Hadestown - NT / Lyric Theatre

To be fair, none of the characters are particularly well written. Orpheus is a dreamy poet type so I think the way his character is written is perhaps the best of the lot and I think he pitches it just right. Eurydice is a different matter and I’m not sure whether that’s because the character is so all over the place or because Eva Noblezada plays every scene with the same blank expression like she’s just woken up and not had a coffee yet. She has a nice voice though.

Orpheus is an incredible musician, so good that he can tame wild animals and move stones to tears with his lyre. He's in love with Eurydice, but on their wedding day she is bitten by a venomous snake and dies. Orpheus goes to Hades to get her back, tames Cerberus with his music and moves the god of the underworld to the point he accepts to let Eurydice go, at the condition that Orpheus won't turn to see if she is following him until they have left the underworld. A few steps before leaving Hades, Orpheus turns and Eurydice is lost for good.

Not just you. I can confirm that the lady in the bag check also liked him because she told me when we were collecting our bags in the interval.

I’ll join you in that minority. The flaws I saw in his character were wholly due to the writing than the performance which I thought was pitched beautifully.

When Trevor Nunn took over the NT he was told to increase ticket sales. He did so - mainly by putting on a wonderful series of great musicals. Nicholas Hytner came in and promptly banned them, for being too popular presumably - though he could do with a bit of popular now at the Bridge. Rufus Norris finally reversed this policy when he brought in Follies. So to Hadestown. It's neither a play nor a musical and I fear it's irredeemable. It's a rock concert playing a short residency in a theatre for no apparent reason. It's a band, quite a lot of energetic if repetitive dancing in a sub-Madonna sort of way and singers singing unexceptional songs. I thought only the Fates sang really well, both individually and in harmony. The band even gets introduced at length at the start of the 2nd half, each of the instrumentalists doing the usual solo bit on mention of his/her name. It's a rock concert. We're expected to go wild. I fully expected "Well, hello London it's great to be here" but it didn't happen. It wouldn't have been out of place.

The Olivier stage is made smallish. The set is a reflection of the Olivier stalls with the band taking up much of the semi-circular space at the back. Principals and dancers are mainly kept to a small area at the front and revolves barely stop. Travel to the underworld is two-way, if I understood correctly. If you go down you can come back up no problem. Everything is designed to give the impression of lots happening for a purpose but it doesn't get anywhere. It's an awkward blind alley.

The sound is strange. Singing voices are over-amplified on top of the sound of the band. Voices and music remain separate throughout. It's artificial-sounding. There's a basso profundo doing a Lee Marvin in Wandering Star. His voice is a long way away from any other singer and doesn't harmonise easily. Eurydice is ok until she starts to push her voice. Some of the lyrics are just trite. I'm sure I heard "king of mortar, king of bricks [something something something] Styx".
 
If you left at half-time (or think about leaving at half-time), be assured that nothing changes or gets better in the second half. There's even a scripted encore to keep you seated if you don't get out quickly. I expected musical theatre. I didn't expect an unexceptional rock concert.

Yes, that resonates with me. This is not a traditional musical, with individualistic characterisations, "I want" songs, and a triumphant ending.

Some spoilers follow. . .

I mean, everyone knows the Orpheus myth is downbeat, off the bat, and the folk stuff is done universally, at the expense of characterisation, with group songs in a bar, presented as a universal life lesson. All the pleasures of characterisation and individualism are largely absent.

And the life lesson is nuanced, with the conservative impulses of Hadestown not condemned outright, but explained, presented as a part of life. After all, it is Orpheus' own conservative cautiousness that results in his ultimate failure, so he is as much his own problem as Hadestown.

In folk, it is the simple communal telling, rather than the nature, of the story that matters.

An acquired taste perhaps, like gin.

Having seen the matinee today, I can understand the mixed reviews.

This isn’t a musical, just a series of linked songs with occasional very brief narration. Some of the songs are catchy, some you can’t make out the lyrics due to the volume of the band.

It’s one of those loose plots where you’re meant to make your own interpretation. Lots of religious analogies.

It is rather slow and would work better as a single act. But don’t worry if you’re a bit sleepy. There are dazzlingly bright lights shined at you regularly to keep you awake.

There’s an odd mix of modern and traditional costume and props, presumably to make it clear that this could take place anywhere and is timeless.

Pretty full for the matinee, maybe 20 seats free in the Stalls. I had an interesting seat at the side of the front row, positioned on what would have been a step, so raised up above the rest (as was the single row behind). Nice to be level with the stage. It is a bit of a side view, but that doesn’t matter.

I’m glad I went and I did appreciate this being something different and the talents of the cast. There are several actor musicians, as well as the talented band and all work hard. But not one for repeat viewing.

Welcome missthelma

Reeve Carney was off tonight. No signs that I could see of who was in the role.

Ooh that's interesting. I thought his voice sounded strained at times this afternoon. But being unfamiliar with him as a vocalist, was not sure if that was natural sound. Given some of the shoulder shrugs about him on here, if indeed he was a bit vocally compromised this afternoon I should imagine he is more impressive at full voice (did I mention the little bit of love I may have started to feel?)

I too saw the matinee and thoroughly enjoyed it, Something different extremely well done.

Looks like Eva will be heading over to NY with this next year – 




Do we think most of the current cast will reprise their roles in the Broadway production?