‘Hadestown‘ is a brilliantly performed and beautifully designed setting for a terrible retelling of an ancient Greek tragedy set in New Orleans at the end of the Industrial Revolution.
The National Tour of ‘Hadestown’ now running at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through Sunday, November 3, 2024. Photo by: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2024.
The new tour cast of ‘Hadestown‘ is undeniably phenomenal, showcasing immense talent that deserves recognition. Nickolaus Colón brings a haunting intensity to Hades, the god of the underworld, and Namisa Mdlalose Bizana embodies Persephone with an emotional depth that resonates throughout the audience. Megan Colton as Eurydice and Bryan Munar as Orpheus work tirelessly to create a love story that the book writer ultimately fails to deliver. Jaylon C. Crump shines as Hermes, the charming messenger god, while the Fates—Katelyn Crall, Miriam Navarrete, and Alli Sutton—delight with their powerful performances. The Workers Chorus, featuring Randy Cain, Miracle Myles, Kaitlyn O’Leary, Mikaela Rada, and Joe Rumi, delivers one of the few standout songs in this musical, and the swings, including Jamir Brown, Ricky Cardenas, Michelle E. Carter, and Julia Schick, are spectacular on their instruments.
However, it’s difficult to overlook the glaring shortcomings of the show’s story. ‘Hadestown‘ sets the ancient Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice against the backdrop of an industrial revolution-era New Orleans—a choice that feels more like a misguided attempt at modernization than a thoughtful reinterpretation. Similar to the blasphemous 1971, ‘Godspell‘ performing a hippie version of the Gospel According to St. Matthew or the faltered 1996 contemporary Claire Dane and Leonardo DiCaprio’s ‘Romeo and Juliet‘; This version of the tale fails to intertwine the mythic narratives of young dreamers and the doomed love of Eurydice and Orpheus, instead inviting audiences on a hellish journey that feels more like a slog than an epic.
As a former teacher of world literature, I find the retelling not just disappointing but insulting to the ancient Greeks and their modern descendants. ‘Hadestown‘ is a tragic blend of style over substance that neglects the rich emotional core of its source material. The melodies crafted by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell feels best suited for a second-grade recorder recital rather than a Broadway stage. Rachel Chavkin’s direction attempts to pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love, but it often comes across as muddled and lacking clarity—minus the nonsensical political statements that fortunately insult both red and blue ideologies.
The National Tour of ‘Hadestown’ now running at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts through Sunday, November 3, 2024.
Photo by: Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade, 2024.
At 45 minutes too long, the show would have been better served by cutting the filler songs, which only serve to elongate an already drawn-out experience. All I could think of was the ‘South Park‘ episode ‘Broadway Bro Down‘, where the men of our favorite mountain town take their ladies to musicals for the dubious reward of favors on the drive home, as there would be no other reason for any male to have a desire to see ‘Hadestown‘. It’s hard to shake that feeling of time wasted when the narrative feels so disjointed and devoid of real emotional stakes.
In spite its accolades—including eight Tony Awards, a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album, and numerous other honors— ‘Hadestown‘ is proof that selling your soul to Satan gets you treasures on Earth. How this show became wildly successful on its first North American tour is beyond me. It’s a love story for today… and never. The triumphs of this production seem inexplicable given its uninspired blend of myth, music, and a lack of genuine emotional engagement.
‘Hadestown‘ from now through Sunday, November 3, 2024, at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.
To purchase tickets to support Segerstrom Center for the Arts visit: https://www.scfta.org/events/2024/hadestown.
Summary
‘Hadestown‘ is a beautifully designed spectacle that somehow manages to turn a Greek tragedy into a muddled pigpen of 21th-century political undertones. It’s almost impressive how it squanders the talent of every performer and set designer involved.
