Pittsburgh City Paper: It’s an old tale from way back when. This is according to Hermes, the Greek god of luck and travel who narrates Hadestown, the much-acclaimed musical tragedy playing through Sun., Nov. 20 at the Benedum Center. He speaks to the audience as he assembles a troupe of performers over a propulsive trombone beat.
6 comments:
I am watching Hadestown this weekend for the first time and am definitely very excited. I never watched the production on Broadway but heard so many amazing things and listened to the soundtrack multiple times over. I love the vibes of the show and grunginess that the production takes while telling such a classical story. I also think the costumes are also very well designed and add a lot of depth to the production. I have not explored the scenic design of the original production but I am excited to see what the tour brings. I also love how the show puts the story in a half mystical half almost real place. While the location is not set in reality the concepts and the themes it handle most definitely apply to a modern audience and a modern setting. I am interested to see how the hadestown team does on tour and how the show comes together on as big of a stage as the Benedum.
I dare to say that Hadestown is possibly one of my all-time favorite musicals. I have been following the musical since the first teasers started coming out for the Broadway recording, a few weeks after the show had opened. I loved the stories and the four songs I could get my hands on in Spotify. I had the opportunity to watch it on Broadway during June of 2019 and I wept for a solid two and a half hours. It was absolutely gorgeous. It was one of those productions in which the energy radiated from the product. You could tell everyone who worked on this was deeply passionate about it. I am really curious to see both the changes in the performance and the set when it comes to the tour. I heard that the stage had to be simplified for the tour so I’m wondering if it’s going to have that same effect during *that* time of the show.
Oh my gosh, I almost didn’t read this article because I’m so excited about seeing their closing performance tomorrow night! I have always been a huge fan of Hadestown with the music and the story but have never had the chance to see it in person. I think that’s one of the best thing about living in Pittsburgh is having regular access to Broadway Caliber performances as they go on tour. I’ve been taking advantage of every one that I’ve been able to because I think they’re really entertaining and important to keeping the arts scene in Pittsburgh alive. I worked on a production of Metamorphoses before COVID and that enhanced my love for this musical. It also helped to enhance my understanding of the Orpheus and Eurydice story. I think that the combination of the two shows really made me more interested in Greek Myths in general. I’m very excited to be seeing this show tomorrow evening in between performances of haunt.
While I unfortunately will not be seeing Hadestown on its Pittsburgh stop, I did see it in my hometown on an earlier leg of the tour and it was incredible! All of the different facets of design worked together so well to create a vibrant, moving piece of theater. I had seen some photos of the show on Broadway and I thought it was fascinating how they transitioned elements of the show that can’t tour like the big circular elevator in the stage deck to accommodate the needs of the different roadhouses on tour. The lighting in the show is stunning - the swinging lights towards the end of act 1 took my breath away. The design elements in the show are so effective in guiding the different moments of the show - sometimes bleak, sometimes joyful. The music of the show is also just so good. Hadestown is a musical I really, really enjoy and I’m glad that it’s taking a stop here in Pittsburgh.
I LOVE this musical. As it is said “its an old song” I love that the musical takes a myth and honors its origins while mirroring our current reality as dystopia. The music is so haunting and pulls your emotions. I am a big fan of musicals that utilize non-traditional musical theatre tropes. This one uses jazz and folk to tell the story in a way that feels classic yet brings new life to the genres. I hope more new musicals are made that utlize different musical styles. I also like how the classic of theatre is honored through the use of chorus and narration and how the old meets the new to tell the old tale while bringing new audiences to the world of jazz, folk, and mythology. It is true artistry. I also love the scenic design. It is very clever in it’s complications that are designed as minimalism. The set appears simple but with the use of automation is actually quite complex.
Hadestown is quickly become one of my favorite shows, so I’m so happy that more people are going to be able to see it on tour as it comes to Pittsburgh. One of the things I think is so unappreciated about the show is it set. It’s set a new type of bar/tavern location, somewhere that where stories are regularly told potentially under the influence of alcohol that may make you question whether the stories are completely accurate. The colors of the set allows you to suspend your disbelief as the color of the walls can indicate steel, the blue of the sky, or the old walls of the bar. The lights in the song wait for me show the Long Journey that Orpheus takes to get to Eurydice. I think they’re supposed to be indicative of car lights on the side of the road? And the turntable in the floor truly allows for some transformation during songs, the levels of the set allow the cast to play with power during their blocking. It was so great to see the cast talked about for the tour. As most writing about Hades town is about the Broadway production, however, this touring cast is spectacular. I was lucky enough to see them in DC earlier in the year and will not be surprised when my peers come back from seeing it gushing from how fantastic it was.
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