All aboard! You don’t want to miss the train to Hadestown, a Broadway musical that gives Greek mythology a modern twist. Friends have been telling me for months that I needed to see this show, especially since the tale of the spring goddess Persephone and her underworld husband Hades is one of my favorite myths and I’m a sucker for creative retellings. I finally got the chance, and let me tell you: it totally lives up to the hype. The production stars Reeve Carney (whom some of you may recognize as Dorian Gray from the show Penny Dreadful) as the poet Orpheus, Eva Noblezada as his lover Eurydice, Amber Gray as Persephone, Patrick Page as Hades, and André De Shields as Hermes. The production swept the Tony Awards this year, winning eight awards including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Hadestown is currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York.
In Hadestown, the marital tensions of Hades and Persephone are affecting the weather, with harsh winters and failing crops causing poverty reminiscent of the Great Depression. Hades has transformed the underworld into an industrial hellscape that blends together a factory, a coal mine, and a construction project. Persephone copes by drinking herself numb and partying with the workers. Meanwhile, the young poet Orpheus falls in love with Eurydice—a loner who goes wherever she can find food and shelter, never staying in one place for long. Orpheus wins her over with his ambitious plans to write a song that will bring back Spring, and thus, stability. But when winter comes and Orpheus is off in la-la land (quite literally), Eurydice succumbs to Hades’ temptations and follows him to Hadestown. Orpheus rushes to rescue her, but getting out of Hadestown is not so easy as getting in. The whole story is essentially narrated by Hermes, the fleet-footed god who serves as the conductor of souls in Greek mythology. The three Fates and the Chorus of workers also help drive the story.
With a story set in the underworld, it should come as no surprise that Hadestown touches on some Gothic themes. The most prominent of these is one of my favorite tropes: the Faustian bargain. Named after the character Faust who makes a deal with the devil in German folklore, such a bargain involves trading away one’s soul in exchange for power, immortality, or some other earthly reward. In this case, Eurydice signs a contract with Hades, giving him complete ownership over her in exchange for providing her with a job where she’ll earn enough to eat. Already a pretty poor deal on the surface, she realizes she bargained away more than she thought when she discovers that all the workers in Hadestown forget their pasts, their wants and desires, and even their own names. Another deal is struck toward the end of the show between Hades and Orpheus. Hades agrees to let Orpheus and Eurydice leave, under the condition that they walk out single file and Orpheus not look behind him to see if Eurydice is following. Though Orpheus drives a harder bargain than Eurydice did, with a chance for much higher reward, he similarly underestimates Hades’ ability to make all deals work out in his own favor.
Of course, Hades isn’t quite the same as the Devil. In Christian lore, the Devil is depicted as ruling over Hell and the souls of the damned in addition to his role as the ultimate force of evil. But in Greek mythology, Hades is a more neutral character and the land he rules is not just for sinners but for all dead souls. Hadestown blurs these distinctions. While the Greek underworld is not usually described as burning with hellfire, the furnaces and foundry that Hades has built make his realm more reminiscent of a searing hot Hell. In Ancient Greece, Hades was sometimes referred to as “the Wealthy One,” since metals and precious stones come from under the ground and are associated with his realm. Similarly, in Christian imagery, the Devil is often associated with worldly pleasures and temptations. Hadestown combines these traditions into an image of Hades as a high-rolling industry baron who builds his wealth from underground sources like oil and coal. Other allusions throughout the show hint at Hades’ devilish nature. In one clever moment, Hades makes reference to a classic Christian aphorism, referring to himself as the one who “makes work for idle hands,” i.e. the Devil. Though his character has some redeeming moments, Hades is the clear antagonist of the show, and ultimately not someone you should risk making deals with, as both Orpheus and Eurydice learn the hard way. That said, if a sharply dressed Patrick Page sang to me in that deliciously low rumble, I would probably follow him into the underworld, anyway.
If you enjoy theater, mythology, labor commentary, or tales of the underworld, you will absolutely love Hadestown. Grab tickets to the Broadway show if you can, or else simply take a listen to the soundtrack! If you’ve seen it, let me know what you think in the comments.