WE’LL SING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN: THE GREEK TRAGEDY OF THE HIT BROADWAY MUSICAL HADESTOWN (2019)

Written by our staff media reviewer, Kei.

Whenever you ask me what my favorite musical is, I will always, without a doubt, say Hadestown. I was first introduced to the 2019 production in the middle of my freshman year, where I was scrolling through Tiktok and came across a video of Reeve Carney – who played Orpheus in the original cast – singing the chorus of “Wait for Me.” I remember stopping mid-scroll and replaying the short video over and over, completely stunned. 

From that moment on, I was hooked. I went straight to the cast recording, and by the time the opening number, “Road to Hell” finished playing, I knew I would really love this musical. Even by just listening to the songs, without seeing the stage or its blocking, I felt like I was being transported to a completely different world. 

Eventually, I ended up watching a bootleg of the show on Youtube, and even through the graininess of my laptop screen, everything felt so real to me. Seeing the staging during songs like “Wait for Me” – where during the chorus, Orpheus holds out a carnation while the lanterns from the set are swung towards the audience from the “workers” (aka the show’s ensemble) – completely changed how I heard the music when I first listened to it, it was now a full emotional experience.

“All I’ve Ever Known” was the first song that really broke my heart. Orpheus and Eurydice sound so hopeful, and this is the first time in the musical where Eurydice decides to let her walls down because so far throughout the production, she’s only ever looked out for herself, but now she’s ready to give up her loneliness. Later in the show, “Flowers,” – which is Eurydice’s solo in the second act – she reflects on her decision of signing her life away to the underworld, while also reminiscing on how wonderful the world above was. Towards the end of the show, “Doubt Comes In,” is one of the most devastating songs ever. The penultimate song shows both the overwhelming madness of Orpheus’s feelings and the devastating moment when Orpheus turns around and sends Eurydice to the underworld forever. It’s one moment of hesitation that occurs, that not just ruins everything for the two of them, but I truly believe that Orpheus turns purely out of love.

Even without seeing Hadestown live, these songs (and the one grainy Youtube recording) have made sure that this will always be my favorite show. If the soundtrack alone can do this much damage to my heart, I can’t imagine what the full show will do to me when I finally get the chance to see it onstage.