HADESTOWN THE MUSICAL

Hadestown captures the brilliance and energy of the Tony award winning musical and delivers it to the world thanks to the amazing performances of the five original Broadway lead actors and dynamic camerawork from cinematographer Clayton Jacobsen, conjuring up the most cinematic musical pro-shoot of all time.

Broadway musicals these days are never as daring as they should be, with the majority of new arrivals each year being adaptations of popular movies or revivals of beloved musicals. Though, back in 2019, one show opened that revitalized Greek mythology in a manner never done before while delivering an immersive musical experience that audiences have don’t get treated to enough these days, turning the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice into a jazz and folk infused musical set during the Great Depression. That musical was Hadestown. After years of playing smaller regional venues, including Canada’s own Edmonton, and a small run in London at the National Theatre, Hadestown finally arrived on Broadway in 2019 and went on to win eight Tony Awards including Best Musical. Since then, the musical phenomena has travelled the world and captured the hearts of millions. Last summer, the West End production was filmed with original Broadway leads Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Amber Gray and André De Shields reprising their roles, and the pro-shoot not only captures the unique wonder of this live musical, but delivers the most cinematic pro-shoot of a live musical to ever hit the big screen.

Adapting the tales of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, Hadestown reimagines these two tales from Greek mythology with the musical stylings of American folk, blue and New Orleans jazz and a depression-era aesthetic, and the results are hypnotic. With the universal and timeless theme of love at the centre of both tales and the art of storytelling through Hermes’ narration of the musical, the modernization of these stories works effortlessly while tying in ideas of politics and climate change, enriching the two well known myths and giving a character to the set design and costuming that makes for a distinct musical experience. The songs themselves are remarkable as Anaïs Mitchell’s writing tells the two stories entirely through song, with infectious melodies and unforgettable lyrics, delivering memorable show-stopping numbers throughout the film with songs like “Wait for Me”, “Way Down Hadestown” and “When the Chips are Down.” With so many Broadway musicals having the same stylings and presentation these days, Hadestown stands out with its unique perspective and musical stylings that ensures a beautiful and unforgettable musical experience from start to finish.

Returning to the underworld are actors who originated the lead roles of Hadestown on Broadway, and needless to say the performances are fantastic! Carney is exquisite as Orpheus, capturing the love struck poet willing to risk it all to save the love of his life with emotionally powerful performances of songs like “Epic” and “Wait for Me”, while Noblezada is powerful as Eurydice, capturing the spirited young woman with an angelic voice to bring to life Eurydice’s musical moments. Their romantic chemistry is both soulful and beautiful, benefiting from the fact that they are married in real life after falling in love in 2019 while performing in Hadestown together. Gray’s devious playful approach to Persephone captures the bitter decaying love between herself and Hades with a flair while lighting up the stage with her incandescent presence that livens up the film every second she is on screen. Page, performing on a ruptured Achilles tendon, spins a sinister and loveless Hades with a growling voice and formidable presence in a towering performance, once again finding a heartfelt romantic that helps to drive home the musical’s final act. Though it is André De Shields, reprising his Tony award winning role of Hermes, who is the highlight of the cast with a show-stopping and energetic portrayal of the God of Travel and Messenger of the Gods. Narrating the story and acting as a guide for Orpheus on his journey, De Shields shines with his fantastic vocal performance and boundless wisdom that makes for an unforgettable and deeply moving performance.

But, what sets the pro-shoot of Hadestown above all other musical pro-shoots is the camera work. The film’s director Brett Sullivan and cinematographer Clayton Jacobsen not only capture the music performances and amazing choreography on the stage of the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End, but they do so with an immersive eye that makes this pro-shoot feel like more than just a recording. With sweeping shots descending over the audience towards the stage, striking shots of the actors from the wings capturing the stage lighting and the actor’s view outwards the audience, and countless moments that captures the audiences’ excitement and interaction with the performance during musical numbers, it’s an exhilarating presentation of the live performance that not only captures its energy and that magic that one feels while watching a live musical, but transforms it into a cinematic experience that will take your breath away.

As a critic who was lucky enough to see Hadestown with the same lead cast both in its pre-Broadway run at the National Theatre in London in 2018 and when it first premiered on Broadway in 2019, there is no hesitation in saying that this pro-shoot captures every bit of the electrifying energy and performances of seeing the musical live. With the powerhouse performances of Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Amber Gray and André De Shields as they return to the roles they originated on Broadway and the immersive camera work that turns this pro-shoot into an experience unto itself, Hadestown gloriously makes its way to the big screen with a phenomenal pro-shoot that is not only one of the best films of the year to date, but will be cherished by musical theatre fans for decades to come!