Orphée

Orpheus, Eurydice, a trouble-making horse, and Death herself converge in this very funny and irreverent reimagining of the Greek myth by surrealist poet, playwright, and filmmaker Jean Cocteau. A celebrated poet with writer’s block, Orpheus sequesters himself in the countryside with his wife Eurydice, where he seeks inspiration. Deaf West Theatre views Cocteau’s whimsical, magical, and highly visual French play, first performed in Paris in 1926, through a unique lens: translated from the French into spoken English and American Sign Language, and slated for a run at the True Colors Festival in Tokyo at the end of April. Described by Cocteau as “part farce, part meditation on death,” the playwright continued to explore the same themes throughout his ensuing career, culminating with his seminal “Orphic Trilogy” of films: Le Sang d’un Poete, Orphée, and Le Testament d’Orphée.