Blend of music and Greek tragedy makes ‘Hadestown’ compelling
Musical comedies are a dime a dozen. “Hadestown,” the highly decorated show now in the midst of its touring Broadway run at the Hobby Center, is something rarer: a musical tragedy. Beneath the often-raucous songs, infused with blues, gospel and New Orleans jazz, lies a mournful tale of doomed love, set in an underground world of worker exploitation and climate crisis, ruled by the storied lord of the underworld who gives the show its name. This is a work of buoyant sadness, joyful despite itself.
Loosely based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, “Hadestown,” written by Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, places its heroes in a place of extremes, blistering cold and brutal heat. Orpheus (Chibueze Ihuoma) is a sensitive young man blessed with a divine falsetto and the soul of a romantic. He falls hard for Eurydice (Hannah Whitley), a tough-minded survivor intrigued by her suitor but desirous of proof of his love — namely a song that Orpheus pledges to write for her. Hadestown, an underground factory fueled by blood, sweat, tears and hunger, isn’t a place that makes love easy.
But there is one important tonic in supply: music. “Hadestown” leans harder on its songs than most musicals do; they’re often enveloped into the book, much of which consists of the chorus-like narration of Hermes (played by Nathan Lee Graham as a boisterous master of ceremonies). The band, on point throughout, is right up there on twin platforms at either side of the stage, except when trombone player Emily Frederickson ventures into the heart of the action for a solo.
If you don’t bop along to songs like “Livin’ it Up on Top” and “Way Down Hadestown” you’ve got cotton in your ears. Meanwhile, choreographer David Neumann orchestrates a gyrating, limb-swirling spectacle of modern dance, much of it executed by the chorus of proletariat toilers. Music is the transformative power of Hadestown, offering the potential for rebirth and renewal.
A rotating circle at center stage creates both a sense of perpetual motion and a suggestion that the workers are merely walking in place. Overseeing it all is Hades himself (Matthew Patrick Quinn), tall, smartly dressed, passing judgment in a rich baritone. At its core, “Hadestown” is the story of two couples. There’s Eurydice and Orpheus, and then Hades and his wife, Persephone (Maria-Christina Oliveras), who, all things being equal, would just like to party. Actually, she’d also like her husband back; a chill has developed between them, and it only gets colder when Hades steals Eurydice after luring her with the harsh, yet secure, shelter of his kingdom.
“Hadestown” is an enormously ambitious musical, juxtaposing abstract thematic angles with music that hits you in the gut. The different strands — Greek myth, global warming, forlorn love, all that jazz — don’t always tie together, and the second act feels stretched. But this is a wonderful production, laden with big talent and vision, and a great chance for Houstonians to soak up a musical that takes enormous risks. It’s well worth a trip down below.