HADESTOWN, the record-breaking sensation by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin is now playing to critical acclaim at the Lyric Theatre, London. Winner of 8 Tony Awards including Best Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. Seen by three million, streamed by over 350 million and adored by fans around the world, this sensational musical is ‘the most exhilarating ride’ (WhatsOnStage).
A deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience, Hadestown invites you to imagine how the world could be. It takes you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. Although the the audience may well be aware of the ending, the sombre love story spans generations and worlds and when the curtain draws at the end, the story resets to the beginning as the production prepares to go again. It basically all comes down to storytelling and what it means to us. The old songs the artists sing may be a sad, but at its core is the hope that in some future retelling we might change the narrative, so we keep singing them.
Its no surprise that Hadestown is the recipient of so many musical awards its impossible not to stamp your feet in time to some of the huge, infectious, sing-a-long tracks, such as musical's Way Down Hadestown and When the Chips Are Down to Orpheus’s yearning, soaring Wait for Me and Why We Build the Wall. The brilliant live band cleverly blends American folk with New Orleans-inspired jazz, and you'll hear the recurring sound of a steam train, which represents the two lovers' fateful journey.
Hadestown has always been a phenomenally clever show, it keeps changing, keeps moving on, winning fans and friends on its journey towards becoming a cult classic and with a largely new talented cast for this production, it brings fresh energy and insight to the production. There is so much to enjoy in this production, the scenery, the lighting the choreography, the band, all exceptional. All the performances across the board pack an extraordinary punch.
This is one show not to be missed.
Details
- Address:
- Lyric Theatre
- W1D 7ES