War. Betrayal. Temptation. Death. Jorge Rivera-Herrans, more commonly known on TikTok as Jay, modernizes the story of Odysseus through strong vocals and well-crafted lyrics. EPIC: The Musical takes inspiration from Homer’s Odyssey, and combines it with ideas from video games and animations. The two have blended to create an electric masterpiece that grabs the audience’s attention and does not let go until the very last line.
While EPIC is similar to many other musicals with its long runtime, two hours and sixteen minutes, that is where the similarities end. Rivera-Herrans filmed and posted his creative process, showing the world how he made a masterpiece out of a simple idea, and the struggles he faced while doing so. However, his use of social media did not end here. He also held auditions by inviting aspiring musicians to duet his TikToks and sing the lyrics of his songs, giving people internationally the opportunity to join his show. This is how nearly all the casting was done, giving people an option they would not have had otherwise. EPIC also does not have a set stage, but Rivera-Herrans encouraged artists and animators to bring the show to life, often reposting their art on his social media, so fans of the musical had easier access.
The show itself is divided into nine “sagas” and two acts, with 40 songs in total. Act One has five sagas: The Troy Saga, The Cyclops Saga, The Ocean Saga, The Circe Saga, and The Underworld Saga. Act Two is still a work in progress, with The Thunder Saga and The Wisdom Saga already released, while fans eagerly await The Vengeance Saga and The Ithaca Saga.
Released as a Christmas gift to fans of theater and Greek mythology on December 25th, 2022, The Troy Saga consists of five songs: “The Horse and the Infant,” “Just a Man,” “Full Speed Ahead,” “Open Arms,” and “Warrior of Mind.” The story starts off strong, with Odysseus and his men inside the Trojan horse, preparing for their attack on Troy, and follows them through the battle and the beginning of their journey home to Ithaca. During the last song, “Warrior of Mind,” Athena and Odysseus have a conversation in which the former reminds Odysseus to remember his training, foreshadowing the tragic events of the following sagas.
Following The Troy Saga, The Cyclops Saga was released on January 27th, 2023. Gaining nearly two million streams on Spotify in less than six days, the heart-wrenching saga features one of the numerous challenges Odysseus will face. The story begins with Odysseus and his men seeing a group of sheep on an island and leading with their stomachs rather than their brains. Unfortunately for everyone, the sheep Odysseus chose to kill is the favorite of Polyphemus, the Cyclops son of Poseidon and Thoosa. The first three songs, “Polyphemus,” “Survive,” and “Remember Them,” follow the brutal fight between Odysseus’ crew and the formidable Cyclops. Upset with Odysseus’ decision to spare the monster, Athena confronts him and “breaks up” with him, refusing to be his mentor or friend, as the two exchange blows towards their egos. Contrasting “Warrior of Mind” where Athena changes her tone to match that of Odysseus, Athena instead uses her own tone and style of singing during “My Goodbye,” symbolically marking the end of their friendship.
Replacing “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” Odysseus was once again the star of Christmas, with The Ocean Saga’s release December 25th, 2023. Much to Odysseus’ dismay, Polyphemus was not the biggest challenge he would face on the journey back to Ithaca. Fighting against the sea itself, Odysseus is hopeful when he finds a floating island, which he assumes belongs to the wind god Aeolus, and sees a potential solution to all his problems. Before continuing the dangerous trip, Poseidon confronts Odysseus, who is enraged that the former left Polyphemus to suffer and did not end his misery by killing him. Poseidon claims “ruthlessness is mercy” and intends to make sailing across the sea nearly impossible. The saga is composed of four songs: “Ocean,” “Luck Runs Out,” “Keep Your Friends Close,” and “Ruthlessness” and earned an impressive one million streams in less than 36 hours.
The Circe Saga was released as a Valentine’s gift to those who love Greek mythology and captivating music on February 14th, 2024. After narrowly escaping Poseidon’s wrath thanks to Aeolus, Odysseus and his crew find themselves on Circe’s island. The sorceress manages to trap many of them, turning them into pigs. The saga has four songs, “Puppeteer” and “Wouldn’t You Like” introduce the conflict and characters, “Done For” tells the story of the battle between Odysseus and Circe, and “There Are Other Ways” sets the stage for The Underworld Saga.
Closing out Act One with its release on April 26th, 2024, The Underworld Saga is the shortest of the show. Composed of only three songs, “The Underworld,” “No Longer You,” and “Monster,” the saga follows Odysseus as he explores the Underworld under Circe’s guide in search of the deceased prophet, Tiresias. Odysseus and his crew, unable to catch a break, are confronted with ghosts from their pasts—literally—as they sail through the Underworld. only to be told by Tiresias that he cannot help and instead presents a horrifying prophecy. This leads Odysseus into a downward spiral in which he realizes he needs to take Poseidon’s advice from the Ocean Saga and become more ruthless. Although it covers some heavy topics—death, betrayal, low morality, and guilt—the songs sound phenomenal, and the audience cannot help but be captivated.
Starting off Act Two with a bang, The Thunder Saga has five songs: “Suffering” and “Different Beast” tell the story of Odysseus interacting with sirens, who have the intention of luring him and his men to their deaths. After learning the best route to escape Poseidon’s wrath, Odysseus shows off his newfound ruthlessness, killing the sirens. “Scylla” narrates Odysseus and those who remain on his crew as they pass through Scylla’s lair, though not without paying a harsh price to the monster. No longer trusting Odysseus, his crew turns against him and ties him to a statue of Helios, the original sun god in the song “Mutiny.” Unfortunately for the soldiers, their mistrust of Odysseus leads them to ignore his advice, and they make the mistake of killing Helios’ cattle, a mistake punishable by death. “Thunder Bringer” shows Zeus offering Odysseus an ultimatum: either the latter sacrifices himself, or he sacrifices his crew. After its release on July 4th, 2024, The Thunder Saga reached a whopping 10 million views less than seven days after its release.
A personal favorite of the series, The Wisdom Saga occurs seven years after The Thunder Saga. The audience is finally introduced to Odysseus’ son, Telemachus, who worships his father and strives to be like him. “Legendary” is the official introduction, in which Telemachus wishes to be more like the warrior he believes his father to be. Unfortunately, he cannot fight and is busy trying to protect his mother from the various suitors attempting to court her in Odysseus’ absence. The second song, “Little Wolf,” follows Telemachus’ fight with one of these suitors and reintroduces Athena, who befriends the young prince. After Telemachus’ defeat, Athena tells stories of her “old friend,” who is actually the former’s father, though he is unaware of this in the song “We’ll Be Fine.” Athena sings in a way similar to Odysseus to show her longing for her friend and student. The only song featuring Odysseus, “Love In Paradise,” features snippets of songs from throughout the show as Athena dives through Odysseus’ memories to discover him trapped with Calypso, a goddess, on a concealed island, facing severe mental struggles and longing to go home. In the final song, “God Games,” Athena attempts to convince her fellow Olympians that Odysseus should be freed from Calypso’s island. Released August 30th, 2024, the saga captured the hearts of everyone, regardless of whether they were already fans of the musical.
The final two sagas of the show have yet to be released, although The Vengeance Saga’s release is set for Halloween of 2024. Befitting the spooky holiday, The Vengeance Saga throws challenge after challenge to a newly freed Odysseus as he continues his journey home after seven years. There will be five songs narrating this harsh journey: “Not Sorry For Loving You,” “Dangerous,” “Charybdis,” “Get In The Water,” and “Six Hundred Strike.” Fans of EPIC look forward to another wonderful saga, surely to live up to their high expectations.
The highly anticipated finale to this rollercoaster of a musical has no set release date, but fans speculate that it will once again fall on a holiday. Titled The Ithaca Saga, it is meant to be the longest saga of the show, and we will finally see Odysseus return home after twenty years fighting constant battles, getting betrayed, and facing the overall tragedies of life. Five songs are expected to be released: “The Challenge,” “Hold Them Down,” “Odysseus,” “I Can’t Help But Wonder,” and “Would You Fall In Love With Me Again,” with the last two being the long-awaited reunion between Odysseus and his family, Penelope and Telemachus. With enchanting vocals, a thrilling plot, and a plethora of morally gray characters, this musical is able to tell a captivating story without physically manifesting it. The powerful vocals of a diverse cast keep the audience hooked, and people find themselves playing the songs on repeat, with the catchy lyrics stuck in their heads for days. This musical is just as EPIC as everyone expected.
