It’s more and more common now for audiences to come into a new West End show already knowing the songs, and as Hadestown began life almost twenty years ago as a concept album, it’s not surprising it already has a legion of fans.
From touring schools, to an off-Broadway and Broadway engagement, and a limited run at the National Theatre in 2018, Hadestown gets its long-awaited West End opening at the Lyric Theatre.
Anaïs Mitchell’s folk opera score sounds glorious as it reverberates around the Lyric; the lilting ballads and uplifting anthems help to bring this Ancient Greek myth to life. There is no book writer, the story told entirely in sung through fashion, aided by our messenger Hermes (Melanie La Barrie).
The problem is that the story is just a bit too light. What story does exist is told in a fantastically poetic way, but the first act in particular seems to miss the opportunity to get us invested in the characters.
Orpheus and Eurydice (Grace Hodgett Young) fall in love but are separated when the latter signs a contract to work in Hades underground factory. Orpheus goes to rescue her, confronting Hades (Zachary James) and Persephone, at the same time inspiring the enslaved workers to down tools. It could all be done in twenty minutes. Orpheus has evolved since the run at the National, and we can warm to him a little more easily, but there’s nowhere near enough to really endear us to any of the characters.
Dónal Finn does do a marvellous job portraying the new innocence of orphan Orpheus. There are moments where Finn’s vocals are astounding, during ‘Wait For Me’ as an example, which gives a lift towards the end of the first act. Finn’s Irish tones (everyone sings in their own accent) seem to fit this folk musical perfectly.
With a relatively short preview period, there were members of the cast who haven’t quite settled into their roles yet. But that’s largely hidden by the stronger performances from the likes of Melanie La Barrie as Hermes and the superb Gloria Onitiri as Persephone.
Director, Rachel Chavkin keeps the energy up throughout, and there’s always plenty happening, especially as the band is on stage too. Coupled with Rachel Hauck’s mammoth set and Bradley King’s gorgeous lighting design, this is a show that’s, visually, very beautiful.
Anaïs Mitchell’s score is undeniably brilliant, however, there’s no getting away from the fact that Hadestown is barely more than a concert performance of the album. Perhaps, like our Orpheus, this show doesn’t follow the rules, and that’s why it’s garnered such a cult following.
