Hadestown at the Tony Awards

If you don’t live in New York City, you’re forgiven if you’re not familiar with ‘Hadestown’, this year’s big winner at the Tony Awards.  This original musical won the biggest award of the night, Best Musical (among others) besting the likes of ‘Ain’t Too Proud’ based on and featuring the music of The Temptations, one of the most successful musical groups in history, as well as ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Toostie’ which are based on beloved classic movies.

 

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‘Hadestown’ debuted on Broadway in March and has been the hottest ticket in the Big Apple since.  In addition to Best Musical, Anaïs Mitchell won for Best Original Score, Rachel Chavkin for Best Direction, André De Shields for Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role, Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose for Best Orchestrations, Rachel Hauck for Best Scenic Design, Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz for Best Sound Design, and Bradley King for Best Lighting Design.

Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell based the musical on her own concept album of the same name, which reinterprets the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, about the son of Apollo, who falls in love with Eurydice and must journey to the underworld to save her.  Mitchell wrote the music, lyrics and book herself, reimagining the ancient Greek tale, set in the US during the Great Depression.

Though ‘Hadestown’ may not be a household name just yet, by making as big a splash as it has, you can bet it will soon be touring the nation, coming to a theater near you, and will likely have Hollywood calling to adapt it.

If you want a sample, check out the cast’s performance of “Wait For Me” from the Tony Awards:

 

André De Shields stars as Hermes, the show’s narrator.  Reeve Carney, who played Dorian Gray on ‘Penny Dreadful’ portrays Orpheus, opposite Eva Noblezada as Eurydice.  The cast also includes Patrick Page as Hades, Amber Gray as Persephone, and Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzales-Nacer, and Kay Trinidad as The Fates.

For the time being, the only way to see ‘Hadestown’ in person is to visit New York City to catch it at the Walter Kerr Theatre.