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meteordustI've spent years deliberately not listening to songs from Hadestown, not watching clips of Hadestown, and avoiding spoilers for Hadestown. Because I knew I wanted to see it one day. (I guess it fell into that middle zone of me being invested enough to want to be unspoiled, but not so invested that I had to check it out right away.)
Anyway. It finally came to Australia! I saw it at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, and later it will move to Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.
Was it worth the wait? Totally! I loved it from the very first moment. Me, I'm the audience for this.
Expectations
What I knew going in:
1) It's based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but in a modern day setting, with Hades as a company town.
2) The music is kind of jazz and folk?
3) People have opinions about the Act 1 closing number.
The cast
Everyone was awesome. I always think it's a shame that we rarely get Australian cast recordings, because there's so much talent here. And sometimes this is the version I want to listen to over and over at home.
* Hermes - One reason I was excited about this production, was that the headliner was Christine Anu, living legend. She was fantastic as the narrator Hermes. (I also loved that she got to use her Australian accent!)
* Eurydice - Abigail Adriano was Kim in a recent Miss Saigon production. So you know she can bring it. And she did. Intensity, and the ache of a cynic who starts to believe.
* Orpheus - Whenever you're trying to convey a character who's the best singer in the world, you've got a lot to live up to. Noah Mullins gave Orpheus a sincerity and vulnerability that really stood out. I could believe his singing could make the stones weep.
* Persephone - Elenoa Rokobaro lit up the stage whenever she appeared, bringing the vibrant energy of spring, and the underlying strength.
* Hades - Adrian Tamburini is an opera singer! A deep bass voice fits Hades perfectly. Also made an interesting contrast to Orpheus's lighter and higher voice.
The story
A lot of stuff happened! But this is what I had the most feelings about.
I know the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. But I wanted to go into Hadestown unspoiled, because what if they changed the ending? And then that turned out to be the whole damn point of the story. They played me beautifully, and it was devastating and amazing.
Hermes says up front at the start, "It's a sad tale, it's a tragedy" and "We're gonna sing it anyway" and "Maybe it will turn out this time".
And then when it happens - The Moment - and Hermes says, "It's a sad song, but we sing it anyway" and continues with:
"'Cause here's the thing
To know how it ends
And still begin to sing it again
As if it might turn out this time
I learned that from a friend of mine"
It gave me so many feelings. It feels trite to describe it as meta, but it just crystallised so much about storytelling and human nature and mortality and belief.
Another part that gave me a lot of feelings. In the underworld, where love threatens to start a revolution. And the power of Orpheus's song. When the workers are singing, "Show the way the world could be. If you can do it, so can she. If she can do it, so can we." That maybe they can walk out of hell. Damn. So hopeful and heartbreaking.
And about that Act 1 closing number. I agree that "Wait for Me" is the kind of big emotional finale that I love and that normally works well to close an act. But, as others have pointed out, it's the Act 1 closing number for a version of Hadestown where Orpheus doesn't look back. It's making a certain promise to the audience. So instead, you need the sinister and unsettling "Why We Build the Wall", to set the tone. So I get why they did that.
Final thoughts
I just keep thinking. About Orpheus's song. About the story and its themes. Art can change the world. Art can show you how the world could be. You have to dream it before you can make it happen. But it's hard to think about those things when you've starving and cold. It benefits those in power to keep you starving and cold, because then you don't have the time and energy to think about anything else. It feels like you don't have the luxury for art then. But imagining another possibility is the first step in changing the status quo. The human capacity for hope is persistent. As humans, we keep on dreaming, even when it seems impossible, maybe especially when it seems impossible. We keep on dreaming that it could be different. Maybe this time.
No matter how many times history smacks us down, humans keep asking, "Yeah, but what if?"
Anyway. Not just a banging musical. Hadestown, everyone.
A random comment online
"I tried the 'Orpheus Challenge' in a Costco with my boyfriend and made it like 15 feet before looking because I was so scared to just leave him behind in a busy ass Costco"
Australian trailer
Anyway. It finally came to Australia! I saw it at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, and later it will move to Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.
Was it worth the wait? Totally! I loved it from the very first moment. Me, I'm the audience for this.
Expectations
What I knew going in:
1) It's based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but in a modern day setting, with Hades as a company town.
2) The music is kind of jazz and folk?
3) People have opinions about the Act 1 closing number.
The cast
Everyone was awesome. I always think it's a shame that we rarely get Australian cast recordings, because there's so much talent here. And sometimes this is the version I want to listen to over and over at home.
* Hermes - One reason I was excited about this production, was that the headliner was Christine Anu, living legend. She was fantastic as the narrator Hermes. (I also loved that she got to use her Australian accent!)
* Eurydice - Abigail Adriano was Kim in a recent Miss Saigon production. So you know she can bring it. And she did. Intensity, and the ache of a cynic who starts to believe.
* Orpheus - Whenever you're trying to convey a character who's the best singer in the world, you've got a lot to live up to. Noah Mullins gave Orpheus a sincerity and vulnerability that really stood out. I could believe his singing could make the stones weep.
* Persephone - Elenoa Rokobaro lit up the stage whenever she appeared, bringing the vibrant energy of spring, and the underlying strength.
* Hades - Adrian Tamburini is an opera singer! A deep bass voice fits Hades perfectly. Also made an interesting contrast to Orpheus's lighter and higher voice.
The story
A lot of stuff happened! But this is what I had the most feelings about.
I know the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. But I wanted to go into Hadestown unspoiled, because what if they changed the ending? And then that turned out to be the whole damn point of the story. They played me beautifully, and it was devastating and amazing.
Hermes says up front at the start, "It's a sad tale, it's a tragedy" and "We're gonna sing it anyway" and "Maybe it will turn out this time".
And then when it happens - The Moment - and Hermes says, "It's a sad song, but we sing it anyway" and continues with:
"'Cause here's the thing
To know how it ends
And still begin to sing it again
As if it might turn out this time
I learned that from a friend of mine"
It gave me so many feelings. It feels trite to describe it as meta, but it just crystallised so much about storytelling and human nature and mortality and belief.
Another part that gave me a lot of feelings. In the underworld, where love threatens to start a revolution. And the power of Orpheus's song. When the workers are singing, "Show the way the world could be. If you can do it, so can she. If she can do it, so can we." That maybe they can walk out of hell. Damn. So hopeful and heartbreaking.
And about that Act 1 closing number. I agree that "Wait for Me" is the kind of big emotional finale that I love and that normally works well to close an act. But, as others have pointed out, it's the Act 1 closing number for a version of Hadestown where Orpheus doesn't look back. It's making a certain promise to the audience. So instead, you need the sinister and unsettling "Why We Build the Wall", to set the tone. So I get why they did that.
Final thoughts
To the world we dream about
and the one we live in now
I just keep thinking. About Orpheus's song. About the story and its themes. Art can change the world. Art can show you how the world could be. You have to dream it before you can make it happen. But it's hard to think about those things when you've starving and cold. It benefits those in power to keep you starving and cold, because then you don't have the time and energy to think about anything else. It feels like you don't have the luxury for art then. But imagining another possibility is the first step in changing the status quo. The human capacity for hope is persistent. As humans, we keep on dreaming, even when it seems impossible, maybe especially when it seems impossible. We keep on dreaming that it could be different. Maybe this time.
No matter how many times history smacks us down, humans keep asking, "Yeah, but what if?"
Anyway. Not just a banging musical. Hadestown, everyone.
A random comment online
"I tried the 'Orpheus Challenge' in a Costco with my boyfriend and made it like 15 feet before looking because I was so scared to just leave him behind in a busy ass Costco"
Australian trailer
no subject
Date: 2025-02-26 01:56 pm (UTC)I started reading the book about the lyrics! Turns out there's an audiobook version, so I've been listening to that. It's fascinating to hear about all the evolutions and choices. Including the problem of making Orpheus more likeable. Because I had no problem liking him in this version. For the most part anyway - I think the most unsympathetic moments are (1) when he's so busy writing that he doesn't hear Eurydice (it's a bit of a Great Man situation, working on his Big Ideas, while his wife is having to make sure people are fed and clothed) and (2) when he turns around (you had one job! though I feel it's really the Fates with their thumbs on the scale).
But learning that Hermes telling Eurydice, "He's not like any man you've met", was originally Orpheus's line, "I'm not like any man you've met" - wow, totally different impact! No wonder early audiences thought Orpheus wasn't very sympathetic. And it's impressive that who delivers a line can make that much difference.
And it was interesting what Anaïs Mitchell said about the scene before the storm - if Orpheus dismisses or ignores Eurydice, the audience will start to hate him. But if Orpheus does nothing wrong, the audience will start to hate Eurydice for abandoning him. It must be really hard to navigate that.
I read somewhere online that the reset beginning has a few differences from the first time around - hinting that maybe enough might have changed to make a difference this time? Kind of like a Groundhog Day. I find it kind of hopeful. I want to believe it anyway.
At the same time, I find the fact that Orpheus failed kind of galvanising instead of depressing? Maybe the way a bad ending inspires fix-it fic. With everything going on in the world, the songs feel very relevant and anthemic. I think I'll probably be listening to them a lot.