When the stage went dark and signaled the end of the show, Hadestown, two weeks ago, the audience in the San Diego Civics Theatre erupted in deafening applause. Having clapped after every song, my palms already hurt, but that didn’t deter me from clapping loud and hard, cheering as the actors did their bows. At that point, everyone was standing. But the actors had one final song to sing before taking their leave. As they sang “We Raise Our Cups,” we all remained standing and that simple change in dynamic made me feel like I was a part of the experience instead of just watching from the other side of the window. The imaginary walls that separated the audience from the show blurred as the actors raised their cups in a toast to “Orpheus and all of us.” An old lady in front of me even mimed holding up a cup to toast with them. As an actor sang the words “Goodnight brothers, goodnight” a wave of dejection washed over me, not ready for the show to end. When the actors finally left the stage, waving goodbyes and making hand hearts at us, I waved enthusiastically and hollered, a smile plastered on my face.
Even after having listened to the official recording of Hadestown countless times, I wasn’t prepared for the euphonious vocals that blessed my ears nor the heart-wrenching acting my eyes witnessed that night.
Hadestown is a musical based on the mythological story of Orpheus and Eurydice. It stars a charismatic Hermes as the narrator of the show and antagonizes Hades, who steals Eurydice from Orpheus. From there, Orpheus begins his painstaking journey to Hadestown to bring back Eurydice, singing his iconic song “Wait For Me” on a fog-covered stage with lanterns swinging back and forth. When he reaches Hadestown and finds Eurydice, he sings a moving tribute to Hades and Persephone’s forgotten love, rekindling This successfully sways the God of the underworld to let them both go. However, there is one condition: Orpheus has to walk in front of Eurydice on their way back to the world above without looking back. As warned in the opening song “Road to Hell,” the tale is a tragedy, and my watery eyes were devastated.
Not only is the musical well-written, the actors were amazing in all aspects. When I told my aunt about my plans to go watch Hadestown, she said not to expect as much from a tour cast as I would the Broadway cast in New York. I’ll have to inform my aunt that she was sorely mistaken. Not only did the singing match with — and dare I say surpass — the studio recordings, each actor added their own unique riffs and vocal quirks to the melodies, conveying unique personalities through the music.
Usually, the musical has intricate set pieces that can move, the highlight being a rotating stage that actors walk across. Though the San Diego Civic Theatre had no such stage, the dramatic choreography beautifully covered it up, making the rotating stage completely unnecessary.
Hadestown is also very unique with its instrumental choices. Unlike most musicals that have orchestras in pits between the audience and stage, all the instruments were played onstage, either by designated musicians on either side or the actors themselves. The fact that actors were able to sing, dance, and play instruments boggled my mind.
The cast was small relative to most other musicals, but they were no less professional and no less skillful. Heightened choreography, gripping voices, detachable set pieces, and so much more all came together to create one electrifying, unforgettable experience.