“Hadestown” transforms two intertwining Greek tragedies in a post-apocalyptic dystopia into a story of hope by blending modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz. Audiences are invited on a journey to the underworld and back as it makes its way to Miami on Dec.6.
The Tony Award-winning musical presents the unfortunate world many people live in, particularly due to climate change and poverty. It also speaks to the concerns the younger generation has about what will become of their world as we run out of time to reverse course and prevent catastrophe.
(T Charles Erickson)
Nathan Lee Graham as Hermes with the company of the touring production of “Hadestown.”
Anaïs Mitchell, the Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter and creator of “Hadestown,” debuted the musical in 2006 as a community theater project in front of small crowds throughout Vermont. In 2010, the indie-folk opera production evolved into a produced studio album, earning “Hadestown” a large part of its popularity and fanbase.
The show was more than a decade in the making when Mitchell brought on the current director of the show, Rachel Chavkin, in 2013. The show's early versions were abstract concepts of Greek mythology tales rather than the two-and-a-half howling blues concert it has become. The creative duo worked toward eventually bringing “Hadestown” to a bigger stage.
“There were a lot of different revisions over the years. My first year being involved was a lot of listening to voice memos to change a verse or switch a person’s verse,” said former assistant music director Nathan Koci. “At one point, you have to say that this is what the show is, but it has always been very alive and quite experimental. So, to see how it evolved and has continued to evolve is really special.”
Evolving characters
(T Charles Erickson)
“Hadestown” North American Tour 2022.
The play’s ever-growing fame eventually led to its Broadway opening in 2019. “Hadestown” played to sold-out houses nightly at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York before performances were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show resumed last September and its tour began a month later in Washington, D.C.
“I’ve very fortunate that ‘Hadestown’ has been as successful and running as long as it has. But I think that success came because the show is different,” said Koci. “It wasn’t trying to be a Disney musical, and I don’t think it ever had any pressure to be a shiny, contemporary musical. So, it was certainly set up for success while still coming from a slightly different, downtown theater world.”
With each iteration of the show, new cast members are added to the creative team and bring along a fresh perspective to their characters. According to Koci, while the roles don’t change, the production looks at how an actor can open up the character differently and tell the story in a uniquely influential way.
Up-and-coming actress Hannah Whitley, who plays Eurydice, brought in a new voice the production was looking for. Freshly graduated from Ball State University, joining the “Hadestown” cast was one of the biggest professional hurdles Whitley experienced after auditioning earlier this year and testing positive for COVID-19.
Whitley tried out again after graduating in May, and committed to the strenuous audition process to at last be offered a lead role in the show she has enjoyed since she was a sophomore in college.
Political implications
The audition process for “Hadestown,” like other productions, doesn’t allow for actors to select who they audition for, and actors are ultimately given the parts the creative team believes suits them best. As a result, Whitley was worried about stacking up to her 2019 Broadway predecessor, Eva Noblezada.
“The show worked with me to dive into Eurydice and bring out a new perspective, but it was hard for me because I am so different from Eva and she’s amazing,” said Whitley. “It was super intimidating, but what helped me overcome this serious chapter of self-doubt was listening to the fates in the show sing ‘Who are, who do you think you are?’ over and over. It kept playing in my head and I had to trust that I was enough, and that the show want me for this role because of me.”
The amount of information and backstory on Eurydice in Greek mythology is limited, which allows a level of creative freedom to adapt her however actors see fit. Whitley, for instance, gathered her information on Eurydice from working personally with Mitchell and Chavkin to develop the character on stage.
“My sense of Eurydice isn’t grounded in Greek mythology because that feels too much like gods, goddesses and magic,” said Whitley. “To me, Eurydice is a character who believes the world is what it is. She doesn’t really believe in fantasy, in slaying dragons or princes saving her. She’s realistic and practical.”
The show’s dystopian atmosphere encourages that sensibility in Eurydice’s character, crushing any sense of optimism. Instead, this Greek tragedy touches on political issues without pushing them on the audience by addressing the harsh reality of the world.
“’Hadestown’ speaks volumes about the global warming issues we face in our everyday lives. I think the apocalyptic sense of the world is political, and global warming especially has political implications,” said Whitley. “It makes you question how we are treating our Earth and what could happen if we continue to treat it the way we are. I hope the show makes people think about if we continue to treat the world poorly, will our world start to resemble the world we see on stage?”
Cast diversity
(T Charles Erickson)
Belén Moyano as one of The Fates, Chibueze Ihuoma as Orpheus, Hannah Whitley as Eurydice, Nyla Watson as another of The Fates and Dominique Kempf as yet another Fate in “Hadestown.”
The show has reached fans in different stages of their lives, holding a different meaning for each person. Fans even became performers and actors in the show and Whitley was one of them.
She, like so many other fans, was introduced to “Hadestown” and struck by the studio album during a discovering stage of her life. Falling in love with the album, Whitley finally had the opportunity to sing along to these award-winning songs in person in New York a week before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the city down.
“Hadestown” stands out not only for its unconventional musical composition but its diverse cast, reminiscent of productions such as “Hamilton,” giving a face to so many who haven’t seen themselves on stage. But rather than the visceral reaction audiences experienced with “Hamilton,” “Hadestown” generates a welcoming feeling unlike any other show, according to Whitley.
“After seeing the show, I walked out thinking this is exactly what I want to do with my life. I fell in love with the show because it felt like my home. It was like my family, and I felt like I just fit in. Everybody’s face and story are present in the show,” said Whitley. “The show is everything I ever hoped theater would be and it should have always been. Something this powerful and unified gives me an amazing feeling because it can make you feel seen and heard.”
The show demonstrates how the world is and could be. Mitchell and her creative team create a moving reframing of Greek tragedies into love stories and, ultimately, hope, showing the audience the most natural human instinct of perseverance despite repeated failure.
“‘Hadestown’ is an adventure of life. It’s a show for both the realist and the dreamer, encompassing both love, tragedy, warmth, community and isolation. It spans every emotion just like life does,” said Whitley. “Be prepared to be reminded of what life is.”