Between February 20th and 22, you can see the fine arts production of “Hadestown” Teen Edition at the Rome City Auditorium. The cast and crew has worked for weeks to bring this musical to life for all to see. However, this Broadway phenomenon is not as well known as say “Hamilton” or “the Lion King”. So for those who need to get up to date on “Hadestown” before the school production, here’s an inside look at the show.
What is “Hadestown” about?
“Hadestown” is a story about the love of the characters Orpheus and Eurydice. However, the gods Hades and Persephone create trouble when poor, young Eurydice signs a contract to work in Hades’ mines, seeking an end to her poverty. Out of his love for Eurydice, Orpheus journeys to the underworld to try to save her. This show brings themes such as love, hope and despair to the table, leaving the audience in awe.
How did it get started?
“Hadestown” was originally just a makeshift community theater project in Vermont, pieced together by singer and songwriter Anaïs Mitchell. However, things quickly launched when Rachel Chavkin stepped in to help. She pushed this production from a DIY project to its off-Broadway premiere in 2016. After three more years, both Mitchell and Chavkin got their musical to its full potential, leading up to April 17, 2019, its opening night on Broadway.
What awards has it won?
This Broadway hit is one of the most praised musicals out there, winning multiple awards. In 2019, its first year on Broadway, “Hadestown” won eight Tony awards, including best musical, best lighting design, best featured actor, best scenic design, and more. Also in 2019, it received four Drama Desk Awards and six Outer Critics Circle Awards. Finally, in 2020, it won a Grammy Award for Best Theatre Album. With all these awards, we can see how above and beyond this musical really did for the fine arts community.
Who was the original cast?
The 2019 Broadway cast included some very talented actors. Reeve Carney starred as Eurydice’s lover, Orpheus. Eva Noblezada was featured as Eurydice. She also voice acted in the movie “Luck”, made in 2022. The god of the underworld, Hades, was played by Patrick Page, and his wife, Persephone, was Amber Grey.
In our version of “Hadestown”, we have multiple returning actors and also some new faces. Junior Cooper Laliberte stars as Hades, while senior Temira Bolds joins him playing Persephone. For the lovers, senior Kensie Waller will be seen as Eurydice and Harrison Inman as Orpheus. In addition to these four characters, Hermes is played by Alexis Origbe, and the three fates include Ava Ann Woods, Caroline Sawhill and Annika Kuo. Abby Kate Jackson, Davis Pewitt, Alex Childers, Girmante Zolubaite, Laila Brogdon, Jacey Ward, Leila Lim, Alisa Huang, Jesse Meredith, Han Nguyen, Jane Wei, Jorden Dillard and Brynn Lofties are all a part of the worker chorus. To tie it all together, Shelly Daniel directs the musical alongside her student crew.