Not only are Broadway shows finally reopening, but touring shows have returned as well. One of these is “Hadestown,” currently in the middle of its national tour of 34 cities. “Hadestown” is a musical tragedy, following the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. 

“Hadestown” was written by Anaïs Mitchell. Mitchell first released the album in 2010 as a concept piece before developing it into a stage musical in 2016. Its debut was at the Citadel Theater in Canada a year after. From Canada, the show traveled to different theaters before landing on Broadway on Apr. 17, 2019. The original Broadway cast starred Reeve Carney as Orpheus and Eva Noblezada as Eurydice. During the 2019 Tony’s, the original cast had 14 nominations and won 8 awards, including Best Musical. They also won the 2020 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater Album. 

Throughout the show, the set remains the same, appearing as a New Orleans-style bar, which reflects the genre of music used. They use a mix of pyrotechnics and theatrical smoke to add drama and depth to the show. The set employs a simplistic design, with few changes throughout. This works very well as it allows viewers to focus more on the actors and musicians than set choices.

“Hadestown” is played locally at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. I was lucky enough to see the show with its touring cast, starring Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus and Morgan Siobhan Green as Eurydice. The actors’ voices and the musicians were impressive and gave the show a professional, Broadway feel. 

5/5 Stars