Hadestown
by Anaïs Mitchell

Name: Hadestown
Brand: Anaïs Mitchell
SKU: 9780573708855
Rating: 4.62 (59 reviews)

Broadway West End

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins Multicultural Casting Unit Set/Multiple Settings Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Awards & Recognition

Drama Desk Award Drama League Award Outer Critics Circle Tony Award

Winner! Eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Score and Best Orchestrations Winner! Four 2019 Drama Desk Awards Winner! Six 2019 Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical Winner! 2019 Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical

Synopsis

This intriguing and beautiful folk opera delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.

Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of immortal King Hades and lady Persephone — Hadestown invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.

Inspired by traditions of classic American folk music and vintage New Orleans jazz, Mitchell’s beguiling sung-through musical pits industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love.

Press Reviews

"Sumptuous... Gorgeous... As good as it gets... You wish you could live in the glowy moment forever."
— The New York Times

"Utterly fabulous... arrives on Broadway with a furnace-like blast of creativity."
— The Hollywood Reporter

"A transporting musical hit... Anaïs Mitchell’s score is a joyful combination of folk, pop, Dixieland and blues that will make you want to rehear it as soon as the lights come up."
— Time Out

"Unforgettable. Simply one of the most exquisite works of musical storytelling I’ve seen in my more than 25 years as a theater critic. In its supple convergence of story and song, Hadestown represents a step forward for the art form."
— Los Angeles Times

"Visionary and ravishing. An intricate and gorgeous feat of songwriting, a vehicle for dynamite performances and a courageous experiment with form, Hadestown is cause for celebration."
— New York Magazine

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Principals (5f, 3m) +	—	—	(5f, 3m) +
Ensemble	—	—	—
ORPHEUS Lyre-playing poet, gifted and naïve	—	—	Lyre-playing poet, gifted and naïve
EURYDICE A runaway, tough and vulnerable	—	—	A runaway, tough and vulnerable
HADES Compulsive industrialist, boss-king of Hadestown	—	—	Compulsive industrialist, boss-king of Hadestown
PERSEPHONE Queen of nature and the seasons, a lush	—	—	Queen of nature and the seasons, a lush
HERMES Charismatic guide and storyteller, mentor to Orpheus	—	—	Charismatic guide and storyteller, mentor to Orpheus
FATES Three sisters, vicious and delicious, voices in the head	female	—	Three sisters, vicious and delicious, voices in the head
WORKERS Spirits of labor and community, a physical and choral presence In the Broadway production, the WORKERS were performed by an ensemble of five performers.	—	—	Spirits of labor and community, a physical and choral presence In the Broadway production, the WORKERS were performed by an ensemble of five performers.
AUTHOR'S NOTES	—	—	—
BAND The onstage BAND, while not listed with the characters above, is an omnipresence in Hadestown, and may join in the singing at times. For licensees using performance tracks, we've provided suggested workarounds for "Road To Hell" and Our Lady Of The Underground" (two numbers in which the BAND is directly introduced).	—	—	The onstage BAND, while not listed with the characters above, is an omnipresence in Hadestown, and may join in the singing at times. For licensees using performance tracks, we've provided suggested workarounds for "Road To Hell" and Our Lady Of The Underground" (two numbers in which the BAND is directly introduced).
WORKERS In the Broadway production, the WORKERS were performed by five ensemble members. Performer tracking for those five roles has been retained as follows: WORKER 1: Mezzo-Soprano; WORKER 2: Alto; WORKER 3: Tenor; WORKER 4: Baritenor; WORKER 5: Baritone. While the vocal arrangements were designed for an ensemble of five performers, licensees are welcome to envision these WORKER roles with a larger ensemble and add to the existing minimum cast framework to suit their cast.	—	—	In the Broadway production, the WORKERS were performed by five ensemble members. Performer tracking for those five roles has been retained as follows: WORKER 1: Mezzo-Soprano; WORKER 2: Alto; WORKER 3: Tenor; WORKER 4: Baritenor; WORKER 5: Baritone. While the vocal arrangements were designed for an ensemble of five performers, licensees are welcome to envision these WORKER roles with a larger ensemble and add to the existing minimum cast framework to suit their cast.
HERMES The character of HERMES has been played on Broadway by both male- and female-identifying performers. In the latter case, whenever HERMES is referred to as “Mister Hermes,” performers should use “Missus Hermes.” There is no alternate vocal score, but every HERMES should feel free to place lines or verses in a different octave if it feels or sounds better.	female	—	The character of HERMES has been played on Broadway by both male- and female-identifying performers. In the latter case, whenever HERMES is referred to as “Mister Hermes,” performers should use “Missus Hermes.” There is no alternate vocal score, but every HERMES should feel free to place lines or verses in a different octave if it feels or sounds better.