This New Musical is EPIC

By: Samantha Roehl

In recent years, TikTok has played a large role in the popularization of musicals among younger audiences. Shows such as “Beetlejuice,” “Heathers,” and “Six” have TikTok partially to thank for their rise to the top. 

“EPIC the Musical'' is yet another example of TikTok’s ability to catapult new musicals into the spotlight. “EPIC,” an in-progress loose adaptation of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, has gained writer Jorge Rivera-Herrans a passionate following on TikTok. At time of writing, Rivera-Herran’s TikTok page (@jorgeherrans) has over 656 thousand followers and 16.4 million likes. 

Rivera-Herrans has been documenting the process of writing the musical, giving followers sneak peeks of upcoming songs and even posting casting calls for the concept album(s) on his TikTok. 

Speaking of concept albums: the musical is divided into nine “sagas” following Odysseus’s 20-year journey, of which the first two sagas have been released. The Troy Saga, which follows Odysseus and his men leaving Troy after the war and meeting the lotus eaters, was released on Dec. 25, 2022 and surpassed three million streams in the first week. 

The Cyclops Saga followed on Jan. 27, 2023, in which Odysseus’s crew met the eponymous cyclops. This saga highlighted one of Rivera-Herrans specialties that seems like it will run throughout the entire musical: an amazing ability to make musical theater songs feel like boss battles. He has cited multiple inspirations, not the least of which being video games and anime. 

The music is eclectic but beautiful, including elements of pop, electronic, orchestral, rock, and more. I have been following “EPIC” for a while now (Jorge Rivera-Herrans — hmu, I’d love to chat) and I really appreciate how the musical humanizes Odysseus — showing how, in the words of the musical, a man becomes a monster. How a man who once kept his entire crew alive during the Trojan War came home to slaughter all of his wife’s suitors. 

While I’m admittedly predisposed to like this musical, being a huge fan of “Hadestown” (a retelling of Orpheus and Eurydice that takes place in a 1930s-esque factory town) and The Lightning Thief (they made the first Percy Jackson book into a musical and it is excellent), “EPIC the Musical” is genuinely a breath of fresh air. It is also enjoyable — and interesting — to watch a show be created from afar. 

Despite the first two sagas being released in quick succession, the past 10 months have been barren for those in the burgeoning EPIC fandom (other than the consistent TikTok uploads and the official discord which currently has 29 thousand members). Still, the long wait is finally at its end! Rivera-Herrans has announced that the Ocean Saga is scheduled to be released on Dec. 25, 2023 — exactly one year after the release of the first concept album. 

This saga follows Odysseus’s first run-ins with Poseidon, who will be a major player for the rest of the musical. After the Ocean Saga’s release, “EPIC the Musical” will be one third of the way through the concept albums. (And hopefully one step closer to a staged production!)

So if you’re on your TikTok fyp and wondering why you’re suddenly hearing music that reminds you of high school English class, now you know why!