Arts and Entertainment
By Rieley McDonnell, Newswire Intern
“EPIC The Musical” is an interesting look into what happens when a person uses social media to promote and find talent for a musical. A fully online musical, the author has utlized the digital space to send it to the masses.
Author Jorge Rivera-Herrans, known as Jay or Mr. Jalapeño to fans, is a singer and composer from Puerto Rico. He orignally went to the University of Notre Dame for medicine, but found that his passion was not inside operating theater but rather on an auditorium stage.
His first original work, entitled “My Heart Says Go,” is based on his experience from switching majors in university, from pre-med to film and theater all while dealing with the family pressures that come along with that change. It was set to premiere before COVID-19 ravaged through the United States, disrupting these plans.
This is where “EPIC” enters the scene. He began production of the musical while still in college in 2019. However, the real momentum of “EPIC” started in 2021 when Rivera-Herrans posted his first video about the concept musical.
This first video introduced the musical as an adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey” and showcased one of the songs within the show’s first saga, also known as arcs, called “Full Speed Ahead.” The show gained major traction from his short videos.
The Odyssey is often hailed as one of the best pieces of Greek literature.
In the concept album, Rivera-Herrans voices the main character Odysseus and portrays the trials that he must go through to get back to his home, Ithaca. The story is told through musical sagas. In total the show will have nine sagas, with seven released as of Oct. 13.
One thing that makes “EPIC” distinct from other more mainstream productions is the casting process. Rivera-Herrans is holding auditions for the musical through TikTok, utilizing the app’s stitch feature.
“Anyone can audition,” Rivera-Herrans said on TikTok.
In “The Odyssey,” Aeolus, the wind god traps a storm within a bag to help Odysseus and his crew make it back to Ithaca. In Greek mythology, Aelous is a male-presenting god; however, when casting for the role, Rivera-Herrans chose a female voice to portray the god. “EPIC” draws inspiration from many different medias like Lin Manuel Miranda, anime and video games.
As the sagas continue to develop, Rivera-Herrans is maturing so much as a composer and lyricist. The lyrics have brought literal tears to my eyes and have made me giggle with joy at how tongue-in-cheek the songs can be at times.
When looking at all the sagas, “The Wisdom Saga” is some of Rivera-Herrans’s best work. There is such character depth within the first three songs of the saga, “Legendary,” “Little Wolf” and “We’ll Be Fine.” Songs four and five, “Love in Paradise” and “God Games,” are simultaneously some of the most epic and gut wrenching songs in the whole show.
The amazing community that surrounds the musical and the live-streamed events that occur the night before each saga release add to the ancipation. The fandom has amazing artists who make animatics for the songs.
“EPIC The Musical” is an impressive adaptation of The Odyssey from a production and adaptation standpoint. If you have not already, it is worth a listen, especially because the eighth saga, “The Vengeance Saga,” is releasing this Halloween.
