On December 25, 2024, the final section of EPIC: the Musical was released. EPIC, a series of concept albums adapted from Homer’s Odyssey, was written by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, who also plays Odysseus. The Ithaca Saga is EPIC’s 9th and final concept album. Over five songs, it tells the story of Odysseus’ return to his home, Ithaca, after twenty years.
EPIC originated on TikTok, where Rivera-Herrans posted sections of the musical as he worked on it. Since the casting was also done through an open online audition on TikTok, a lot of EPIC’s cast are musicians who already had a large following on the app, such as Janani Jha, who voices Aphrodite, and MICO, the voice of Telemachus.
“The Challenge” is the first song on the album and the audience’s introduction to Odysseus’ wife, Penelope, voiced by Anna Lea Casey. Casey’s voice is remarkably rich and has a depth that aligns well with the character, who is clever, patient and very tired. In this song, there is one confusing tempo change after the second chorus, where the music speeds up just enough to be noticeable but not enough for the intention behind it to be clear.
The middle of the album has a darker sound, with “Hold Them Down” and “Odysseus,” which is the culmination of Odysseus’ journey toward ruthlessness that started in the song “Monster.” Unlike his other fights, this song is from the point of view of his opponents. The song shows the protagonist as the villain of this sequence, and incorporates elements from previous villain songs, such as the chanting from “Polyphemus,” so Odysseus’ “becoming the monster” is reflected in the music.
The finale, “Would You Fall In Love With Me Again” is Odysseus and Penelope’s reunion, and features some of Casey’s most stunning vocals, showing her at her most intense and her most gentle. One great moment is when she crescendos through “I’ve been waiting, waiting…” and then immediately drops back down for “for you.” Rivera-Herrans’ orchestration also comes through in this song, with an instrumental reprise of the theme from “Just A Man,” from the first EPIC album, this time with rippling piano triplets underneath a full orchestra.
As a long-time fan of the original Odyssey, I’m generally wary of new adaptations like EPIC. But while the musical makes a lot of changes, both to the story and the characters, it clearly still respects the original text. Most of the changes are understandable and necessary for adaptation to the musical format and for a modern audience. The characters tend to be more sympathetic than in the original — Eurylochus, in the Odyssey, is presented as cowardly and insubordinate, while EPIC makes an effort to understand his motivations.
EPIC draws a lot from pop culture, especially anime and video games, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s what a modern adaptation should be — it’s a new spin on a classic poem, which engages both the source material and its audience, and has fun with it at the same time. The Ithaca Saga is a great finale for this epic project.
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