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In the movie, the story is as follows: Eurydice is fatally bitten by a snake and descends to the underworld, which is ruled by Hades and Persephone. Distraught, her husband Orpheus follows her to the underworld to appeal to the chthonic gods that she is returned to the world as they know it. Moved by the young lover's appeal, Persephone and Hades allow Eurydice to leave on one condition: that Orpheus walk in front of her and not look back.

In the Hadestown musical, the story is a little different; the acclaimed Broadway musical created by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin consolidates the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice with Persephone’s abduction by Hades. In Hadestown, Eurydice is a young girl who enters the underworld in a bid to escape poverty, and her songbird lover, Orpheus, comes to rescue her.

But with the majority of theatre goers aware of the doomed lovers' fate, why do we immerse ourselves in Orpheus and Eurydice's story? As Hermes (played by Melania La Barrie) reflects at the end of the play, "spring had come again, with a love song". Hadestown places the importance on storytelling, and although the audience may well be aware of the ending, the sombre love story spans generations and worlds. As the curtain draws on Hadestown, the story resets to the beginning as the production prepares to go again.

The story of the Hadestown production is almost as fascinating as the musical itself.

Hadestown was originally performed in Vermont, and the musical actually toured the American state in a school bus! Huge things awaited Hadestown as the production went on to premiere at the National Theatre and on Broadway. Now, Hadestown is making it's long-awaited appearance at Lyric Theatre in London's West End, and the RadioTimes.com team were lucky enough to experience it. Now, let's get way down to Hadestown...

With a tale dating back to 530 BC, it may seem redundant to say Hadestown will stand the test of time, as that much is obvious. However, Hadestown's multi-generational and cross-continental tale is our favourite thing about this musical. Themes of capitalism are rife, particularly through the King of the underworld himself, Hades (played by Zachary James), and the underworld's factory setting. There's also songs, such as Why We Build the Wall, that audience members can't help but draw comparisons to Donald Trump's America.

The steely, industrial setting of the underworld is revealed with a rumble; Hadestown begins in a saloon bar, with a revolve and staircase which creates the sense of a jazz club, particularly with the live band which adorns the stage on either side. When Eurydice enters the underworld, the staircase cracks open to uncover Hadestown.

Unsurprisingly, Hadestown is the recipient of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and a Grammy Award for the Best Musical Theatre Album, and we challenge you to not stamp your feet in time to some of the huge, sing-a-long tracks, such as musical's Way Down Hadestown and When the Chips Are Down. The brilliant live band blends American folk with New Orleans-inspired jazz, and you'll hear the recurring sound of a steam train, which represents the two lovers' fateful journey.

I am of the opinion that all musicals should have three gorgeous actors behaving slightly menacingly, and this is embodied in Hadestown with the Fates, played by Bella Brown, Allie Daniel, and Francesca Daniella Baker. Our protagonists, Eurydice (Madeline Charlemagne) and Orpheus (Dylan Wood) are fantastic as doomed lovers, and their tense, longing looks at one another during the play's musical don't go unnoticed.

However, it was La Barrie as Hermes who is the standout in this production. As the narrator and soul guide (Hermes is able to move freely between the worlds of the mortal and the divine), Hermes must provide context, maintain the story's flow, and also offer some comic relief — La Barrie executes these all brilliantly.

Buy Hadestown tickets at Ticketmaster

When and where can I see Hadestown?

Cast of Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre — Photo credit Marc Brenner

Are you inspired to go way down to Hadestown? There are still plenty of opportunities to experience this phenomenal musical in London's West End.

Hadestown will be performing until Sunday 9th February 2025 at the Lyric Theatre.

The nearest stations to the Lyric Theatre are Piccadilly Circus for Bakerloo and Piccadilly lines, and Leicester Square for Northern and Piccadilly lines.

Buy Hadestown tickets at Ticketmaster