The genre-defying, multi-award-winning, smash-hit Broadway sensation, Hadestown has finally made its way down to Sydneytown – and it’s unlike any musical you’ve ever seen or heard. With industrial steampunk aesthetics, a soulful jazz-folk fusion, and even a comment on our dying world, this is a brave new world for musical theatre.
The Down Under debut of Hadestown opened at the Theatre Royal Sydney to a ready-made fanbase. There’s a lot of hype surrounding this show – the Broadway production picked up eight Tony Awards (including Best Musical for 2019) and still plays to packed houses today, and there’s also the highly successful West End production and the North American tour.
An incisive adaptation of the age-old myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Hadestown is the brainchild of indie-folk musician Anaïs Mitchell (with very clear influences from Justin Vernon, aka Bon Iver, who appeared on the 2010 studio album). It started its life as a song cycle, and then a studio album, and now it’s a fully-formed stage musical with a dedicated international following.
Hadestown is a spectacular challenge to what we think a musical is and can be
Like many fans, I discovered Hadestown via the studio album and the Broadway recording. With such a strong, atmospheric tone, the music doesn’t even need visuals to shine – featuring everything from chugging vocal sounds, deep growling singing, floating falsettos, muted trombones, a train whistle, and heavy acoustic guitars. Hadestown is the musical I always recommend to people who say they “don’t like musicals”. It doesn’t sound how you think a musical “should” sound – and for those of us who do love a show-tune, the fusion of New Orleans-style jazz with modern folk is an exciting, new and expansive example of musical storytelling.
In this version of the myth, Hermes (played here by the inimitable Christine Anu) is a kind of narrator, both commenting on and participating in the action. We are introduced to Orpheus (Noah Mullins; West Side Story, Jagged Little Pill), the son of a muse, a penniless poet who is working on a song that he believes has the power to bring back spring (which is getting shorter by the year, due to Hades’ greed). Orpheus meets and quickly becomes infatuated with Eurydice (Abigail Adriano; Miss Saigon), a tough young woman searching for warmth, shelter, and something to eat. Love is the last thing on her mind, and while she initially resists the advances of the poor boy chasing her, she is soon drawn in by the promise of his song.
Orpheus and Eurydice live in a world of dark browns and greys, a world where the spring is a short reprieve from the cold and barren winter. Below ground, the powerful Hades (opera singer Adrian Tamburini) rules over Hadestown, a brutal factory where a workforce of wayward souls toil away for eternity in exchange for never feeling the pain of hunger again. With Orpheus distracted by working on his song, Hades tricks a vulnerable Eurydice into signing her life away. Parallel to all of this, the story of Hades and his love Persephone (Elenoa Rokobaro; Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill) – goddess of the seasons, bringer of spring – is simmering away, his golden canary slipping out of his clutches. And all the while, a menacing trio of Fates watch on.
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Associate director Tiffani Swalley (who also worked on Hadestown's Broadway run and the US tour) brings Rachel Chavkin’s original post-apocalyptic vision to the Australian stage. Rachel Hauck’s scenic design is “firmly rooted in music hall and oil rig” – which brings a heavy industrial backing to the themes of love, poverty, and collective power in the face of wealthy masters. The action begins in what looks like a large wooden saloon, with a circular revolve flanked by on-stage musicians – a honky tonk piano sits on the left, and a scene-stealing trombonist just off to the right. A balcony overlooks the action, where Hades and Persephone are often perched, keeping a watchful eye on the world of men and their troubles. The swinging of huge pendulum lights during the stand-out musical number ‘Wait for Me’ make for a particularly awe-inspiring moment. Meanwhile, Michael Krass’s costumes carry through the steampunk influences – with Hermes in a slick silver suit, Hades sporting a glinting watch and pinstripes, and the chorus of workers laden in leather overalls and goggles.
Christine Anu brings a cheeky irreverence to the role of Hermes, she makes it totally her own, with a broad Australian accent and incredible pipes to boot. This role has been played by both men and women, however having a female Hermes, as compared to a male in the original, brings a brighter aspect to the score, which is a real treat. The chorus and musicians are a tight unit, keeping the railroad of the music and movement chugging along. Elenoa Rokobaro is effervescent as Persephone, with wild movement and a bright stage presence that cannot be ignored. As Hades, Adrian Tamburini has an impressive lower range that resonates throughout the theatre – perfectly eerie. Sarah Murr, Jennifer Trijo and Imani Williams take the stage as the menacing Fates, their floating skirts and leather harnesses barely containing their energy and deftly layered harmonies.
As the romantic leads, Abigail Adriano and Noah Mullins have a wonderful chemistry – the earnest, soft spoken lover boy is a perfect foil to Eurydice’s sharp edges. They are more than adequate versions of their Broadway counterparts, although there is perhaps some work still to do to settle into the score. (However, this could be partially attributed to the audio issues that have sporadically haunted productions at the Theatre Royal since its reopening, leading to a show stop on opening night that dampened some of the show’s magic for both the audience and performers.)
Hadestown is a spectacular challenge to what we think a musical is and can be. Drawing on traditional folk and jazz styles only makes sense for musical theatre, and the radical, working class roots of the genres pulse through the story of Orpheus and Eurydice – prompting the audience to think about things like climate change, capitalism, exploitation and poverty, and what it means to find love in a dark world. It’s simply brilliant, and required viewing for musical lovers and haters alike.
This review is written by Charlotte Smee, with additional contributions from editor Alannah Le Cross (née Maher).
The Australian premiere of Hadestown is presented by Opera Australia and Jones Theatrical Group. It is playing now at the Theatre Royal Sydney. Tickets are on sale over here.
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