Hadestown: A Timeless Love Story

In the original Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Orpheus is so overcome by grief over the death of his wife that he goes to the Underworld to bring her back. He must complete significant tasks in order to reach her, which he does, but on the condition that he must not look back at her as they journey back to the land of the living. In one moment of doubt he turns to see if she is still following him and suddenly all is lost… She must remain in the Underworld and he must face his failed attempt to bring her back. 

The story told in Hadestown  on Broadway is similar but here Eurydice enters the Underworld herself, witnessing a more industrial version of Hell in which people are forced into hard labor. Eurydice, it’s shown, was trying to escape her own poverty in the land of the living but was subsequently seduced and entrapped by the Fates and Hades, the king of the Underworld.  Our hero Orpheus decides to go after his beloved Eurydice at all costs. Like in the original story, Orpheus is unsuccessful in his mission and loses Eurydice forever… In the musical version the story resets again, as if to start from the beginning and the narrator, Hermes, sings to the audience about why this story must continue to be told.

The cast of Hadestown. (Photo by Matthew Deming)

There have been many operatic and musicalized versions of this tragic love story. For instance, an opera by Christoph Willibald Gluck premiered in 1762 in Vienna and is one of the more commonly performed versions of this story. The musical that is now on Broadway had a long development history, starting in 2006 in Vermont before moving off-Broadway in 2016, onward to Edmonton and London, and finally Broadway in 2019.

I cannot begin to explain how deeply this performance affected me, and frankly pretty much everyone in the audience that night.  With music, lyrics and book by singer Anais Mitchell, the haunting story of the two lovers unfolds, beautifully realized at the Walter Kerr Theatre. It’s an intimate space and we really feel pulled into the story narrated by Hermes, who offers a poignant connection between performers and the audience itself.

There are several things about this production that really moved me. The cast, whether the original or the wonderful actors stepping in to replace them, are all top caliber performers. Few would argue that Eva Noblezada’s Eurydice wasn’t extraordinarily moving, and that the earnest and ethereal vocals of Reeve Carney as Orpheus seemed from another world altogether. The three women playing the Fates were so precise in their singing and choreography that they seemed to move as one entity—as they should. 

The actor Andre De Shiels, who won a Tony Award for his role as Hermes, was ideal in this role. A long-time Broadway veteran, he brought a lifetime of wisdom into this role. The orchestra and acting ensemble elevated the storytelling to the highest level. It was one of the few shows where I never once dropped my focus as I followed the journey of the two lovers and their complicated worlds.

You don’t have to be a fan of Broadway musicals or plays to be taken by this particular show. To know that the love between these two people was so strong and pure that one would journey to the unknown and risk all manners of danger to experience it again, not knowing if they will succeed, is an experience that can move anyone. To see it told by a cast and creative team that so perfectly comes together is inspiring on so many levels.

For more information: https://hadestown.com/