Hadestown ★★★★★

Greek mythology has often been used to inspire operatic works and prime ministers. And so it comes to pass that its stories and underlying themes are also being used at London’s Lyric Theatre to infuse its recast, energetic production of Hadestown with life and lessons for us all. Over in the States, this musical has already garnered eight Tony Awards and a Grammy for its American folk singer/songwriter, Anaïs Mitchell. It was conceived twenty years ago and gestated into a brave concept album by 2010. In 2016 it was reversioned into a musical with the vision and mentorship of collaborator and director Rachel Chavkin. Mitchell’s first and only musical came to these shores in 2018 for a limited run at the National Theatre, and, after a six-year hiatus (including the disruption caused by Covid), it finally moved into the lovely Lyric Theatre in London’s West End in 2024. During that time the show has picked up a total of 37 producers listed in its programme. Now, as Persephone’s spring has sprung in the UK, the show has a rejuvenated cast of fine musical actors and talented musicians to tell the tragic story of young love through the media of song and dance. So can this new cast breathe added life into this award-winning show and continue its hell-raising reputation? Yes is the simple answer, as the new leads have hit the ground running, and they have elevated this show to a blazing lyrical exposition of humanity’s strengths and weaknesses that will certainly ensure a long run at the Lyric.

This musical mashes up the classical stories from Greek mythology with themes from today’s chaotic world and melodies from traditional folk and jazz. It introduces us to characters such as Persephone, Orpheus and Eurydice and brings them all together under the influence of the Fates and, subsequently, the control of Hades, the god of the underworld. Very little of the story is told with the rhyming spoken word; instead, the narrative is carried through Mitchell’s powerful and poetic songwriting. The show places us into a post-apocalyptic type of environment where it is cold and the people are hungry. The stage is set by scenic designer Rachel Hauck like some type of gloomy depression-era speakeasy, with a bar placed into the back wall and a wrought iron spiral staircase rising up above it to a balcony where double doors will open to take unfortunate souls into the office of Hades. There is a small area to the front and centre at stage level with tables and chairs and then stepped rostra climbing back on all sides to a curved backdrop. The colours are dark and muted, verdigris and shades of brown. To the back, on the left and right, sit all but one of the company’s musicians. The drummer is trapped behind the gauze at the back of the bar, only to be seen when the lighting is low.

The story’s narration is kicked off by the Greek god Hermes, winged messenger and guider of souls, who sings about The Road to Hell and then shows us the unhappy love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. It’s a truth in theatre that the course of true love never did run smooth, and the three Fates are always present to highlight that fate can throw people together and then cruelly pull them apart. Once our pair has found each other, it is not long before the prospect of living in love, but also hungry and in poverty, is not attractive to Eurydice. She is open to the attentions of Hades, who has fallen out of love with his wife Persephone, and his proposition that she comes to work for him in his devilish underground factory, Hadestown, in return for warmth and food. Hermes tells poor naïve Orpheus that Eurydice has gone below, and our hero determines immediately to go in search of his missing lover via a long route of dark tunnels. He eventually finds Eurydice and, after battling Hades in song, he asks to take her home with him. However, Hades senses a final victory to help him save face and challenges Orpheus to undertake a trial. Can Orpheus trust Eurydice enough to lead her out of the underworld without looking back to check that she is still following him?

Olivier award-winner and the much-loved grand dame of London panto-mummery, Clive Rowe brings his tremendous tenor voice and cheeky personality to the role of our guide, Hermes. With his knowing looks to the audience, the odd twinkle here and there, and his pointed handling of the microphone prop to focus us on the importance of every lyric, he deftly escorts us around the stage and story. Glamorously dressed in a silver three-piece suit, he leads the company numbers with gusto, displaying his character’s benign influence. Bethany Antonia plays the conflicted and desperate Eurydice. Although best known for her television work, she is unafraid on this stage, only making us fear for her as her character gets pulled into the dark and murky depths. Antonia has a gorgeous singing voice, displaying her silky mezzo notes. She makes us really believe she is hungry and cold when she shakes inside her slight black dress and thin brown coat in her introductory number, Any Way The Wind Blows. Marley Fenton is a talented guitarist in his own right and plays Orpheus, a legendary musician and poet, with a romantic tenderness and vulnerability. He has a beautiful and sweet, light voice that imbues his character with innocence and charm, which, together with his authentic guitar playing, means we really invest in his character and feel his losses.

Rachel Adedeji takes on the role of alcohol-fuelled Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring and queen of the underworld. She is a sassy and powerful presence amongst the company, dressed in lime green, taking the upbeat songs about change in the first half and caressing them with her silky, jazzy voice. After heading back to her onstage husband and Hadestown during the interval, now dressed in black to symbolise the change in season, she rolls around the stage, drowning her sorrows from her handy hip flask, singing her big song, Our Lady of the Underground. Adedeji’s voice and confidence counterpart her husband’s. Alastair Parker gives the menacing Hades a special big bass note of sinisterness. Every song he sings is full of growling intimidation and malevolence. Dressed like some evil bearded businessman, wearing a black waistcoat with silver pinstripes and a bright red reverse, he devilishly commands the stage. He is particularly chilling as he echoes the sentiments of some of the world’s politicians with his rendition of Why We Build The Wall.

The Fates are consummately brought to life with the tight and perfectly matched harmonies of Melanie Bright, Spike Maxwell and Lauran Rae. They waft enigmatically around the stage, sometimes bearing down on our lovers, sometimes watching from on high, evoking the sense of dread. The downtrodden Hadestown workers of Femi Akinfolarin, Michelle Andrews, Gabriella Benedetti, Ollie Bingham and Sebastian Lim-Seet all give strong, individual performances whilst providing the essential chorus to the songs of the underground. Such a demanding musical also relies on its swing to fill in when others are indisposed, and Juan Jackson, Oisin Nolan-Power, Lindo Shinda, Jasmine Triadi and Milly Willows complete the cast.

Director and Mitchell’s early collaborator, Rachel Chavkin has evolved this show into a tight and effective work. She has used the intimacy of the Lyric to create a claustrophobic, dangerous atmosphere. Likewise, David Neumann’s choreography is neatly thought out for such a small and cluttered stage. Every move complements the song being performed. Both of them have used the lifts and complicated revolves set into the stage to give us a show full of movement in spite of the cramped conditions. The lighting, designed by Bradley King, uses low background levels of various colour temperatures to evoke the show’s seasons with spotlights on each performing character. The seamless soundscape, designed by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, makes very good use of the special effects machine and elevates the demonic context.

A final mention must go to the band because they delivered an astonishing performance on stage. It seems wrong to pick one of them out, as they are all excellent, but drummer Brad Webb really gives it his all during the songs of the underworld in a way that ends up pulling our focus.

Hadestown is operatic in its ambition, as well as its storyline. The collaborative nature of its multiple creators and the time taken to nurture this production have provided something very special on stage. Each haunting song, and the manner in which it is delivered, takes us on the tragic journey of the doomed young lovers. It is a memorable and emotional show, full of life lessons about the meaning of hell and the destructive nature of doubt, that deserves to be seen.