By Michael Pedro
In late December of 2022, young musician Jorge Rivera-Herrans released the first of nine concept albums in his series, “EPIC: The Musical.” The music series, based on Greek poet Homer’s “The Odyssey,” quickly gained traction all over social media, with people checking in frequently for updates.
The first album, subtitled “The Troy Saga,” focuses primarily on the beginning of the story. The saga ends once they reach the cyclops’ cave, and introduces key characters such as Odysseus, Athena, Zeus, Polites, and Eurylochus. The second album, dubbed “The Cyclops Saga,” diverts slightly from the source material, killing off Polites in the song “Survive.” This is far earlier than Homer, and it is done for the sake of building Odysseus’ character. “The Ocean Saga,” which is the third album in the set, diverts further as it introduces Poseidon in the song “Ruthlessness,” giving him a more prominent role in the story as one of the main antagonists. Following these diversions from the main plot, the next two sagas close up Act One with some slight diversion. While “The Circe Saga” stays close to the source material, save for a few minor details, “The Underworld Saga” forces Odysseus to make the choice to become a monster in the song aptly titled “Monster,” embracing ruthlessness once and for all. Following this saga, Act One closes.
Act Two begins with the sixth album, titled “The Thunder Saga,” which documents the events from Odysseus’ encounter with sirens to Zeus’ return, where Zeus kills all of Odysseus’ crew in the song “Thunder Bringer.” Following this, we experience a brief interlude that pivots over to Telemachus, Odysseus’ son and the lead character in “The Wisdom Saga.” This saga diverts heavily from the source material, with the song “Little Wolf” fueling conflict between the suitors and Telemachus, and the song “God Games” being completely original to EPIC, serving as Athena’s last gambit to save Odysseus. This works, and it sets the stage for the last two sagas, which are arguably the darkest of the whole musical. “The Vengeance Saga” kicks off with Odysseus being freed from Calypso’s island, where he washed up during “The Wisdom Saga.” The saga concludes with a final showdown between Odysseus and Poseidon, spanning the songs “Get in the Water” and “Six Hundred Strike,” which, much like some songs from the previous sagas, have no basis in the source material and exist to push the story further. The final saga, “The Ithaca Saga,” opens with “The Challenge,” which introduces Penelope physically. Throughout the previous sagas, she appeared in memories, through Odysseus’s thoughts, and even as a disguise for a siren. After this song, the suitors get angry when no one can complete Penelope’s challenge and plot to take the throne by force. Odysseus happens to return at this moment, taking on the suitors and, with a little help from Telemachus, emerges victorious. The last two songs serve as heavily emotional reunions between Odysseus and his family, effectively concluding the story flawlessly.
Unfortunately, this review cannot do EPIC: The Musical justice, though I wish it could. It put a fresh spin on a classic tale, and even the songs that diverted from the source material land incredibly well. Give Jorge Rivera-Herrans some support for his work, as this very likely won’t be the last we hear of him and his music.
