Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
Hadestown is a multiple Tony Award-winning musical that’s on a current tour around North America — it’s a stylistically modern score in many ways, with some similar feelings to the plaintive Waitress instead of the more bombastic Wicked, for example. Before seeing the show I was generally familiar with the concept, but I didn’t really know the specifics of the adaptation. For those like me, I would also avoid looking up any summaries as well, because you really never know.
The musical is an adaptation of the Greek myth of the doomed lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, although the actual plotline takes on some intentional changes — some cleverly metatextual and other modernized commentaries. In this ensemble we follow our Master of Ceremonies and Narrator, the god Hermes (a charismatic and energetic Rudy Foster) as he tells us the tale, while being involved in his own ‘mentor role’ sort of way.
He tells about a penniless young poet and singer named Orpheus (Jose Contreras), the son of a Muse (accurate to the myth) and ‘touched by the gods’ with the power of his music. In this performance, the actor is asked to sing fairly high vocal ranges ‘like a bird’ and strum his ‘lyre’ (played by a guitar of course) — Jose Contreras does a fantastic job balancing the lost poet vibe with the mythical nature of someone that sings so well, they can change reality.
As the Fates would have it (a trio of singers in the musical, here played with perfect harmony by Miriam Navarrete, Michelle E. Carter, and Jayna Wescoatt), Orpheus runs into a young woman, also dirt poor, but with a chip on her shoulder due to a life of always fending for herself. This is Eurydice, played by Megan Colton, whose performance and vocal style reminded me of Sara Bareilles or Rachel Zegler (this is a huge compliment from my perspective). She also gave a beautifully complicated emotional performance of the girl falling in love and then falling into terrible trouble.
Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade
On the other side of things is Queen Persephone (a luminous Namisa Mdlalose Bizana), representing the vibrancy of summer itself juxtaposed with her husband, the master of the Underworld and capitalist metaphor Hades, played by Nickolaus Colón — a performance teased for the first third of the show, then he comes with a debilitating bass voice and even delivers a shocking booming performance of ‘Why We Build the Wall’ (he even looked a little red to me by the end of the song, a clear, intentional effort of power).
The rest of the ensemble is also excellent, the Workers who serve as a Greek ‘Chorus’ — Jonice Bernard, Ryaan Farhadi, Erin McMillen, Miracle Myles, and Joe Rumi — playing the background roles that fill out the songs, and take part in the action when it is needed — and they were all energetic and harmonized well together.
It’s an interesting sort of soundtrack, with some of that modern mix of power ballads, love songs, pop ensembles, and plaintive melancholy. Some songs are more my style than others, but the cast here really does an excellent job showcasing all of their different singing ranges, with a lot of charismatic performances and some truly emotional beats.
If you’re a fan of musicals in general but haven’t yet seen this one, or if you’re a fan of Greek mythology, or even especially if you’re a fan of this show, this is a great ensemble to see while they continue their tour.
Hadestown runs about 2 hours 15 minutes with one intermission. Recommended for ages 8 and up.
Hadestown runs through November 23 at Washington DC’s National Theatre. Other cities on the schedule include Orlando, Philadelphia, Burlington, Athens, New Orleans, Roanoke, Houston, Boston, Milwaukee, Baltimore, Fresno and more. Visit the official website for more information. Use our Ticketmaster link to purchase tickets.
Hadestown at The National Theatre
Hadestown
Check our Ticketmaster link for ticket availability.
