Attending performances: 2 points

 

In November, some friends and I saw the final show of Hadestown at the Fox Theatre. This musical is a retelling of the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but deeply rooted in political discourse and exploring topics such as capitalism, totalitarianism, classism, and poverty. The political message is most blatantly expressed in the song “Why We Build the Wall” which claims that, in Hadestown, the workers build a wall to keep out poverty, which they view as the enemy of the allegedly better environment. They claim that keeping out the enemy (poverty) keeps them free, implying that they should continue to spend all their time and efforts in a trance building the wall because building the wall keeps them free from the hardship of poverty and people in poverty. I knew of the musical and had seen clips or listened to it, but nothing compared to real life. As soon as I walked in, set design stood out. It was masterfully done and that thought was further cemented by set changes later in the show. There was space within the set for the band/orchestra to play in view of the audience which I had not seen done at a musical, but I loved. The performers were excellent beyond words and made me truly feel the emotions conveyed in the show (I cried a bit). The cast of this production invited the audience into the world of Hadestown in a way that further allowed me to understand the relevance of the show. There is a toast during the song “Livin’ It Up On Top” in which Orpheus says, “To the world we dream about, and the one we live in now.” In the song, this is in reference to a world where all seasons have returned and people don’t starve vs. the temporary summertime they currently have that will turn to winter when Persephone leaves. The world we dream about is a better world, but the current political climate makes the world we live in now more like their dreadful winter and brief, fleeting summer. To truly bring the audience into this, the Orpheus actor gestured to his castmates for the world they dream about, and raised his cup to the audience for the one they live in now. This musical was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen, and I’d see it ten more times if I could.

By Samantha Hines