“Epic: The Musical” recounts the ancient Homeric epic “The Odyssey.” It is composed of nine different concept albums called sagas. The creators’ goal was to give a musical the same sense of progression as video games and anime/manga. “Epic: The Musical” is a veritable modern classic beloved by many for its amazing singers, lyrics and characters.
“Epic: The Musical” was written by Jorge Rivera-Herrans, who also plays the main character Odysseus. Jorge released the first snippets of “Epic: The Musical” in January, 2021. The musical was initially written for his senior thesis at Notre Dame University.
Jorge founded Winions Entertainment LLC in 2023 after the original producer didn’t pay him royalties for the first two sagas of “Epic: The Musical.” The main cast would go on to re-record the first two sagas to gain control of the music. They continued releasing the saga, wrapping it up in December 2024, a whole two years after the release of the very first saga, “Troy.”
“Epic: The Musical” is one of the best musicals released in recent memory. It is masterfully written, and the constant changes in song genre show a mastery of music unlike anything seen in other popular musicals. There are so many masterpieces of songwriting that it is nearly impossible to choose a favorite. From the heavy metal of tracks like “Monster” and “Different Beast” to the dulcet tones of Calypso (Barbara Wangui) on the song “Love in Paradise,” trying to choose just one favorite song is downright torture.
“Epic: The Musical” is a masterpiece of storytelling in music, as Jorge has mastered the art of incorporating dialogue into music. Everything in “Epic: The Musical” feels so natural; there is never the question in the back of one’s mind about the characters’ singing. The best example would be the back-and-forth dialogue between characters, like in “God Games,” when Zeus and Athena are talking, it feels natural even when they’re singing because the tone feels natural and it’s not exaggerated.
“Epic: The Musical” is deserving of all the praise heaped on it, and there is no doubt that it is incredibly epic.
