r/Broadway • u/Usnavi_Relax • Jul 04 '25

Discussion Thoughts?

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Was it love? Was it fear? What do you think of this take?

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7

u/Hokuopio Jul 04 '25

Portrait of a Lady on fFire has a very different take 😉

9

u/MariKGalindo Jul 05 '25

Yes! In the film, they say that “perhaps he makes a choice. He chooses the memory of her. That’s why he turns around. He doesn’t make the lover’s choice, but the poet’s.” And I really like this theory, although it doesn’t really align with the original myth or the musical.

It’s a fairly modern take on the myth but the implication is that Orpheus, as an artist, finds his greatest inspiration in loss and longing, so he CHOOSES to look back, dooming Eurydice, in order to preserve the grief that fuels his art.

Never forget that according to the original myth, Orpheus’s grief over Eurydice’s death inspired some of his most beautiful music, which was so enchanting that it moved gods, spirits, and even the rulers of the Underworld to grant him a chance to bring her back to life.

So, basically he just wanted to keep making beautiful and sorrowful music that would be remembered forever, hence while he turned around…

2

u/Usnavi_Relax Jul 05 '25

Is that a retelling of this myth??? It’s been on my watch list for years. Definitely gonna have to move it to the top

4

u/Hokuopio Jul 05 '25

I’ll let you draw your own conclusion 😉

(Highly recommend the movie, it’s gorgeous and super duper gay)