From the moment the cast ran out onto the stage at DPAC to thundering appause Tuesday night I knew I was in for a treat. There is a good reason Hadestown has won eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score – the show is FANTASTIC!!
The touring production of Hadestown is every bit as magical as the original Broadway production.. The show is anchored by a phenomenal cast that make each iconic role their own and leave everything on stage. I also loved loved loved that the band was on stage and the fact that a trombone played such a prominent role in so many of the musical numbers. That trombone player was amazing by the way!!
No spoilers here, but of course it is widely understood that Hadestown is the retelling of the acient Greek myth of of Orpheus and Eurydice where Orpheus must travel to the Underworld to try to rescue his lover from the clutches of Hades. It uses modern stagecraft and music blending New Orleans jazz, funk, Caribbean rhythms that put a fun rhapsodic and modern spin on this old tale.
I loved everything about this production, from the set to the lighting, but the music and cast are the main focus and truly shine as they bring this tragic myth to life. Levi Kreis is wonderful as Hermes, giving of a Squirrel Nut Zippers type vibe as he entrances the audience with his wit and humor as he plays the fleet-footed narrator guiding souls to the underworld.
Both Kimberly Marble and Kevyn Morrow are splendid as Persphone and Hades too. But for me Morgan Siobhan Green’s fierce but troubled Eurydice and Nicholas Barasch’s youthful and earnest Orpheus shine brightest when they are on stage. Of course their romance is cut short as the young lovers are torn apart by the dangers in the world swirling around poverty and inattention all the while the quarreling gods wrestle with control and fighting their own personal vices and jealousy.
Hadestown is a magical journey to hell and back again that seems so timely given all the things going on in the world right now. It was great to be back at DPAC and experience such a wonderful show after the uncertainty of the past two years. In the end, this wonderful production will leave you with a positive outlook beleiving in the transcendent power of music and love and the ability of both to touch the soul and perhaps even make our turbulent world a better place in the end.
Hadestown shows at DPAC through this Sunday, February 27th. I highly recommend you see this show before it departs the Bull City! To get tickets visit https://www.dpacnc.com/events/detail/hadestown.
The Triangle Explorer 