Hadestown

It does not happen very often, but every once in a while you think to yourself, “this is one of the best shows I have ever seen.” Hadestown is one of the all-time best. It did win the Tony Award for “Best Musical” in 2019, and it is still running on Broadway six years later, so others must agree with me.

Hadestown is the heartbreaking love story of Orpheus and Eurydice and also features Hades and Persephone. Even though most people know the ending, this production is so good that there were screams in the audience, followed by crying. This show stays with you after you leave.

The New York production is significantly better than the tour, as the sound, lighting, set, and cast are phenomenal. This is one to see in New York. For example, on the Broadway stage, characters actually do transport underground via a trap door, which is not possible at many tour venues. This also makes for a much more dramatic ending (I do not recall the screams from the audience at the tour production).

The sound quality at Walter Kerr Theatre is excellent, and the sound engineering of Hadestown is among the best I have experienced. The lighting is also excellent in this show, and the set is impressive.

This show and this cast are as close to perfection as you can get. This is also true of the orchestra.

The cast I experienced included Ali Louis Bourzgui as Orpheus, Myra Molloy as Eurydice, Lana Gordon as Persephone, Phillip Boykin as Hades, and Daniel Breaker as Hermes. This cast, including the fates and workers chorus, is one of the best casts I have seen on Broadway.

This show is a priority to see.

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