got such a catchy beat, like all of Hermes’ songs. Hermes is just such a fun character and it really comes through in the songs he’s in. The tone that Doherty takes with Hermes fits so well and it’s very playful. His vocal cadence also follows the beat, making it even more catchy.
The Ithaca Saga was released on Dec. 25, 2024 and contains five songs. This saga focuses on Odysseus’ return home to his kingdom of Ithaca, him confronting Penelope’s suitors and his eventual reunion with Penelope and Telemachus. This saga is so much darker than everything else and explores even darker themes. It explores the consequences of having so many suitors attempting to manipulate, such as the premeditated murder of Telemachus so they don’t have an heir and forcing Penelope to take them and let them rise to the throne. We also learn that, over the seven years that Odysseus was trapped on the island with Calypso, she compelled Odysseus to sleep with her. She claimed to love him so much that it hurt. This saga also touches on the costs of triumph and the idea of moral ambiguity. Odysseus needs to come to terms with his “monstrous” side to protect his family and reclaim his kingdom by murdering all of the suitors.
One song from this saga is “I Can’t Help but Wonder,” the reunion song between Odysseus and Telemachus. Finally, father and son reunite! Here’s where the tears come. Finally, Odysseus can express his love and excitement at seeing his son after 20 long years. Telemachus worries that Odysseus won’t love him the same if he can’t compare to Odysseus. Odysseus reminisces about how he used to hold Telemachus in his arms and now he’s too big to do so. Rivera-Herrans’ voice is so beautiful and soft in this song and he does some really pretty falsettos. We also get a brief reunion between Athena and Odysseus where they both admit their faults and wishes for the other. The song ends with a piano riff from “My Goodbye” after Athena’s final line and Telemachus tells Odysseus that Penelope is ready to see him.
The second song is “Would You Fall in Love With Me Again,” the reunion song between Odysseus and Penelope. I have a lot to say about this song. First off, I adore the complexity of this reunion compared to the father-son moment, because their relationship is a lot deeper and Odysseus is a changed man. Secondly, the lyrics absolutely destroyed me. I cried so much. Odysseus returns to Penelope as a broken and ruthless man, full of burdens and guilt by what he’s had to do to survive and return home. He kneels in front of Penelope, asking if she can find a way to love him again even after he’s become a “monster.” Penelope showcases unwavering devotion to her husband and insists that she will always love him, as is shown in the lyrics: “I don’t care how, where, or when // No matter how long it’s been, you’re mine // Don’t tell me you’re not the same person // You’re always my husband, and I’ve been waiting, waiting.” I absolutely adore that they didn’t make their reunion a happy one, because it’s two heavily traumatized adult lovers having to learn how to come back to each other after 20 years of hardships. The song showcases the two different emotional spirals but also demonstrates that they can still love each other the same.
Act 2 was about what I expected. Lots more tears and new characters that we saw briefly in other sagas but were not of importance until now. Finally reuniting husband and wife and father and son, and Odysseus absolutely losing it when he returns home. Overall, a lot of darker undertones and themes, such as ruthlessness, accepting the dark parts of ourselves to defeat necessary evils, corruption of war and past trauma of being trapped with an assaulter for almost seven years. However, as someone who has read The Odyssey and is an avid fan of Greek mythology, I already had the knowledge of a good portion of the themes, so I was prepared.
Would I recommend this series? Absolutely! If you love musicals or Greek mythology or even both, I guarantee you will love this series. Even if you know nothing about either, I completely recommend that you listen to the music or watch the animatics from hundreds of creators on YouTube, or even both! The cast is super fun and really sweet, the music is a bop and as you read, the storyline is a little messy but in a good way. I’m not even a musical person, as I can’t sit through hours of something at once. However, I adore mythology, so when I learned about Epic The Musical, I was excited. The music was just a bonus.
