EPIC: The Musical Brings The Odyssey Classic To New Audience
Award-winning Broadway productions like Hamilton and The Six have proven that blending music and history can create masterpieces. EPIC: The Musical is no exception.
In 2021, Puerto Rican musician Jorge Rivera-Herrans created his first TikTok of EPIC: The Musical as a way to document the process of creating the nine-part musical production, which is loosely based on Homer’s The Odyssey.
Originally his senior year thesis at the University of Notre Dame, it debuted on Dec. 25 and now has more than two million monthly listeners on Spotify.
While EPIC is inspired by Homer’s classic, it’s a loose interpretation of the original. Rivera-Herrans had creative freedom and took inspiration from various mediums, including video games and anime.
EPIC follows Odysseus’ journey after the Trojan War as he faces monsters, encounters goddesses and attempts to return home to Ithaca, where his son and wife await him.
Odysseus’ trajectory lasts twenty years and includes run-ins with witches Circe and Calypso, battles with Poseidon and heartwarming moments with his loved ones.
The story’s main theme is ruthlessness as Odysseus faces dilemmas like whether he should stay a man or become a monster.
Due to its enchanting nature, EPIC has formed a passionate fan-base eager to see every detail of the creative process.
Rivera-Herrans held open auditions. The only requirement was to perform a TikTok duet with one of the songs, which led to an international cast of talented voices.
The project started gaining attention as content creators auditioned to be part of it.
Rivera-Herrans shared behind-the-scenes outtakes on his TikTok account, @jorgeherrans. From fan-made animations and album covers to explanations of the instruments associated with each character, the community remains loyal to EPIC.
After four years of development, the final saga, The Ithaca Saga, was realized on Dec. 25, marking a milestone in EPIC’s journey.
To celebrate the project’s success, the cast and crew traveled to Ithaca, Greece. Though it was the first time many of the actors met in person, social media fans quickly noticed their strong chemistry.
As anticipation has grown for Rivera-Herrans’ next step, many fans hope for an Iliad album.
“EPIC pulls so much inspiration from all sorts of mediums, and so I would really love to explore [it] in each of those different mediums…” said Rivera-Herrans in a TikTok. “Our journey with EPIC does not end once the sagas are out, and I’m very excited to see where that journey takes us.”
