Phew,
It has been a minute and a half hasn't it?

I've just started a new semester, my class reading list extends into the horizon with no end in sight and the British government is on the verge of total collapse. So, to avoid what could be Britains last January and my seemingly infinite reading list let's do something relatively benign and review a play I saw back in December.

I first encountered the soundtrack for Hadestown in high school when a friend, knowing my love for musical theatre, gave me the Soundcloud file. Since then I have discovered that there are now two versions on iTunes however the original one that I listened to was the 2010 studio version:

(https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/hadestown/1441690444).

(The 2017 version can be found here: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/album/hadestown-myth-musical-original-cast-recording-live/1271398099)

Apart from its soundtrack, the only time I'd ever heard of Hadestown actually being produced was back in 2017 when a Calgary theatre staged it. However, to my amazement, another friend shot me a message this past October saying that it had come to the Olivier Theatre in London's Westend. After taking almost a month for us to settle on a date (my bad) we finally got our calendars sorted and booking tickets. Apart from that original studio soundtrack, I knew essentially nothing about the staging, format or actual script of the show. I purposely didn't look up anything beforehand; not wanting the raw experience to be spoiled for me. Realizing that this show had eight years of expectations to live up to I can unequivocally say that this musical did not disappoint.

The first thing I noticed was that Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Chavkin had reworked the script and structure of the songs slightly. Not by any enormous degree however the changes they did make shifted the narrative enough to give the show an interesting cyclical flow. This is the style of musical theatre where between the first note and the final curtain call there is very little dialogue that isn't accompanied by music. Whether intentionally or not this sung-through style fits very well with the retelling of the classic Greek myth concerning Orpheus and Eurydice. By the end of the show we, as the audience, get the feeling that we've gone on this kind of epic Odyssey; experiencing the hardships of Orpheus's story firsthand. Anyone at all knowledgable about the structure of Greek tragedies understands that the fall from grace is inevitable however the ending is structured in such a way that it highlights the struggles shared between the characters and the audience. By that, I mean that the circular nature of the narrative is actively acknowledged and presented as necessary for both the audience and the characters to achieve emotional growth. It leaves us, the onlookers, to ruminate on the themes of love, morality, and optimism; to interpret them within the context of our own lives. This archetypal story has been present within western society for thousands of years but Anaïs and Rachel have been able to restructure it within the political and societal context of our present day.

As I said the music itself has also been changed around a bit. It's rather interesting because the 2010 version seems very sterile and produced compared to both the 2017 recording and the live show. Where a production such as Wicked or Cats aspires to be infinitely repeatable with no variation between performances Hadestown has a more relaxed, organic feel. In an online interview with Anaïs, she actually explains that this was a specific choice when reworking the musical structure. The live production integrates the band as part of both the set and cast actively blurring the lines between actor, musician, and audience. With the various musical reworking's a more significant amount of influence was taken from folk and jazz compared to the 2010 version. This strengthens the organic nature of the show as much of what makes jazz unique and interesting is the ability to riff off on improvisational tangents before getting back to the necessarily structured segments which are needed to progress the plot. There are several instances throughout the show where each musician is given their opportunity to go off on a solo. During Persephone's song (Our Lady of the Underground: Track 12) which opens the second act she acknowledges and applauds the musicians; mentioning them by name and instrument.

The musical ingenuity within this play cannot be understated however for me what elevates this show from good to great is hidden within the symbolism. Obviously, a lot of inspiration is drawn from the Greek pantheon however Anaïs and Rachel show their intellect and skill specifically within the lyrics of their songs. Throughout the show, they make it deliberately unclear whether Hadestown is the actual, literal underworld or a legitimate physical place. In several of his songs Hermes, our de facto narrator, makes some contradictory statements which intentionally muddy these waters. Midway through when Orpheus appears and questions Hermes as to Eurydice's whereabouts he responds with :

"What if I said she's down below, Six-feet-under-the-ground below."
However, later on, he describes her as :
"What she was, instead, was dead, Dead to the world, anyway. See, she went behind those doors, And signed her life away.."

There's a subtle Faustian theme present as well with the mentioning of contracts, deals, and signatures. Although Hades is Greek and the concept of the devil derives its heritage within Christianity he is still the lord of the underworld and so characters in the show do, in fact, make dealings with the devil.

On it's easiest to understand level of interpretation we see a story divided between the free, natural world of Orpheus and the ordered, mechanical world of Hades. Idealistic concepts of costless empathy and shared resources versus the harsh reality of self-interest, individual preservation, and hunger.

However, the song I believe to be even more pertinent today than when it was originally written is ‘Why We Build The Wall' (Track 11). A hauntingly relevant musical round between Hades and his chorus explaining their supposed need for his wall and justification for the lives it cost during its everlasting construction. Taking into consideration the current American political climate, whether intended or otherwise this songs' meaning rings clear. Hades, the self-established king and master of his town, building a wall to keep out poverty all the while enslaving and misusing the hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals who came to his land seeking a better life may ring a bit too close to home for some American and British politicians.

It seems, reading back through all this, I’ve done a great job at analyzing the productions’ design decisions and the symbolic interpretations but not a lot of telling you what the performance was actually like. Both I feel are important to a good, well-rounded review however I will now try to summarize my impressions and experiences having witnessed the live production.
Firstly, the actress who played Eurydice, Eva Noblezada, was absolutely remarkable; in both her singing and acting. After the show my friend told me that she had also played Kim in Miss Saigon which is unsurprising as that role also requires some powerful vocals behind it. André De Shields, the actor who played Hermes, is another standout performance; offering up both a soulful voice and calming presence throughout the show. There are so many extremely talented people in this cast that I can’t go through all of them however I would highly recommend going to see this production for yourself. There’s not really anything I would really see changed. Well, perhaps given the budget I may have upped the costume design to make Hades or Persephone look a little more regal. However if that did happen and changes were made would that detract from what makes this show so great? The less they outwardly show with grandiose staging the more the audience is suggested to focus on the narrative and subtext. It remains to be seen however I will be very interested to see what sort of reception it gets when it hits the New York Broadway stage. All of the above said this is a show I would recommend to anyone. It’s lively musical flow and catchy songs makes it a memorable production and I’m so happy to have seen it after all those years of anticipation.

Hadestown - A Musical Analysis