HADESTOWN takes you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone.
A deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience, HADESTOWN invites you to imagine how the world could be.
The hotly anticipated Broadway transfer of Hadestown has just arrived in the West End and this musical dark romance, which is a reimagining of a classic Greek mythological tale, is sure to make a splash.
Following on from the current trend of gig musicals Hadestown uses the ‘tell not show’ approach of having the band and performers on stage, singing to story directly to the audience, largely in one location. It’s a choice that can be controversial but given the long history of Greek myths and the way they were passed from person to person, I think this works really well here.
The show has a slow start but slowly builds and as we meet Hades it really hits its stride. Both Hades and Hermes provide the engine of the show, giving it energy and pulling the show forward. Speaking of these characters, both of them are excellently performed with fantastically strong vocals by both Zachary James and Melanie La Barrie respectively. James in particular has an amazing stage presence and the song Way Down Hadestown comes at a much-needed moment in the pacing of the show.
The staging is relatively simple for a musical of this size but the atmosphere and stylisation of it works well, especially when we find ourselves in the ‘factory’ setting of Hadestown. The lighting design by Bradley King adds to this and is noteworthy in the way it transforms the space and adds to the emotions throughout.
I did find myself wishing this performance had more of an emotional or dramatic core, however. Whilst there’s no doubt that this is a good show and it’s sure to have its die-hard fans, I found myself waiting for the key emotional moment to grab the audience and make that all-important connection.
The darker elements of this tragic love story are certainly where is at its best. Hadestown is on at the Lyric Theatre until December 2024 .
