![]() Is she laying too much on a simple framework? No, she is not. Mitchell understands this and uses the Orpheus myth to explore all sorts of human issues: economics, love, death, exploitation, redemption, art, religion, fate, faith, and the kitchen sink. This newness of the ancient story is what attracted musician Anaïs Mitchell to create her masterpiece, and there can be no doubt that masterpiece it is.Īlthough the story is simple, its resonance is deep. This simple story holds the essence of humanity in its truth telling and is therefore always new while being unimaginably ancient. The sad song of love followed by the inevitable loss of death is the oldest, truest, and saddest song of all, our common fate. But as he crosses the threshold of Hell, Orpheus does look back and loses her forever.Īs our guide to the story, the messenger God Hermes, makes clear in the haunting, jazzy, opening song, “it’s an old song,” and, “we’re gonna sing it again.” ![]() Hades, Lord of the Underworld, is so moved by Orpheus’s eloquence he agrees that Eurydice may follow him to the land of the living, provided that Orpheus never looks back to see her until they arrive safely home. If you are reading this post, you most likely already know that “Hadestown” is a retelling of the Orpheus myth, in which Orpheus - the legendary poet, prophet, and singer of ancient Greece - descends into Hades to retrieve his wife Eurydice who died just after their wedding. I refer of course to the national touring company of the Broadway hit, “Hadestown,” which can now be visited at The Orpheum.Īnd, let me tell you, this company really heats it up! Well, in my opinion, if we really want our theatre fix that bad, we can all just go to Hell. Has it been a while since you’ve been to a large theater? Has COVID kept you away? After two years plus, many of us are thrilled to be returning to The Orpheum and other large downtown venues to see “big ticket” shows, such as Broadway tours. Photo Credit: T Charles Erickson.īy Charles Kruger Reviewed by a voting member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle. (L to R) Kevyn Morrow as Hades, Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus, and Kimberly Marable as Persephone in the North American Touring Company of Hadestown at the Orpheum Theatre.
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