Jorge Rivera-Herrans, creator and producer of EPIC, a loose musical adaptation of Homer’s The Odyssey recently announced the release of the ninth and final EP “The Ithaca Saga” of EPIC: The Musical. This EP serves as a continuation of the second act and  the musical’s final arc.

The musical, divided into 9 parts, tells the tale of Odysseus’ 20-year journey home through several challenges – being challenged by gods and monsters.

After a full year, Jay finally concluded his journey with EPIC and while it’s bittersweet, let’s take a look at what the final EP delivered.

The Ithaca Saga

The EP begins within the walls of Odysseus’ palace, with Penelope. On The Challenge, she is still holding hope that her long-lost husband will return. Enhanced by the suitors chants, the melody aims to be hopeful with its upbeat tempo and soulful strings. Anna Lea’s vocals are particularly striking: while we already heard her as the Sirens in the Thunder Saga, this time she is showing a more tender and soft side to Penelope, while still being determined to enact her plan. After the chaos of Six Hundred Strikes, it’s a welcomed pause, even if the tension is still really high.

The second song of the EP, Hold Them Down probably ranks amongst our favorite of the saga. Not for its theme (warning: there is mention of murder and sexual assault) but for its melody and tension building. Ayron Alexander is scarier than ever as Antinous, the leader of the suitors seeking to take over the throne of Ithaca. Again, Jay’s use of motifs and instruments that represents each character is at play, with a viola faintly playing in the background when Antinous is talking about what he will do to Penelope. Unfortunately for the suitors, they hatch their plan too late as Odysseus finally comes home in Odysseus.

What is really clever here is that each monster in the saga have their songs: Scylla, Polyphemus, Charybdis. As to fulfill the prophecy, on Odysseus, Ody finally unleash his rage on the suitors that trashed his palace, killing them one by one. If you listen closely, you’ll notice that the first few seconds of the song is the opening score of The Horse in The Infant and Monster. The song that opened the musical and the song that gave birth to what Odysseus now is. Both in the melody and the lyrics, it’s rage taking over, the rock melody being omnipresents, as well as the reference to past songs such as Legendary and Get In The Water.

After painting the walls red with the suitors blood, Odysseus finally gets to reunite with his son after 20 years apart. On I Can’t Help But Wonder, they both realize they have no idea what the other has gone through in all their years apart. While Telemachus became a strong prince, Odysseus became something even more powerful. On this song, we also witness the return of a beloved character: Athena and how gorgeous those vocals are. And then, as the closing song, Would You Fall in Love with Me is like the final blow to an already emotional roller-coaster.

What a splendid run this musical had! Finally, after a year, Odysseus’ journey has come to an end. Congratulations to all the cast for bringing to life such a vivid story. It truly shows what a community can do!