Hadestown
The big juicy soundscape that is Hadestown wondrously filled the Theatre Royal with the musicians on stage getting the attention they deserve. A highlight were the cracking, sometimes dirty solos, of trombonist James Greening.
The score, a mixture of folk, blues, jazz and rock, was expertly performed by this stellar band and cast.
A modern adaptation of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice, Hadestown opened on Valentine’s night to an adoring crowd. Their enthusiasm was not dampened by a technical fault which stopped the show in the first act for five minutes.
The Australian premiere of the musical came six years after its Tony winning Broadway premiere, preceded by a decade of careful development.
Hermes (Christine Anu) is the charismatic narrator of the story introducing the characters with the ominous song ‘Road to Hell’.
Eurydice (Abigail Adriano) meets the impoverished romantic song-writer Orpheus (Noah Mullins) who almost instantly proposes. Mullins’ high tenor voice is very sweet.
In the original fable, Eurydice descends to hell after being bitten by a snake prompting Orpheus to attempt to rescue her. In this update, poverty leads Eurydice to sign a contract to enter a hellish industrial estate – Hadestown.
The job of workers there is to ‘Build The Wall’, which is the song that ends the first act. Penned by Anaïs Mitchell before Donald Trump’s declared his Presidential ambitions, the inclusion of the song, an anthem for fear of outsiders, nonetheless gives the musical a contemporary edge.
Adrian Tamburini, as the devil, or Hades, impressed with his booming baritone voice that was rich enough to rattle fillings, alongside his wife Persephone (Elenoa Rokobaro) who also shone with some thrilling solos.
The original Broadway production has a jaw dropping moment when the whole stage drops into hell. This edition is not quite as ambitious, but is still striking with its searing use of search lights.
A visual highlight of the shows is the song ‘Wait for Me’, which is beautifully choreographed with swinging lamp lights. It prompted a section of the audience to give it a standing ovation.
The famous challenge for Orpheus in the original story is that when he leads Eurydice out of the underworld, he is forbidden from turning around to look at her.
This part of the legend is incorporated into Hadestown, giving the musical a thrilling climax.
The Australian Premiere of this musical is a triumph.
David Spicer
Photographer: Lisa Tomasetti
Click here to read Coral Drouyn's interview with Christine Anu.
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