This post was originally published on Playbill - Features
Written by: Marc J. Franklin
Following its world premiere presentation in Vermont in 2006, Anaïs Mitchell’s Hadestown completed its 13-year journey to Broadway when it opened at the Walter Kerr Theatre April 17, 2019. The production, directed by Rachel Chavkin with choreography by David Neumann, was nominated for 14 Tony Awards, winning eight including Best Musical.
Featuring a score and book by Mitchell, Hadestown intertwines two myths—that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone—as it takes audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.
Sing It Again: a Look Back at Hadestown’s Journey to Broadway
The original Broadway cast featured Reeve Carney as Orpheus, André De Shields as Hermes, Amber Gray as Persephone, Eva Noblezada as Eurydice, and Patrick Page as Hades, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, and Kay Trinidad as the Fates, and Afra Hines, Timothy Hughes, John Krause, Kimberly Marable, and Ahmad Simmons as the Worker Chorus, with Malcolm Armwood, T. Oliver Reid, Jessie Shelton, and Khalia Wilcoxon as swings. Following its opening, Kim Steele and Anthony Chatmon II have joined the company, assuming roles in the Workers Chorus.
Hadestown features scenic design by Rachel Hauck, costume design by Michael Krass, lighting design by Bradley King, and sound design by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz with stage management by Beverly Jenkins, Paul J. Smith, and Cherie B. Tay and casting by Stewart/Whitley. Visit the Playbill Vault for the complete cast and creative team
