Desmonda Cathabel, Nicola Roberts and Dylan Wood in Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, London. Picture: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Hadestown continues at the Lyric Theatre, London.
Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩
Blink and you could have missed Nicola Roberts’ West End debut back in 2020. Best known as a member of the BRIT Award-winning pop group Girls Aloud, she appeared as part of a starry line-up in Josie Rourke’s excellent revival of City of Angels which had transferred from the Donmar Warehouse to the Garrick Theatre. Sadly, after just a couple of weeks, the show – like so many others – was forced to close due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It may have taken five years, but Roberts has finally got an opportunity to return to musical theatre, this time playing Persephone in Rachel Chavkin’s staging of Anaïs Mitchell’s award-winning folk-opera Hadestown, joining the outstanding second London cast at the Lyric Theatre.
It’s a daunting task to join a group of players that have already had the chance to study the detail of their roles, create a chemistry and live and breathe this brilliantly written retelling of the ancient Greek tales of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone.
In doing so Roberts makes a decent if tentative stab at offering her interpretation of the Queen of the Underworld. From the very beginning there’s a rather ethereal feel to her movement (choreography by David Neumann) which suggests a desire to block out what will happen when the seasons change, and the darkness comes. The score also suits Roberts’ vocal tone, allowing her to add a husky edge to her numbers which is very effective.
What would be good to see in the coming weeks is Roberts really making her presence felt and adding a few more layers to her portrayal – the characterisation feels a bit one-dimensional at times. She could do with letting loose, particularly in the opening Act II number, everything’s a bit tightly wound.
Adding a dreamlike quality to the portrayal is no bad thing, but an audience still needs to engage with the personality of Persephone, to sympathise with her dilemma, to encourage her passion and desire to make a stand for the love of Orpheus and Eurydice. It’s perfectly fine work but I just have a feeling it has the potential to be so much more.
On a more positive note, Roberts has an easy rapport with several other members of the cast, not least the ever-versatile Cedric Neal, still a spellbinding presence as Hermes – the depth of feeling he displays as he narrates this ‘sad tale’ (as well as that voice!) is something to savour.
Amidst the stunning visual landscape (set design by Rachel Hauck, lighting by Bradley King), everyone else in the cast remains on top of their game too – including the fine band led by Tarek Merchant – and they continue to make this one of the must-see musical productions in the West End.
Going from strength to strength is Desmonda Cathabel, so powerful as Eurydice and bringing such an emotional intensity to her performance. We see playfulness, attitude, vulnerability, passion, desolation and hope. Her heartbreaking rendition of ‘Flowers’ is exquisite.
The beauty of Hadestown is that its storytelling is ripe for interpretation, but as decency and morality appear to be downgraded on a day-to-day basis by those in positions of power, perhaps it has more resonance now than it ever had.
Lisa Martland
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