Hadestown, the Tony Award-winning musical by Anaïs Mitchell, is making its highly anticipated Australian debut this week under the direction of Rachel Chavkin. The critically acclaimed production reconceptualises the bounds of musical theatre by blending modern folk and New Orleans jazz in a retelling of one of the greatest love stories of all time, the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Narrated by Hermes, the tale follows Orpheus, a gifted musician and poet, as he journeys to the Underworld to rescue his love, Eurydice, from the God, Hades.
The Australian tour is made up of a star-studded cast including Australia’s buzziest new leading lady Abigail Adriano as Eurydice, Noah Mullins as Orpheus, Elenoa Rokobaro as Persephone, Adrian Tamburini as Hades and Aussie music LEGEND Christine Anu as Hermes.
Christine Anu. That’s it, that’s the review. Anu’s presence electrifies the space in a way that makes your breath catch. And that’s before she’s even said a word. Her spectacular voice anchors a ship that’s sailing far and fast. Then again, Australia’s home-grown talent never fails to impress, and this is no exception.
Tamburini’s vocals will make every hair on your body stand and witnessing Rokobaro’s Persephone felt a lot like witnessing magic.
I want Adriano to lead every musical I see forever. Where Adriano is commanding, clear, edgy and piercing, Mullins is the other side of the same coin. They truly do have a voice that could bring back spring. And as Orpheus pulls on the strings of his guitar, I guarantee he will do the same to your heart.
You can feel the love this cast has for one another on stage, it radiates out into the stalls. This show is a mammoth undertaking and not one that could be carried out without complete support, synergy and a whole lotta spirit. From the moment this cast steps on stage the energy is electric. Every single performer delivers in a big way, from the Greek chorus to the big band which is a character of its own.
The choice to have the band on stage, and in moments coming down to join in on the action, is just another reminder that Mitchell’s score is the beating heart of this show. There are a lot of musicals where, ironically, the music feels like an afterthought, the sprinkles. For Hadestown it is a life force: like blood, hot and heavy and urgent. Every song was completely unique and yet existed in total harmony, a cacophony of musical stylings.
The score acted as a roadmap for mounting, what truly is, a mammoth undertaking. Where do you even begin to stage the greatest love story of all time? How do you stage legend?
The Hadestown design team have all the answers. Rachael Hauk’s scenic stylings, Michael Krass’ costuming, Bradley King’s lighting design, Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz’s sound design, every single element was spectacle. Every design element a moving, breathing character of its own. It transported you, creating an experience that was both otherworldly and completely of this world. The reality we dream about and the one we live in now. Suspended in time, yet timeless; ephemeral.
Although written in 2006, Mitchell’s work is arguably more relevant now than it has ever been. The arts are joyful and an escape, yet they have always been political.
My heart was aching for a show like this to come along. In a time that feels as if the ground could fall out from underneath us, in all the darkness and fear, Hadestown will hold you and guide you in a different way forward. You need to feel it for yourself. The hum, the rumble, the stirring.
This is me, holding your hand and urging you to get tickets. Hadestown is a healing musical experience that cannot be missed. You can’t say I didn’t warn you.
Hadestown runs until 26 April at the Theatre Royal Sydney. It moves to Her Majesty’s Theatre Melbourne from 8 May 2025.
Tickets: https://hadestown.com.au/tickets/sydney/
Website: https://hadestown.com.au/
Socials: https://www.instagram.com/hadestownau/
Photo credits: Lisa Tomasetti
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