First look at the West End cast of HADESTOWN
Hadestown Live Event, (left to right) Melanie La Barrie, Gloria Onitiri, Madeline Charlemagne, Bella Brown, Allie Daniel. Photography by Craig SugdenWritten by Penny, Theatre and Tonic.
The wait is nearly over! One of the most hotly anticipated West End transfers in recent years arrives at the Lyric Theatre in February. Hot on the heels of the cast announcement, the show was officially launched at London’s Jack Solomons Club with performances from some of the cast members alongside its award-winning writer Anaïs Mitchell and accompanied by the fabulous Hadestown band.
Hadestown tells the story of musician Orpheus, his wife Eurydice and their journey to the Greek underworld, ruled over by Hades and his wife Persephone. Greek God Hermes and three Fates provide commentary and guidance as Orpheus and Eurydice play out this tale from classical Greek mythology. But don’t worry, you don’t need to be a classical scholar to enjoy the show – with a score that’s rich with jazz, blues and folk influences, the story is very relevant to the world we live in now and has a cast of charismatic characters bringing it to life.
Introducing the event was singer-songwriter Cerys Matthews, the perfect host for the evening given her BBC Six Music blues show. She chatted with Mitchell, talking about her inspiration for Hadestown and the long process of bringing her vision to life. She explained:
“I was in my early 20s, just starting out as a singer-songwriter and taking any gig I could get. I was on a long drive when the chorus of ‘Wait for Me’ just dropped into my lap. Some lyrics that aren’t in the show any more seemed to suggest the Orpheus and Eurydice story and I really wanted to tell that story in a long-form bit of music theatre”.
Talking about her background and moving into writing for musical theatre,
“I wasn’t a theatre kid but have always been inspired by sung-through musicals. I love Les Mis, Hamilton and the Threepenny Opera – that was probably the closest thing to inspiration for this piece.
I haven’t studied theatre or dramatic storytelling, but I’ve always been interested in lyrics and gravitated towards ballads and the Texas tradition of having a little novella happening in a song. It isn’t that different to switching to theatre where people expect and demand more from a song, it has to have results.
A bunch of the songs already existed in the ‘music world’ and it did feel like they were structurally done but (in current form) they weren’t doing what was required storytelling-wise, they needed to be broken down to make them bigger and fuller”.
Hadestown started as a record back in 2010. Since then it has continued to develop – from touring the record as a music piece, working to turn it into a fully staged musical from initial workshops to an off-Broadway production, a run in Canada, the National Theatre and then Broadway, where it is currently the longest-running show ever staged at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Over time it has continued to evolve. Anaïs told us about the development of Orpheus,
“Initially he came across as an optimist, a dreamer, but over-confident. We needed audiences to fall in love with him in order for his story to matter. It became clear he was naïve, like a lot of artists he has vision, beautiful compassion, he can see the way the world can be but is not great at living in it the way it is. He starts out as a very pure character purely in the service of its art, by the end of the show he’s almost seen too much of the world and can’t hold onto his vision any more”.
The show continues to evolve. This isn’t the same show that people would have seen at the National. A lot of change happened between its London run and Broadway opening and audiences will feel that difference.
As well as talking about the show, we were treated to a performance of Eurydice’s song ‘Flowers’ from Anaïs Mitchell, playing her vintage guitar and backed by the Hadestown band. Her stunning folk style singing gave us a unique take on this beautiful ballad.
So, we’ve met an incredibly talented writer. What about the cast? It’s the announcement we’ve all been waiting for. And safe to say, it’s been worth the wait. The entertainment started with ‘Way Down Hadestown’, sung by Hermes, Persephone and the three Fates. It’s a glorious jazzy number that just oozes the soul. And the cast members up on stage are clearly loving it as much as the audience.
The three Fates, played by Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel work so well as a trio. They have a fantastic energy and presence. Persephone is played by Gloria Onitiri – she absolutely raises the roof in a solo performance of ‘Our Lady of the Underground’, in which she also introduces the band members, a nice touch from the organisers. And back from New York, where she is currently smashing it in the Broadway production of & Juliet, Melanie La Barrie is a formidable Hermes with a perfect mix of authority and sass as she absolutely owns the stage.
A rather unexpected treat, given current work commitments, was the introduction of the show’s young lovers – Orpheus and Eurydice, played by Dónal Finn and Grace Hodgett Young. It’s an unexpected treat as Grace is currently appearing in Sunset Boulevard across town at the Savoy Theatre. She joined us just 15 minutes after the matinee performance had ended, having legged it over to Piccadilly in a 12-minute dash through the rain! Completely unphased, she then joined Dónal to sing ‘Wedding Song’, giving us a taste of what is going to be a fantastic partnership.
Asked by Cerys what it’s like playing Orpheus, Dónal replied: “It’s great, I mean I’ll find out in February!!! The songs are stunning, I’m very glad we got to meet Anaïs today and to hear her sing the music was beautiful”.
So, with just three months to wait, Hadestown is looking to be one of the top shows to look forward to in 2024. Performances begin on 10th February at London’s Lyric Theatre. With a score and cast that’s hotter than hell, this epic tale is one that you don’t want to miss.
