A fan-favorite to many and a musical masterpiece in Broadway history, “Hadestown” has captured theatrical minds and hearts everywhere since it first debuted. Much to fanatics’ delight, the famous musical came down to Hadestown again in London, U.K., not only with excellent acting, music and emotion, but with the musical’s original cast, evoking delight and anticipation from both enthusiasts and actors alike.
“Hadestown,” created by writer and composer Anaïs Mitchell, follows the classic Greek epic Orpheus and Eurydice, two starstruck lovers torn apart on their wedding day when Eurydice unexpectedly passes away. Distraught from his lover’s death, Orpheus travels down to the underworld with nothing but his grieving heart, where Hades makes him a deal: if he can walk back up to the living world, never to look over his shoulder to see if Eurydice is following him to the light, he can bring her back. Knowing that Orpheus’s love for Eurydice was too strong, Hades mercilessly set the pair up for failure, leaving Orpheus’s heart in pieces and Eurydice’s life back in the underworld. This Greek tragedy in musical form has resonated unbelievably well with people everywhere, leaving fans hungry for more—lucky for them, more is just what they got.
“The cast for Hadestown was so cool,” Layne Walker, junior, said.
To the untrained eye, musicals may be seen as just singing and dancing; however, cast and crew members—Broadway or not — strongly and proudly argue otherwise. Musicals, plays, one acts and truly any type of theatrical entertainment takes incredible determination, grit and humility, as all members must sacrifice personal free time to instead spend their days (and sometimes nights) under the bright stage lights. To many, however, the time spent in the theatre is even better than free time; this statement is true for many actors and crew members involved in “Hadestown,” including Reeve Carney (Orpheus), Eva Noblezada (Eurydice), André de Shields (Hermes), Amber Gray (Persephone) and Patrick Page (Hades). These actors have put every ounce of emotion and true talent they have into their musical career, and with their reappearance in “Hadestown” in London, U.K., they were able to live their dream once more, something so very few people are lucky enough to achieve.
“You cannot imagine all of the amazing things that can happen in your life. You just have to be ready,” Noblezada said.
As do other forms of art, musicals typically have an underlying message hidden between the measures, impacting society in ways not necessarily visible to the naked eye. Nowadays, especially, many are turning to musicals as a source of comfort, inspiration and resilience. “Hadestown” has been credited to quite seamlessly portray real-world struggles in a precisely clear way, allowing people to dive down into their soul to find and express how they really feel about society’s subjectively worrisome state. More directly, many have begun to link the musical’s main themes to prominent political events and concerns, using songs such as “Why We Build the Wall” and “Chant” to vocally call for the change they feel is necessary for a better globe. “Hadestown” seems to hold a different meaning for every audience member; even so, its lyrics continue to pour out to listening ears, letting them take in the soft whispers heard in a song just waiting to be written.
“I believe one thing the audience can take away from [Hadestown] is that if we just come together and learn to love, we can persevere through anything,” Corinne Thomas, sophomore, said.
Even though tickets are sold out for the London, U.K. showing, “Hadestown” can be viewed in auditoriums nearly everywhere. To find out what happens when the chips are down, musical fans strongly recommend a deep dive into Orpheus and Eurydice’s world, where even in the darkest moments, the brave heroics will be ready to sing their story again.
