The pre-release phase of “EPIC: The Musical” came to a close on Dec. 25, 2024, with the release of its ninth and final part. This modern retelling is a sung-through musical adaptation based on Homer’s “The Odyssey.”
Created by Puerto Rican composer and lyricist Jorge (“Jay”) Rivera-Herrans, the production offers a creative twist on Homer’s ancient epic. He has shared on his social media that the project was inspired by anime, especially “Dragon Ball Z,” and video games like “Kingdom Hearts.”
The musical is divided into two acts, each containing 20 songs, making a total of 40 tracks. Over two years, Rivera-Herrans released the songs across nine concept albums, following Odysseus’ (played by Rivera-Herrans) long journey back to Ithaca after the Trojan War; along the way, he faces gods and monsters who try to prevent him from reuniting with his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus.
The final album, “The Ithaca Saga” includes the last five songs of the musical, titled “The Challenge,” “Hold Them Down,” “Odysseus,” “I Can’t Help But Wonder” and “Would You Fall in Love With Me Again.” It gives the story the beautiful conclusion it deserves, taking the listener through a wide range of emotions.
While “EPIC” closely follows the broad outline of “The Odyssey,” it takes creative liberties in its storytelling to make it more accessible to modern audiences.
Rivera-Herrans also brings a sophisticated approach to storytelling through his music, incorporating layered motifs and easter eggs for fans to uncover. For instance, every time Penelope is mentioned or sings, a viola plays in the background; this subtle musical motif appears as early as the first song in the musical, and continues in most instances where she is referenced.
According to The Wooster Voice, Rivera-Herrans initially began working on the project in the summer of 2019 as part of his senior thesis at the University of Notre Dame. He shared his creative process on TikTok, showing ideas, edits and updates.
Starting in January 2021, he posted production clips and musical previews and held casting auditions on the platform, specifically by posting an instrumental version of the song “Love in Paradise” to encourage users to audition for the role of Calypso; he invited anyone to duet the video with their vocal interpretation of the character.
This approach not only helped build a fandom community, which was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also allowed fans to take part in the project, which had earned over 50 million likes on TikTok. Further auditions continued throughout the musical’s development, with the final cast fully assembled by August 2022.
What makes this musical stand out is how its development was created and shared online. Unlike traditional musicals that are written, produced and then published as a complete work, “EPIC” was released incrementally.
The musical is released in separate EP (extended play) albums called “sagas.” The first saga, “The Troy Saga” was officially released on Dec. 25, 2022, followed by “The Cyclops Saga” in early 2023, “The Ocean Saga” on Christmas Day 2023, “The Circe Saga” on Valentine’s Day 2023, “The Underworld Saga” in April 2024, “The Thunder Saga” on Independence Day 2024, “The Wisdom Saga” in August 2024 and “The Ithaca Saga” on Christmas Day 2024.
In 2023, after releasing the first two sagas, Rivera-Herrans faced issues with his original producer, Blair Russells, who had failed to pay him royalties. To regain control, he founded his own music production company, Winion Entertainment, LLC. With this new company, Rivera-Herrans and the cast re-recorded both “The Troy Saga” and “The Cyclops Saga” under the new ownership; these new versions were released alongside “The Thunder Saga.”
The show’s finale does not mark the end for “EPIC” by any means. According to The Guardian, Rivera-Herrans and his team have discussed making an animated movie, a live-action stage show and three videogames — two of which are already on the way.
Abby Dreistadt, Editor in Chief