This is the story of two myths. The myth of Hades and Persephone involves Hades, the God of the underworld, falling in love with Persephone. He steals her away to the underworld where she is unhappy. But over time she realizes she has fallen in love with Hades. The myth of Orpheus and Eurydice tells of a great love cut short by her sudden and shocking death. In an effort to reunite with his great love, Orpheus descends into the underworld to find her. These two stories are combined in the inventive and highly satisfying new musical Hadestown. The show is playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York.
Anaïs Mitchell wrote the book, music and lyrics for Hadestown. The show is directed by Rachel Chavkin (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812). Hadestown actually began life as a concept record by Mitchell which was released in 2010. The premiere of the musical took place in 2016 at the New York Theatre Workshop (the same place where Rent had its premiere.)
As befits a musical based on these two myths, the show takes place on earth and in the underworld. The set (by Rachel Hauck) feels like we’re in a New Orleans venue much like Preservation Hall.
Reeve Carney (Penny Dreadful; Spider-man: Turn Off the Dark) plays Orpheus. Eva Noblezada (Miss Saigon revival) plays Eurydice. Patrick Page (Spring Awakening), who originated the role of Hades is currently filming, so Tom Hewitt (The Rocky Horror Show) assumes the part until Page returns on November 2nd. Amber Gray (Natasha, Pierre…) plays Persephone. André De Shields (The Full Monty) plays Hermes who serves as our guide through the story.
I got the feeling watching this show and witnessing the audience response that Hadestown is going to be the next hot show in New York. The music is terrific. The performances are uniformly great (including a trio of women called “Fate” who serve as sort of moral guardians in the musical). The choreography by David Neumann serves the story well. And Chavkin’s direction keeps the story moving and leaves you with numerous images that will linger long after the show is over.
It should also be noted that the instrumentation is sparse but energetic. The orchestra employs only seven musicians playing a piano, violin, cello, guitar, trombone, glockenspiel, double bass, drums and percussion. They are on stage and just as much a part of Hadestown as the cast.
Main photo: Eva Noblezada, André De Shields and Reeve Carney in “Hadestown.” All photos by Matthew Murphy
For tickets go here.
Update: HADESTOWN won 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Score and Best Actor in a Featured Role in a Musical