Hadestown is my all-time favorite musical and I finally got to see it, which means I must write all about it.
I saw the National Tour at the Ahmanson in Los Angeles and I’m not kidding when I say it was truly a magical experience. Admittedly my expectations were high given how much I love the show, but I am glad they were met.
Probably the biggest highlight for me was having the complete picture of the show with its staging. While I’ve seen snippets of the show and know the album almost by heart, finally seeing the story and music come to life on stage was the best part. I was smiling through the whole opening number, my jaw was dropped during Wait for Me, and I nearly cried during the closing number. And overall I was wowed by it all.
There were some things that didn’t play out how I imagined, but that doesn’t equate to them being bad. A few numbers I had pictured being staged differently, like Our Lady of the Underground. And while I may have preferred it my way, I still enjoyed those numbers.
As for the cast, the scene stealers were really Persephone (Kimberly Marable) and Hades (Kevyn Morrow). For me, they always were and are the ones that made me fall in love with the show at its off-Broadway stage. Hermes was an interesting casting and the actor, Levi Kreis, really made the character his own. It wasn’t like how Andres de Shields originated the role. But I’m glad for that because I don’t think that could be replicated. Having every Hermes, even from off-Broadway, make him their own makes it special in my opinion.
As for the leading lovers, we had the understudy, Sydney Parra, for Eurydice and she was wonderful in the role. It made me wonder what the main actress would do with the role because Parra really captured what I’d expect from Eurydice. Now for Orpheus, I must admit he’s never been my favorite character in the show. I do think Nicholas Barasch performed the role well. But I also think I prefer what Reeve Carney does with it. Also, in my opinion, Orpheus is not that important. He’s more of a catalyst character that causes the story to move, and the rest of the cast adds the depth that I love.
Even with some things I would have liked to see done differently, I still loved seeing the show. I left and already wanted to see it again. I even said that Hadestown is the show I’d see again and again given the opportunity. It’s a really special show that I highly recommend everyone see.
Still waiting for my chance to see Hadestown- at least it is touring to my hometown in November