“It’s a sad tale, it’s a tragedy!” What a way to start a musical, right? The velvety voice of André de Shields telling you right away: this story will end in heartbreak, but we’re still going to tell it.
Hadestown, written by AnaĂŻs Mitchell, reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and sets it in Depression-era America. The original tale is about Orpheus trying to rescue Eurydice from the Underworld, but he can only do this if he doesn’t turn around as they walk out (spoiler: he does!). In the musical, the Underworld, “Hadestown,” is an industrialized mining town with Hades as its ruthless leader. The dead are sentenced to non-stop identity-less work, adding a discussion of socioeconomic inequality to a classic tale. Mitchell draws on folk and jazz influences and pairs them with beautiful choreography and set design, making Hadestown a must-see that teaches us the importance of telling stories even when we know they will end in agony.
my introduction to “hadestown”
I first discovered Hadestown in 2020 while mindlessly scrolling on TikTok. I’ve always loved Greek mythology and musical theater, so I gave the original Broadway cast recording a listen. I was immediately drawn in from the opening call-and-response of “Road to Hell,” and the spirited ensemble singing “Way Down Hadestown” solidified that this would be my favorite musical.Â
In 2023, I was able to see the show live on Broadway, featuring Jordan Fisher as Orpheus and Solea Pfeiffer as Eurydice. I was blown away. Listening to it is one thing, watching it live is another. Hearing the songs echo around the theater while seeing the story take place on stage creates a magical experience.
The beginning of Hadestown takes place aboveground, with a minimalistic set made up of wooden tables and chairs, and an on-stage orchestra that makes you feel like you’re in an intimate jazz bar in New Orleans. During the penultimate song of Act 1, “Wait For Me,” Orpheus makes his journey to the Underworld. It is a stomach-turning shock seeing the walls open to reveal fiery red lights behind them as large hanging lanterns swing out towards the audience. It makes the boundary between the living and the dead an actual, physical wall, which I didn’t understand until I saw it live.Â
Seeing the theatrical design and on-stage orchestra drops the audience into the story, allowing them to fully understand its impact. Seeing it live was an incredible experience that I would recommend to anyone who can go.
The proshot
If you can’t make the show live, there is another way! In 2025, principal members of the original cast reprised their roles on the West End to film a professionally-shot recording to be released in theaters. “Proshots,” as they’re called, are becoming an increasingly popular form of getting theater to the masses, especially since Hamilton (2020). Hadestown: The Musical was released in theaters July 24. The film had the best opening weekend for a live theater capture, even surpassing Hamilton, grossing $10.2 million!
Filming live theater adds another layer of artistry to the production, using cinematography and editing to add interpretations and highlight subtle moments that may be missed if you’re sitting in the back row of the mezzanine.
Framing of a shot can convey power dynamics and emotions, and Hadestown: The Musical does this with Hades and Eurydice. The first time Hades (played by Patrick Page) sees Eurydice, the camera switches focus between them, with Eurydice in the foreground and Hades looming as this all-powerful danger behind her. They revisit this framing in “Chant,” emphasizing Hades’ dominance and directly showing Eurydice’s vulnerability.
The camera captures Page’s menacing gaze and twitching eye when he is angry. It also captures Gray’s exceptionally expressive face that conveys drunken avoidance of problems to intense emotional pain. By calling attention to the subtleties in the acting, the film can build emotion and character dynamics, adding to the heartache.
Live theater lets the audience choose where to look and take in the scene as a whole. Film lets the director place them at a specific viewpoint, drawing attention to certain moments that add to the audience’s interpretation of characters and power.Â
political undertones
The Act 1 closer, “Why We Build the Wall,” sung by Hades and a chorus of Underworld workers, summarizes the political undertones of the musical. The song is Hades reinforcing to his workers why they stay working for him.
“Why do we build the wall? / We build the wall to keep us free… / Who do we call the enemy? / The enemy is poverty / And the wall keeps out the enemy.”
Hades keeps control of his workers by creating a common enemy of poverty, convincing them that building a wall will keep them safe. Later on, they change their chant, singing “Why do we build the wall and then call it freedom?” They realize they are being taken advantage of, and, while they don’t immediately gain independence, they have a newfound solidarity that questions the system Hades has enforced on them.Â
This storyline represents ways that economic insecurity can be used to divide and control people. The workers have been stripped of their identity and are literally dead, and the one exploiting them is a god. The mythological characters are used to dramatize real-world political dynamics that are used to take advantage of vulnerable communities.
Hadestown is more than just a tragic love story; it’s a commentary on class relations and labor exploitation.Â
a tragedy, retold
The classic tale ends when Orpheus turns around, losing Eurydice. While this happens in Hadestown, this is not the ending. When Eurydice tragically descends back to the Underworld, and the whole audience is stunned into silence, Hermes comes out and reprises his first song. He says my favorite line in the whole show: “It’s a sad song / But we sing it anyway / ‘Cause here’s the thing / To know how it ends / And still begin to sing it again / As if it might turn out this time.” At this moment, the stage is reset to its original scene, and Eurydice comes in like she does in the beginning. The story starts over. For the actors, the story literally repeats, as Broadway shows typically run eight performances a week!
In this repetition lies the heart of the musical. Rather than live in fear of getting hurt, Hadestown teaches us to enjoy the journey through life, even if we get a few scraped knees along the way. These experiences are what make life meaningful. After all, all of our stories will end one day. It’s why you can watch a tragedy and still feel joy and love for the characters. And it’s why every time you watch the show, even if you know the ending, there’s a small part of you that hopes Orpheus won’t look back.