On its opening night at The Fox, Hadestown proved itself worthy of the eight Tony Awards it received in 2019, including best musical and best original score. The show and the touring production are achievements of the highest order.
Anaïs Mitchell wrote the music, lyrics, and book for Hadestown, which is a modern retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hades, the ruler of the underworld, figures prominently in that myth, and Mitchell has enriched her plot by adding elements from the myth of Persephone and Hades, which explains the origin of the seasons.
In Mitchell’s story, Orpheus and Eurydice are living in great poverty because of climate change stemming from discord between Hades, a self-serving industrialist, and his wife, Persephone. She must spend half her time in Hades’ underground factory, known as Hadestown. Nothing grows on earth when she is there, and she is spending less time on earth than she should because of her troubled marriage.
Orpheus is writing a song that will fix what is wrong and enable spring to come again. He grows too focused on finishing the song, however, to realize how much Eurydice is suffering from hunger and deprivation. Hades approaches Eurydice and assures her that coming to Hadestown will solve her problems. Out of desperation she succumbs to Hades’ cajolery.
After reaching Hadestown, Eurydice learns she has been duped, but not before signing a binding contract to remain there. When Orpheus finds out what has happened, he goes to the underworld to bring Eurydice back.
The entire cast was excellent on opening night. The principal characters in the two myths were vividly portrayed by Chibueze Ihuoma as Orpheus, Hannah Whitley as Eurydice, Matthew Patrick Quinn as Hades, and Shea Renne (an understudy) as Persephone.
Hermes, the messenger of the Greek gods, carries Mitchell’s message to the audience. He is both the presenter of the sad tale and a participant in it as Orpheus’s friend and mentor. Nathan Lee Graham’s Hermes has astonishing charisma.
The Fates personify destiny in Greek mythology. They are a meddlesome trio in Hadestown. Dominique Kempf, Belén Moyano, and Nyla Watson make the most of these roles.
Hadestown was developed with and directed by Rachel Chavkin, who deserves enormous credit for the show’s brilliance. The influence of folk music, American blues, and big-band New Orleans can be heard in Mitchell’s marvelous score. The superb musical numbers benefit from the contributions of choreographer David Neumann, music supervisor and vocal arranger Liam Robinson, the orchestra under conductor Nathan Koci, music coordinator David Lai, and arrangers and orchestrators Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose.
The action takes place on a striking set by Rachel Hauck that combines elements of a New Orleans music joint and a classical amphitheater. The splendid technical work includes costume by Michael Krass, lighting by Bradley King, sound by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, and hair by Jennifer Mullins.
Hadestown continues through October 23 at the Fox Theatre, 527 North Grand Boulevard.
—Gerry Kowarsky
Photo by T. Charles Erickson
