Spring Comes Again- Hadestown Stops by The Academy of Music for a Short Visit

photo by T. Charles Erickson

It’s never enough time. Hadestown, the Tony-winner for Best Musical in 2019, returns to the Academy of Music only through April 14th. If you don’t have your ticket for this journey to the underground and back again, what are you waiting for? Visit the Ensemble Arts website now because seats are limited!

Hadestown tells the story of mythical characters Orpheus and Eurydice, along with Hades and his wife Persephone, with the use of original jazz and big-band style music (think New Orleans, but in the underworld). You won’t be surprised that it won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album in 2020. Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell first started to perform the story and music live in 2006 and 2007, then recorded it as a concept album in 2010. Along with director Rachel Chavkin, a new stage version was developed and workshopped off Broadway in 2016 followed by productions in Canada and the UK. The show premiered on Broadway in 2019 where it is currently the 69th longest running production in Broadway history.

The cast features Amaya Braganza as Eurydice, Lana Gordon as Persephone, both performances are stunning. Will Mann as Hermes, Matthew Patrick Quinn as Hades, and John Krause as Orpheus. As a longtime Hadestown fan, I was especially excited to see Krause, an original Broadway cast member, take on the role of Orpheus. He’s the third person I’ve seen play the character and I am in love with his version of “Come Home With Me”, a perfect introduction to the character who wants to change the world with his song. Will Mann, who has also been a part of the Hadestown tour for a while, is a great Hermes. Mann performed as a worker last time I saw the show and I always wondered what he would be like as Hermes. It’s certainly his role.

This is a story about love, about trying (and not always succeeding), greed and temptations. What do we give into? What do we let go of whether we want to or not?

Hadestown is a unique theatrical experience that holds you from start to finish. The story and staging will take your breath away from the minute the cast walks on stage. And hopefully, if you’re like me, you’ll want to see it again and again.