Can We Talk about EPIC: The Musical?

I've been listening to EPIC for a long time. I have every song memorized. I have said "smash" to about every male character in EPIC (What? Their voices are hot!!) This is my longstanding musical addiction. I have fallen in love with some other musicals (Hadestown, The Lightning Thief, etc), but I'm always going to be in love with EPIC.

Sure, my voice cracks every time I try to belt Athena's part. Sure, I can't yell "I am the infamous- ODYSSEUS!!" with as much gusto as Jorge Rivera-Herrans. But my love of EPIC is completely independent of my ability to perform it (however, give me room to brag a little. I rock at singing Penelope's songs).

Jorge Rivera Herrans put together an amazing cast- all from the internet!! I am in awe of what he was able to accomplish. These are all my favorite members of the cast.

Odysseus, to start off, is an amazingly complex character. He's not a standup guy by any means- he made many questionable decisions. But I can't help but admire his willpower and his desire to get home to see his family again. His voice is so expressive and just awesome- he's a tenor with lots of power, but he can switch between chest voice and head voice with ease. Jorge totally did him justice and more.

Eurylochus. I'm not going to lie, I don't really like Eurylochus. His morals are more questionable than Odysseus'. You might be thinking "What about when Odysseus sacrifices six men to appease Scylla?" Well. Eurylochus started out that corrupt. Recall the song Full Speed Ahead. He was willing to do whatever it took to get food. Then, in the song Puppeteer, he wants to abandon the majority of the crew on Circe's island. I do, however, love his voice. He has a really rich baritone voice, not to mention he adds diversity to EPIC. Armando Julian was perfect for this part.

✨Polites✨ Oh my gosh. I LOVE POLITES!!! Steven Dookie's voice 💓 And his character!! I cried when he died in Survive. Then, I cried again during his reprisals. My only issue with Polities is I wish I'd gotten more of his voice in different songs!! I cannot say how much I love him.

Athena's voice is literally bad-a. Teagan Early belts high notes like a literal boss. I also love her character. Her development is a reversal of Odysseus'. She starts out ruthless and strategic, seeing everything as a means to an end. But in the song I Can't Help But Wonder, she confesses that maybe she was wrong, and she wonders how the world would be different if everyone saw the world as Odysseus used to.

Penelope is the best model for monogamy I've ever seen. She never cheats on Odysseus, even though he hasn't been home for twenty years and she has one hundred and eight suitors vying for her hand. She gave Odysseus a happy ending he didn't deserve- but she deserved it one hundred times over. Anna Lea's voice is so strong, yet so expressive at the same time. She is literally a rock star.

Telemachus 🥰 *dies of overexposure to cuteness* MICO's voice literally gives me chills. His high notes 🫠 Telemachus is not super bad-a. He's just a sweet little bean who wants to protect his mom from the suitors. I love him so much!!

Poseidon's voice is downright sexy- Steven Rodriguez sings with so much rage and power, and his voice has this growl that makes me giggle like an idiot. He's the villain, but I daresay his motives are reasonable. He and Odysseus are both technically villains, but Odysseus started out good. Poseidon turned Odysseus into a monster, so I guess that makes him a villain times two.

The plot wasn't overly complex. On a surface level, it's quite simple. Man goes to war. When he's coming back home, he faces monsters and other dangers before finally arriving after 20 years away. But the themes were what made it complex. Jorge injected tons of internal conflict and beefed up the theme to make it deep and meaningful.

Also, give me a second to rant about the Easter Eggs. Every time I listen to EPIC, I notice something new. Every part of this musical was carefully crafted for long-term enjoyment. Jorge Rivera-Herrans is a genius.

Well. That's all I have to say. I really enjoyed writing this, and I hope there's at least someone out there that enjoyed my little word-vomit.

I know that there are EPIC fans out there- it's basically a cultural phenomenon. So if you like EPIC, comment your favorite song. Or your favorite singer. Anything.

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