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Is the trip to Broadway's heralded sensation, Hadestown, worth the price? Is it?
We're sorry to say, probably not.
Oh, we know that Hadestown is a tough ticket and the show's not about to close anytime soon. And we understand supply and demand. But we just can't understand the seemingly endless stampede to see this show.
We had already decided not to purchase those overpriced tickets for the Broadway production. So, to save a lot of dough, we opted for the national production which is currently appearing at Philadelphia's Academy of Music.
Hadestown's music, lyrics and book are by Anaïs Mitchell who says she took ten years to create and perfect the show. Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales—that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. It invites you to what is calls "a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back."
The journey that you take, though highly stylized, all takes place on a single set where the cast interprets the story in a sort of cabaret. The staging is spare with a cast of 18 and a relatively small eight-piece band on the stage playing music described as "indie folk" that incorporates jazz, blues, folk and ethnic elements. The story itself is heavily narrated by a slick character called Hermes and he's assisted by lots of inventive lighting and the preverbal smoke and mirrors.
Remember: this is based on several myths. So, it's other-worldly and full of parables and legends and complicated tales. This makes for a show that is dark, heavy and preachy at times.
And, we'll warn you now: there is no happy ending!
The production that we saw was unquestionably first-rate, certainly of Broadway quality. The voices were outstanding. The acting, the movements, the lighting -- everything was top-notch and highly synchronized. Parts of the show are really quite magical in their own right.
It's worth noting though that Hadestown borrows elements from other successful shows of similar genre. It borrows from Pippin (the jerky Fosse movements and narrative) and Hamilton (the spare staging and center turntable) and Candide (the fantastical story) and The Bands Visit (the instruments on the stage). But it's not as engaging or as interesting or as meaningful as any of the shows we've just mentioned.
Frankly, it was difficult for us to become emotionally involved with any of the characters. Now, there were obviously Hadestown groupies in the audience (people who had seen the show and/or heard the music more than once) and they cheered and whistled mightily.
Which brings us back to the loyal following -- the almost cult audience -- that has propelled the show and continues to drive demand.
But this is not a mainstream show.
Which may explain why the national tour was launched relatively early in the show's Broadway run. We're grateful for that since if we had paid Broadway prices for this one we would have been sadly disappointed.
It's worth noting though that Hadestown borrows elements from other successful shows of similar genre. It borrows from Pippin (the jerky Fosse movements and narrative) and Hamilton (the spare staging and center turntable) and Candide (the fantastical story) and The Bands Visit (the instruments on the stage). But it's not as engaging or as interesting or as meaningful as any of the shows we've just mentioned.
Frankly, it was difficult for us to become emotionally involved with any of the characters. Now, there were obviously Hadestown groupies in the audience (people who had seen the show and/or heard the music more than once) and they cheered and whistled mightily.
Which brings us back to the loyal following -- the almost cult audience -- that has propelled the show and continues to drive demand.
But this is not a mainstream show.
Which may explain why the national tour was launched relatively early in the show's Broadway run. We're grateful for that since if we had paid Broadway prices for this one we would have been sadly disappointed.
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