I guess I had been living under a rock.
I was not familiar with the Broadway phenomenon that is “Hadestown,” nor was I aware that it had been in Seattle all-too-briefly in 2022.
The phrase “back by popular demand” would seem to apply here with the return engagement of this touring show, at Seattle’s Paramount Theatre through Nov. 5.
The fact that my Broadway-savvy teen was willing to go see it on Halloween should have told me something. Ditto the enthusiasm of the crowd, from beginning to end.
Amaya Braganza in “Hadestown” North American Tour, at Seattle’s Paramount Theater through Nov. 5. (Photo by T. Charles Erickson)
‘Hadestown’ review
“Hadestown” opened on Broadway in April 2019, won eight Tony Awards that year and was having a successful run before the pandemic shutdown. It was one of the first musicals to reopen on Broadway in September 2021, and the current North American tour launched October 15, 2021.
Creator Anaïs Mitchell conceived the show as an indie theater project, and it became a popular album before hitting the Broadway stage. “Hadestown” marks the first time in over a decade — and only the fourth time ever — that a woman has been the solo author of a musical. That means she wrote the music, lyrics and book.
“Hadestown” follows two intertwining love stories — Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife, Persephone. It is described as “a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.” In addition, it is said to deliver “a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.”
Speaking of living under a rock, I am a little embarrassed to be the outlier and say that I’m not totally climbing on the “Hadestown” bandwagon. Maybe it’s my lack of background with mythology, but the story just didn’t touch me the way it clearly did some people. And you know how it is when a tale is told all in song: It’s possible to miss some of the finer points or subtleties.
Having said that, though, I’m also in the camp of: Time spent watching live theater is never time poorly spent. Lana Gordon is spectacular as Persephone, and I also loved Will Mann as Hermes, the narrator.
My daughter was a much bigger fan. She was all in with the themes of love and hope and described the show as “one of the most visually stunning” she had ever seen.
Also, she expresses her fandom by exploring cast members’ social media sites, and that led her to the tidbit that Colin Lemoine, technically an understudy, was playing Orpheus that night. (Another news outlet’s review found him to be a weak point, but I didn’t agree.)
We debated what ages of kids would enjoy and appreciate “Hadestown.” She thought anyone over about 10; I put the number at least a couple of years higher. Also know: The story is sad. It’s a mythological tragedy. There’s no avoiding it. But I’m pretty sure no one left the theater in tears.
This run of “Hadestown” is at Seattle’s Paramount Theater only through Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023.
