The opening words „It’s an old song… and we’re gonna sing it again,“ delivered by Hermes, the narrator you hand yourself over for the evening, perfectly encapsulate the essence of the musical Hadestown: Cyclicity, As I always hope for different endings – I always hope for Tosca not to take her life at the end of every production I see – there is always hope, and so is here.
This is more than just a Broadway show; it’s a phenomenon, a winner of multiple Tony Awards and a Grammy, that breathes fiery new life into ancient Greek myths. Weaving together the timeless tales of Orpheus and Eurydice with that of Hades and Persephone, Hadestown crafts a “hell-raising journey to the underworld and back” that feels both eternally mythic and startlingly contemporary.
The CMT webpage describes the music perfectly: „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.“
Hadestown delivers a captivating story, haunting music, and resonant themes. The show tells you from the start it’s a tragedy, yet it remains “defiantly hopeful,”a paradox that fuels its powerful emotional core. Its very structure, ending where it begins, embodies this tension – the story is sung again and again, holding onto the possibility that this time, maybe things will turn out differently.
And seeing it delivered by a young cast aged between 14 and 19 by the San Jose Children’s Musical Theatre (CMT), makes another hope reality: There is clearly no shortage of amazing young talent interested in the world of musical theatre!!!
I had bought my ticket on a whim “let’s do that” the morning of in response to an email from CMT. What a treat. I am very fortunate to have seen the original Broadway cast and the touring cast in 2022 (see “Hadestown at the Orpheum – Do you know your Greek Mythology”).
After attending several CMT productions in the past – Rent, In The Heights and others – this one came in way beyond my expectations. The “Love Cast” under direction of David DeRuiter (who ended up sitting right behind me and we chatted about this production a bit), Mercedes Long and Michael McGushin nothing short of killed it! It was an amazing performance!
In the two intertwined storylines, the pairing of Saidee and Jack exhibited great chemistry, and both voices fit the roles perfectly. Saidee delivers a heartfelt „Flowers“ in the second act, showing its emotions perfectly.
The Orpheus part is set in a high falsetto voice – traditionally associated with beauty and meant to evoke a sense of naivete or even a supernatural element. Jack’s delivery was right on and he perfectly played the innocence inherent to the character.
In the other, intertwined storyline of Hadestown, the story of Persephone & Hades, I loved Sophie Ajlouny’s performance entering the stage with beaming confidence and attitude. She worked the audience’s first row in „Our Lady of the Underground“ that opens the second act like a confident old soul in the body of a High Schooler. Brilliant! Kai Kaushik plays Hades with wonderful understated elegance and sunglass-enhanced mystique. Great voice and acting! The highlight for the Hades character always is „Why we build the wall.“ Kai leads it with confidence and the directing team used the full cast to create a chilling scenery surrounding the audience from three sides. Music, singing and setting of the scene definitely gave me goosebumps.
The three Fates represent a great binding element between the two worlds and I loved their feistiness especially in their interaction with Hades „When the chips are down.“ Beautiful!
Last not least – Lily Karp leads you as the narrator Hermes through the story. I found her stage presence quite amazing. She is a natural talent and performs with a confidence as if she has done this for decades.
Overall, this production is an amazing display of upcoming talent for musicals for years to come. One of the best things you can do in San Jose this early summer if you are fortunate to get a ticket until May 11th.
StageAficionado 