A re-telling of the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice, “Hadestown” takes inspiration from the Depression era, with smatterings of steampunk and jazz. The cast rarely leave the stage, forming a Greek chorus on the sidelines, listening to the story and providing backing vocals throughout.
The story is told by Hermes (Melanie La Barrie), who acts as the narrator but also takes an active role in guiding Orpheus (Dónal Finn). Orpheus is a down-on-his-luck poet, played with great naivety and innocence by Finn, which makes him irresistible to the audience. His life changes when he meets Eurydice (Grace Hodgett Young) and falls in love. Eurydice is described as a “hungry young girl”, but she is also feisty and self-confident. Young’s singing was a joy – and wonderful to hear a Midlands accent on the West End stage!
The world of Hadestown (which is never given a specific time or place setting) is out of kilter, with winter lasting too long and summer being too quick. This is because the gods Hades (Zachary James) and Persephone (Gloria Onitiri) have fallen out of love and disrupted the seasons (although I didn’t feel that this was explained as well as it could have been). Harsh winters have forced more and more people to seek solace in Hades’ underworld, where he puts them to work as slaves, building a wall. It is here that Eurydice is forced to go when a storm leaves her cold and starving. Orpheus then sets off on a mission to go and free her.
The music throughout is dramatic, uplifting and, at times, terrifying. The powerful numbers of “Way Down Hadestown” and “Why We Build The Wall” really get the blood pumping, but they pale into insignificance when compared with “Wait For Me”, the culmination of Act One which sees Orpheus begin his dangerous journey to the underworld, as the lights begin to shakes and the stage literally cracks open to reveal Hades’ kingdom. Finn’s voice, with his strong Irish accent, is enough to send shivers down your spine.
The music, all written by Anaïs Mitchell (who won a Grammy for the album in 2020, and Best Score at the 2019 Tony Awards), has lots of fun numbers throughout to keep the audience entertained. “When the Chips Are Down” sees the Fates (played by Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel) take centre stage as they try to entice Eurydice to the underworld, with Brown on violin and Daniel on accordion in a musical number that is sure to get your feet tapping. “Wedding Song” is a light-hearted number that builds the relationship between Orpheus and Eurydice, and “Our Lady of the Underground” is a fun dance number that opens the second act and allows the band a chance to show off their impressive musical talents.
The ending should come as no surprise, as in the opening song Hermes warns us that “it’s a sad song, it’s a tragedy”. But even so, the show builds such a sense of hope and impending victory that the ending will still shock and catch you off guard. As the music dies, and Hermes is left to reprise “Road to Hell” a cappella, the audience were so still and so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Overall, this is a fantastic production and one I would heavily recommend. There are facets of each character to relate to, and musical numbers to suit everyone’s tastes. A powerful, mind-blowing experience.
Tom Morley, April 2024
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