April 26 marks the release of Epic: The Musical’s Underworld Saga. The final saga of act one and the musical’s fifth out of nine.
Explaining the saga
Jorge Rivera-Herrans returns with his musical’s latest release depicting Odysseus and his remaining crew venturing into the Underworld. This comes after Circe instructs them to meet Tiresias, the blind prophet, there to figure out how to evade Poseidon and return home to Ithaca.
Odysseus and his forty-two surviving crew members sail into the Underworld and encounter the ghosts of their fallen comrades, friends and loved ones.
He must also choose between following his fallen friend, Polites’ advice, to greet the world with open arms, or change from a man to a “monster” so they survive and return home,
The Underworld
As the ships enter the Underworld, the listener hears screaming and deep, intense vocals. Rivera-Herrans stretched an audio clip of people screaming to distort it, making it more haunting. He also added breathing sounds and the deep chorus to add intensity.
Upon seeing the ghosts of his comrades, Odysseus is further racked with guilt from playing a part in their death by sparing Poseidon’s son, Polyphemus, after revealing his name. He is also plagued by memories of the infant he had to kill in Troy to protect his family in the future from vengeance. The cries of his comrades refer to Just A Man; the song when Odysseus questions what makes a man a monster.
Odysseus then meets the ghost of his friend, Polites, who died in the cyclops’ cave. He advised Odysseus to “greet the world with open arms” – a reference to the fourth song in the musical, Open Arms. The reprise of Steven Dookie as Polites refers to the opening Troy Saga and Odysseus’ and Polites’ friendship.
Afterwards, Odysseus’ mum, Anticlea – played by Jorge’s mum, Wanda – appears. She died of a broken heart from Odysseus being at war for so long. She tells Odysseus that she has been waiting; in the same way that Penelope sings the lyric in The Challenge in Act Two. This connects the two and reminds the listener that Odysseus left his mother behind alongside Penelope and Telemachus. Her soft delivery of her lyrics brings tears to the listener’s eyes as they feel her longing for her son.
This song intricately shows how Odysseus bears the burdens of these deaths and his guilt from being away from home for so long.
No Longer You
Tiresias, played by Mason Olshavsky, tells a story of the past and future in the saga’s second song.
He sings of Odysseus and Penelope before he left for war and “the sacrifice of man” which refers to either the men lost to Polyphemus, or the future loss of six sailors to Scylla: a sea monster residing in the treacherous Strait of Messina. He also foreshadows “portrayals of betrayal” and Odysseus “on the brink of death.” These lyrics refer to important plot points in the first and second acts of the musical.
Olshavsky, despite being 19 years old, uses his voice to convey Tiresias’ age-acquired wisdom. His singing voice sounds distant and forlorn, yet expressive as he tells these heavy prophecies.
The second verse focuses on what Tiresias sees in Ithaca. He foreshadows the suitors and a man “haunting” the palace. This could either be Antinous, the leader of the suitors, or Odysseus, because he is haunted by the ghosts of the past. The main message of this song is that Odysseus is a different man when he returns to Ithaca.
The orchestration behind this song tells the listener of the importance of these prophecies as well as the lyrics. Rivera-Herrans uses what he called “spiralling strings” a combination of an organ, piano and strings; creating a melody that shows Odysseus spiralling into despair and introspection. This builds up to the introspection Odysseus experiences in the next song, Monster.
Monster
After hearing what is set to happen, Odysseus faces an ultimatum: continue showing mercy to his enemies, or become a monster towards them.
From losing his friends to the cyclops, then Poseidon, Odysseus wonders if he is to blame for their deaths.
He questions whether greeting the world with open arms is worth it after all that has happened. Does he abandon his comrades when he follows his idea? Would he be better off becoming a monster in the name of protecting them?
Guitar riffs build tension as Odysseus reflects on the actions of Polyphemus, Poseidon, Circe and himself when they faced enemies. They all showed ruthlessness to the enemy but mercy to their friends. Circe protected her nymphs by turning the men into pigs. Odysseus ended the Trojan War by using the Trojan Horse.
After accepting that “ruthlessness is mercy upon ourselves,” Odysseus understands that he must do whatever it takes to return home. Even if that means forsaking remorse.
The song’s final verse calls back to the musical’s first song, The Horse and the Infant when Odysseus recalls Penelope and Telemachus. However, this time, he is not remembering why is he fighting the Trojans. He is reminding himself why he must be a monster.
And thus the song ends with the stage set for a different Odysseus in Act Two.
Final thoughts
The Underworld Saga is the perfect conclusion to the first act of this musical. It refers to previous sagas, events and songs and sets the stage for the second act with foreshadowing. The lyrics show the emotions of the characters and build on the story. The orchestration uses non-verbal cues to create subtext and make further references to the past and present.
As with the previous sagas, Rivera- Herrans the carefully crafted lyrics and orchestration delve into this complex story.
The Underworld Saga reminds the audience that the main focus is Odysseus returning home. Now with a new understanding of how he will achieve this.
With the first half released, the anticipation for the second act only grows.
You can listen to the saga here and watch behind-the-scenes footage here.
Featured Image Credit: @Zwistillus and @liquiddensity
Third year journalism student. 2025/2026 Lifestyle and Comment Editor at Brig. Published in The Yucatán Times, Mi Campeche and The Mourning Paper. Host of From the 40s with Air3Radio.
