Devon Chenelle ‘23
Staff Editor
Over Spring Break, I was fortunate to attend the Broadway production of the acclaimed musical Hadestown. As I’m certain many readers of this paper are soon headed to positions in Manhattan, and more still are excited for the return of live theater, I felt a review of this cultural masterpiece would serve my fellow students well.
I had avoided spoiling myself in any way, shape, or form prior to entering the play. All I was aware of was the title and the fact that, most likely, people would be singing and acting on a stage. These assumptions were correct. Additionally, from the title itself, I surmised there was a decent probability that the ancient Greek god of the underworld would on some level be involved in the action, but I was far from sure - perhaps, I wondered, there might be some other character named Hades, with only light inspiration from the ancient myth. However, once I arrived in the theater I found that, to my delight, the musical was to be a full adaptation of the ancient myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, wherein Orpheus descends into the underworld to rescue Eurydice, his lover. The action essentially follows along the lines of the ancient tale, except with Hades’ underworld cast as a center of industry, nativism (see Hades’ song Why We Build the Wall), and labor exploitation, in desperate need of some collective bargaining. To my further delight, I noticed the stage was laid out in the fashion of a Greek theater, with a half circle open towards the audience and descending stairs all around. Another delightful aspect of the stage was a descending platform in the middle, used to portray different characters' movement into the underworld. At this point, as a passionate, albeit amateur, student of the classics, I was practically giddy with excitement. As the lights dimmed and the production began, I settled in for a delightful performance.
Picture credit: Matthew Murphy of Vox.com
By far the highlight of the show was Eurydice, sung and played flawlessly by Eva Noblezada. Her All I’ve Ever Known (with accompaniment from Orpheus) is one of the best pieces I’ve heard in any musical, and I have been listening to it devoutly since exiting the play. Additionally, Persephone and Hades - Persephone especially - were excellent. Why We Build the Wall, sung by Hades and his collection of downtrodden industrial workers, was a rousing and catchy piece, with lyrics so obviously Trump-y (“We Build the Wall…to keep out poverty…to keep us safe” etc.) in their overtones I initially assumed the character was written as intentional political satire, before I learned the musical was actually written in 2006 (though subject to edits since then).
My only quibble is that I was a little underwhelmed by the performance of Sayo Oni as Orpheus. I felt, from both the original myth and the way the character was presented in the play, that his singing chops were supposed to be the feature of the show. Unfortunately, while I felt that his falsetto was pleasant, I was expecting Orpheus - for all the buzz - to carry the musical, perhaps even on the level of Idina Menzel in Wicked, or Chaim Topol in Fiddler on the Roof. However, this was not the case. Additionally, Orpheus’s big set piece song, Epic III, which was hyped up and anticipated for the entirety of the musical, and was supposed to serve as the climax of the plot’s action, fell a little flat to me. I was expecting something rousing and overwhelming like Defying Gravity or The Music of the Night. However, please note that insofar as this is a criticism, it merely reflects my expectations. I assumed Orpheus would be the focal point of the play. In truth, the real foci of my attention were Eurydice first and then Hades. Furthermore, Mr. Oni was an understudy for the part, and thus understandably may have felt somewhat less comfortable in the role than someone who has been performing it night after night. This, perhaps, renders my criticism a little unfair.
Picture credit: Show Score
One final note of chagrin: during intermission, I went to concessions to purchase two glasses of white wine, a bottle of water, and M&M’s. To my shock and horror, I learned - after the glasses had been poured, of course - that the purchase would run me $56. I feel certain this incident will haunt me well into my forties as I continue paying off my student loans.
In sum, Hadestown was an excellent production, and it was a tremendous relief amidst the general return to normalcy to again attend live theater after the tumult of the previous two years. A number of songs - chiefly All I’ve Ever Known, Why We Build the Wall, and Our Lady of the Underground - will enter into my permanent rotation, alongside other such musical classics as Look Down, Past the Point of No Return, and No One Mourns the Wicked. I recommend readers consider purchasing a ticket the next time they find themselves in the Big Apple.
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dnc9hu@virginia.edu