Hadestown ★★★★ Lyric Theatre | Feb 10 - Dec 22, 2024


In a terrific jazz retelling of the myths of Hades and Persephone, and Orpheus and Eurydice, Hadestown recasts, and intertwines, these two stories bringing out the power of both tales. Persephone is held in the underworld by husband, Hades, for half the year, and only when she returns to the earth does it becomes lush and fruitful again. The tension between the two is caused by her love of life and their annual separation. On the other hand, Orpheus falls in love with Eurydice who is lured to the dark realm by the promise of food and comfort. He pursues her and ultimately makes a deal with Hades which should allow him to bring his beloved back to the world. Anaïs Mitchell's book sticks fairly close to the original stories, but there is also a bleaker political allegory that comes out in songs like "Why We Build the Wall." As his dark eminence, Hades, Zachary James is a commanding figure and he brings an extraordinary voice and beautiful articulation to his role. He is well matched by Gloria Onitiri who has some great moves and gets it just right in songs like "Our Lady of the Underground" and "Way Down Hades Town." The tension between these two opposites simply sizzles. Unfortunately, the same chemistry isn't really present in the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Dónal Finn as the former and Grace Hodgett Young as the latter failed to radiate the youthful rapture that we expected. With Orpheus' voice being described in myth as able to charm wild beasts and overcome the Sirens' song, Finn has a lot to live up to, but for us, his singing didn't extend to the haunting, ethereal quality we were expecting in Orpheus. Hodgett Young as Eurydice nicely captures the innocence and desperation of her character, and her rendition of "Flowers" was faultlessly affecting. However, it was Melanie La Barrie as Hermes who, from the moment she comes on stage, sets the tone of the show. Her energy and swagger is infectious, and we were definitely ready to follow her on the "Road to Hell." There's a lot of fire and fun in this show and we'd say get on down to Hadestown.

Rated: ★★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Marc Brenner

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

When, Where, Getting there:

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Good Night, Oscar ★★★★ Barbican Centre | Jul 31 - Sep 21, 2025

The Daughter of Time ★★★ Charing CrossTheatre | Jul 18 - Sep 13, 2025

Brigadoon ★★★★ Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | Aug 2 - Sep 20, 2025

Every Brilliant Thing (with Lenny Henry) ★★★ @sohoplace | Aug 1 - Nov 8, 2025

Saving Mozart ★★ The Other Palace | Jul 28 - Aug 30, 2025

Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby ★★★ Sadler's Wells Theatre | August 5 - 16, 2025

The Diana Mixtape ★★★ HERE at Outernet | Jul 28 - Aug 10, 2025

A Role To Die For ★★★★ Marylebone Theatre | Jul 26 - Aug 30, 2025

Inter Alia ★★★★★ National Theatre | Jul 10 - Sep 13, 2025

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings