Odysseus' Villain Era - Epic: The Musical The Underworld Saga

Odysseus’ Villain Era

Epic: The Musical the Underworld Saga Opinion Piece

Official concept cover by Zwist

Epic: the Musical is a musical by Jorge Rivera-Herrans that has gained traction due to Jorge’s TikTok where he posts about the musical. The plot takes major inspiration from the Odyssey, an epic Greek poem written by Homer around 750-650 BCE, with some creative liberties. Since 2022, sagas of act one of the musical have been being finalised and posted onto different streaming sites. On April 26th, 2024, the fifth and final saga of act one hit the sites. It’s one of the most heart wrenching sets of three songs this musical theatre nerd has ever heard.

Disclaimer: this will be biased. I have been following Epic: The Musical on TikTok since 2021, when Jorge first released the snippets of Poseidon’s song Ruthlessness. I interviewed Steven Dookie, the actor of Polites, last year. My passion for Epic knows no bounds. My goal here is not just to review, but to persuade anyone reading to check out this musical.

Song 18: The Underworld

Clips of this song that had been posted onto TikTok were misleading, to say the least. What the song begins as, and what was advertised by Jorge, is mysteriously like the first song of the musical, The Horse and the Infant. That’s because the motifs seem to be the same, only the one for The Underworld is slower. Unlike the ‘Danger is Near’ motif that Jorge has discussed on his TikTok, this one has no name. So, I will dub it the ‘Something Sad is About to Happen’ motif. Or ‘We’re About to Discuss Baby Murder’ motif, something along those lines.

The shift is not too dramatic at first, there’s a gush of sound that seems to indicate the fleet falling into the underworld, and then the voices of the souls fill the background. This attention to detail, that symbolism of movement in the song, is just one of the tricks Jorge uses to immerse you in his music and it is effective. Suddenly, you’re in the underworld with them. That sends shivers down your spine.

A minute and ten seconds in, the cast members begin to sing ‘When, does a man become a monster?’ lyrics from the second song in the musical Just a Man, when Odysseus throws the son of Troy’s Prince Hector (a baby) from a wall by orders of Zeus (played by Luke Holt). The underworld ‘confuses your mind,’ and ‘no matter what you hear,’ it’s ‘full speed ahead.’ However, ‘the past seems close behind,’ and these lyrics mean we’re about to see Odysseus confronted with his past and his regrets.

‘558 men, who died under your command. Captain!… Why would you let the cyclops live when ruthlessness is mercy?’ The Cyclops and Ocean Sagas, Poseidon (played by Steven Rodriguez) and his Cyclops son, Polyphemus (played by Jorge).

‘I keep thinking of the infant from that night… I keep thinking of the infant from that night…’ As mentioned above.

‘This life is amazing, when you greet it with open arms…’ Polites, and his song, Open Arms. Polites was killed along with other members of Odysseus’ fleets in the Cyclops saga.

Then, a new motif that we haven’t heard before, as well as a new voice, reaches out to Odysseus. ‘Waiting… waiting…’ Odysseus identifies it as his mother (Anticlea, played by Wanda Herrans, Jorge’s mother in real life!), who had been waiting for him back in Ithaca. They share a bittersweet duet, and then Jorge hits us with a line that had me in tears instantly: ‘I took too long… and ventured too far…’ The emotion Jorge puts into these lines cannot be expressed in words. It just physically feels like it hurts.

He then says his goodbyes, and the music picks up in speed. We are hit with an intense belt from Jorge of ‘All I hear are screams.’

Jorge has a full-bodied, steady voice that will slam you to your knees if you let it. That accompanied with his incredible writing and producing skills make it impossible not to be positively moved by this song, and it’s an absolute must listen to.

Song 19: No Longer You

Played by Mason Olshavsky, this song is Tiresias,’ the prophet that Odysseus came to the underworld to find. Jorge describes this song on TikTok as ‘One of the most important, as it’s the final straw before Odysseus changes in the Act 1 closer Monster.’

This is because the information Tiresias gives Odysseus, which we will discuss momentarily, makes him rethink all his choices as well as those of his enemies.

For starters, the instruments that Tiresias sings over are the organ, piano, and strings. The chorus is regal in feeling because of this, having been described by fans as the ‘waltz’ of Epic. Mason’s voice is full of emotion, as though he is sympathetic and emotional over the things he’s seeing play out in Odysseus’ life.

The thing with Tiresias is he can’t control what he sees, when or how. So, the information he’s giving to Odysseus is the best he can offer but it’s in riddles and it’s devastating. ‘I see you on the brink of death, I see you draw your final breath. I see a man who gets to make it home alive… but it’s no longer you…”

Uh, yeah, I’d start my villain era too! Odysseus says in No Longer You to Tiresias, ‘This can’t be… We’ve suffered and sailed through the toughest of hells now you tell us our efforts for nothing?’ (Beautiful vocals when he says ‘nothing’)

Tiresias responds with, ‘I see your palace, covered in red (amazing little rift on ‘red’). Faces of men who had long believed you’re dead.’ The music then changes up for this next line, becoming eerily more sinister: ‘I see your wife, with a man who is haunting. A man with a trail of bodies.’

Then the chorus repeats. Mason’s vocals are whimsical, he’s someone I have also followed on TikTok for a couple of years so hearing his voice in this musical is so satisfactory. He has the perfect voice for the mystical, all-knowing prophet that is Tiresias. I wish his voice stayed around for longer, for more songs.

Song 20: Monster

Monster is the final song of this saga. Its importance lies in the fact that this song covers Odysseus’ mind set, how it changes after Tiresias tells him about his future. The song is a recap of the first four sagas. Odysseus questions the decisions he has made, those that his foes have made. He remembers the people they’ve lost, considers those that remain. This song marks the end of act one, and it’s a powerful closer.

The lyrics of the song, like mentioned above, recap the first four sagas as Odysseus begins to understand why his enemies have behaved the way they have:

‘Is the cyclops struck with guilt when he kills? Is he up in the middle of the night? Or does he end my men to avenge his friend, and then sleep knowing he has done him right?’ The Cyclops Saga.

‘When the witch turns men to pigs, to protect her nymphs Is she going insane? Or did she learn to be colder when she got older and now she saves them the pain?’ The Circe Saga.

‘When a god comes down and makes a fleet drown is he scared that he’s doing something wrong? Or does he keep us in check so we must respect him and now no one dares to piss him off?’ The Ocean Saga.

‘Does a soldier use a wooden horse to kill sleeping trojans cause he vile? Or does he throw away his remorse and save more lives with guile.’ The Troy Saga.

The next chorus changes lyrics, as the first chorus prior to these questions was ‘What if I’m the monster?’, and it switches to ‘If I became the monster.’ This means Odysseus is considering that prepares Poseidon is right when he says that ‘ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves’. To keep his men safe and to return home to his wife and son, perhaps becoming ‘the monster’ is what he needs to do. We know this as after the chorus, he is joined in by the ensemble, as he says Poseidon’s phrase.

The bridge of the song is Odysseus accepting what he must do and the person he must become.

‘And deep down I know this well. I lost my best friend, I lost my mentor, my mom, 500 men gone. This can’t go on! I must get to see Penelope (played by Anna Casey) and Telemachus (unknown). So, if we must sail through dangerous oceans and beaches, I’ll go where Poseidon won’t reach us, and if I got a drop another infant from a wall in an instant so we all don’t die-”

We see the chorus change, in terms of music, lyrics, and Jorge’s voice. He’s angrier, he’s more powerful, he’s sure as he belts: ‘Then I’ll become the monster!’

Final thoughts

As a long-term fan of Epic, the only thing to say is that I’m hyped for what comes next. The next saga to be released is the Thunder Saga. It’s featuring some of my favourite songs such as ‘Scylla’ and ‘Thunder Bringer’, as well as a couple that haven’t been teased yet.

Anyone who is a fan of any type of music should check out Epic: the Musical. The Peter and the Wolf inspiration Jorge uses to represent each character means there’s a multitude of styles within the series for people to enjoy. Some songs may not be your thing, others may grow on you, but the experience these albums bring through their storytelling both lyrically and musically cannot be matched or compared to anything I have ever listened to.

To listen to the musical in order, it goes: the Troy Saga, the Cyclops Saga, the Ocean Saga, the Circe Saga, then the Underworld Saga.

You can follow Jorge on TikTok here for snippets of songs, saga updates and more: