THE HANGOVER REPORT – The singular, ravishing HADESTOWN arrives on Broadway, and it’s the musical to beat this season

Eva Noblezada, Andre De Shields, and Reeve Carney in "Hadestown" at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Eva Noblezada, Andre De Shields, and Reeve Carney in Anais Mitchell “Hadestown” at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Photo by Matthew Murphy.

Something special is happening at the Walter Kerr Theatre, which is where Anaïs Mitchell’s singular Hadestown has set up camp. The new musical is a folk/jazz retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth, and it’s altogether ravishing. The musical triumphantly arrives on Broadway after having played Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop and subsequently London’s prolific National Theatre, where it was substantially reshaped and redesigned (it’s the retooled latter version that has transferred to the Great White Way).

I first saw Hadestown when it played at NYTW in its previous incarnation. Then, I was left cold by the show’s impressionistic world, which I found vaguely staged. Since that earlier run, the creative team has spent considerable time and effort to give the show specificity and a striking new visual vocabulary (e.g., strong allusions to New Orleans, steampunk, etc.). This new production more clearly articulates the musical’s themes – the possibility of a better world, the tragic trap of a looping story – while maintaining the show’s distinctly poetic soul.

The resulting production is a hugely compelling and singular achievement, one in which each of its elements contributes equally to the director Rachel Chavkin’s coherent, wholly original vision. Indeed, music, design, movement, music-making, and performances all come together to create a fully integrated, creatively realized theatrical world. It’s a thrill and quite moving to behold. Ms. Mitchell’s gorgeous jazz and folk-infused through-composed score remains a wonder, and it sounds simply spectacular live in the theater. The cast is extraordinary, with each of the principals placing indelible stamps on their respective characters. In particular, Patrick Page (Hades), Amber Gray (Persephone), and Andre De Shields (Hermes), bring the house down with the remarkable intensity and of their characterizations. There’s no doubt about it, Hadestown is the musical to beat this season.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

 

HADESTOWN
Broadway, Musical
Walter Kerr Theatre
2 hours, 30 minutes (with one intermission)
Open run

Categories: Broadway, Theater

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