Vivian’s obsession and maniacal conversations with the dominating Carbuncle temporarily blinds her from the Gordias that history dictates. After meeting celebrated author Pauline Newberry (Cara Ricketts), Vivian starts to put the pieces of the puzzle together, bringing the real truth about the true creators of Eternal Hydra to light.

Dancing like a carefully rehearsed Waltz, Eternal Hydra moves back and forth between modern-day New York, 1930s Paris and post Civil War, New Orleans. The actor’s descriptives are so precise, you can literally envision them sitting in a cabaret sipping gin while watching Josephine Baker.

Beautifully written with satiable dialogue—along with the smooth transition back and forth from narration to performance—theatergoers are fully immersed in an in-depth tale of racism, lies, manipulation, with a dash of intrigue.

Though many are drawn to Eternal Hydra for its decadent story, it’s the powerful performance by Cara Ricketts that packs the greatest emotional impact. She performs the characters of Pauline Newberry, Selma Thomas and The Narrator with such clarity, there is no doubting the believability of raw emotions she delivers.

There is a reason this Dora Award-winning production scored four statues when it debuted in 2008. Flawless performances and seamless direction, Eternal Hydra, isn’t just candy for the brain, it’s live pulp pleasantry.