Set in a small Mississippi town, the Tennessee Williams’ play “Orpheus Descending,” is the modern telling of a Greek myth that took Williams 17 years to re-write. Originally titled “Battle of Angels,” it first appeared on stage in 1940. Several years later, Williams changed the name to “Orpheus Descending” and later again when the play was made into film in the 1950s to “The Fugitive Kind.”No matter what you call it, Williams’ story is a powerful one of lost love, betrayal and misfortune. The story tells of Lady Torrance, the wife of a disagreeable man who has taken ill. She must assume the responsibility of running his dry goods store while he recuperates in their home downstairs. Meanwhile, a young drifter guitar player wanders into town and catches Lady Torrance’s attention. She hires him to help her run the store, and soon her life becomes filled with jealousy, lust and revenge. The stage design was full of brilliantly colored cloth in the backdrop that metamorphosed into piercing shades of blue, purple, red, orange and green, while living up to the promises of Jaroslav Malina, the Czech guest artist-in-residence. He said creativity of the set required members of the audience to tune into their imaginations. Malina, using his unusual perception of space, said the stage was made up of platforms intertwined with ladders and a huge winding staircase in the center of the stage. This was how the characters entered and exited the stage said Malina. He also added that each platform level represented a different part of the Torrances’ store or home. The cast of the play deserves a big round of applause for their dedication and hard work in this production. The roles seemed to be extremely tiresome because of constant climbing up and down the ladders and staircases for the entrances and exits to the stage. The stars of the show were Donald Clark, Naomi Hatsfelt and Carie DeVito.Clark played Val Xavier, the wandering guitar player, who represents the mythological character of Orpheus.DeVito played the carefree troublemaker in town, known as Carol Cutrere, who is fascinated and obsessed with the new man in town. She tries desperately to win him over, but Val rejects her, not wanting any part of her reckless lifestyle.DeVito’s energy throughout the play needs to be commended. She added a certain flavor to the show that held the audience’s attention. Hatsfelt played the role of Lady Torrance, the unhappy wife. She represents the mythological character Eurydice, the struggling soul Orpheus attempts to save.Hatsfelt’s character is full of emotional turmoil and she expresses her emotions with passion.Clark and Hatsfelt worked well together and revealed the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a subtle, yet convincing manner.The costume designer, Jean Najar, made the costumes believable to the time period and eye-appealing for the audience. The only downfall of the play was the length. For even the most passionate theater-goers, a three-hour production is hard to sit through.