Hadestown: The Musical is a filmed live stage performance of the Broadway play with liminal dialogue, as it is mostly sung-through. But Hadestown does something unique: it breaks the fourth wall.
The ancient plot
Blending two ancient Greek myths, Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone, Hadestown centres on Orpheus (Reeve Carney), a naive “poor boy” living in a world full of harsh weather and famine. He falls in love with Eurydice (Eva Noblezada), who’s a much stronger character in this production than in the original myths. In the originals, she has almost no voice and makes only minor contributions. But in Hadestown, writer Anaïs Mitchell establishes Eurydice’s sarcastic yet desperate personality immediately and gives her many solo songs.
The connection between Orpheus and Eurydice shatters when winter comes, and Orpheus spends his time working on a song that’ll ensure they no longer endure hardship. He ignores Eurydice, who grows more desperate as times get harder. The Trump-like dictator, Hades (Patrick Page), invites her to come to Hadestown, his underground factory that promises protection in return for never-ending labour. And Eurydice sees no other choice than to agree.
Breaking the fourth wall
As she goes down to Hadestown via a mechanical lift, the Fates (Allie Daniel, Bella Brown, and Madeline Charlemagne) chastise the audience for judging Eurydice for choosing self-interest over love. This acknowledgement of the audience is nothing new. Shakespeare often did this in monologues, as with Puck’s final monologue in A Midsummer Night’s Dream or one of Hamlet’s many soliloquies. But what differs about Hadestown is that it establishes from the outset that these are actors playing characters from an ancient tale.
The opening number, Road to Hell, plays like film credits. The narrator, Hermes (André De Shields), introduces each character, establishing their backstory and personality in a verse or two. It also gives the audience a moment to figure out who is portraying these characters.
This isn’t new either, with Prologue from Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 serving the same function. But Hadestown brings the chorus and band into the mix, thus breaking the fourth wall. And the line “It’s an old tale from way back when […] and we’re gonna sing it again” contextualises the musical as a performance of a story that already exists. A film adaptation like Rent (2005) or the soon-to-be-released Octet wouldn’t work, as acknowledgement of the practice of retelling is critical to the story. A live stage recording is the only way.
A moment to praise cinematography and lighting
Cinematographer Clayton Jacobsen did an incredible job capturing the stage in its entirety, not missing anything important to the narrative. Wide shots from the audience’s point of view make us feel like we’re there. The tracking shot from behind during Hermes’ entrance instantly establishes him as the narrator while subtly foreshadowing a later event.
And the lighting is gorgeous, which isn’t shocking: lighting designer Bradley King won the Tony for Best Lighting Design, and it reflects beautifully on screen. The palette is restrained yet focused, with warm and cool tones that mirror the show’s comparison between summer and winter.
Disjointed audio mixing
Sadly, the film’s streaming release has raised an issue. The audio mixing, while perfect for the cinema, doesn’t translate to home viewing, which is unfortunate given Hadestown’s focus on music. The dialogue is fine for the most part, but as the music comes in, the instrumental fades in and out while the main vocals take priority. As a result, the songs feel disjointed.
Livin’ It Up on Top – an upbeat track that expands on Persephone (Amber Gray) and the joy felt when she comes back from the underworld – features a dance break. But the instrumental is almost silent despite having no main vocals. As fun as the scene is, the mix ruins it and makes me question whether the film is missing an audio track.
In the end, Hadestown: The Musical is a dynamic take on ancient Greek myths that transports your eyes to the theatre, just not your ears.
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