Hadestown – Lyric Theatre

Dónal Finn in Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, London. Picture: Marc Brenner

Hadestown continues at the Lyric Theatre, London.

Star rating: four stars ★ ★ ★ ★ ✩

The pressure of expectation on Hadestown, specifically in London where theatregoers experienced an earlier, less polished version at the National Theatre in 2018, is of a rare intensity. It’s also a complicated pitch: a retelling of two Greek myths, set in a post-apocalyptic New Orleans and/or rust-belt mining town. Multiplying that with the feverish praise that preceded its West End debut (eight Tony Awards etc), you get a show that must equal much, much more than the sum of its parts to satisfy.

Does Hadestown stick that landing? For me? Sort of. Let me explain by saying that I have seen Hadestown on Broadway twice. I don’t say that to gloat. Well, not only to gloat; the original cast managed to exceed my oversized, soundtrack-inflated expectations. The show’s history might not stretch back to antiquity, but certainly, it goes further than the Broadway run, right back to 2006. Some actors had been in it all the way. The second Broadway cast, combining originals and replacements, produced some slightly diminished characters – and one or two who brought something really, brilliantly new.

The London publicity line before opening was that this was quite a different show. I suspect this was more to allay anxieties from those who saw the National production, than the smaller number of people who had seen it on Broadway. In actuality, if you see Hadestown at the Lyric, you will get a largely accurate facsimile of the experience at New York’s Walter Kerr Theatre – but with a proper foyer and nicer toilets. The band renders the score with the highest level of skill, while the ensemble, called “the hardest working chorus in the gods’ almighty world”, lives up to that endorsement, performing with style and apparent ease.

Something has been made of the choice for many of the principals to retain their regional accents. Those who know the recording may need a moment to adjust, but this isn’t a serious distraction. It certainly doesn’t elide the fact that is on stark display: Hadestown is one of the most densely, skilfully written pieces of theatre in living memory. Have you ever zoomed in on a beautiful photo, only to find it becomes fuzzy and blurred all too quickly? It’s like a picture of infinite fidelity, just producing more and more detail as you dig further into it.

In this wholly new production, with an astonishing recorded cast to live up to, there’s a risk that constant comparisons may not be favourable. The principal cast is talented and highly competent (the Act II vocal performances certainly redeemed any nerves in Act I), so it might be unfair to imagine substituting in Broadway originals, who grew into their roles, often over multiple iterations of the show. I will be delighted if this cast does so – certainly, performers like Melanie La Barrie (Hermes) and Gloria Onitiri (Persephone) rise admirably to the challenges of their demanding roles.

There is one exception to all of this. Dónal Finn’s Orpheus contains a careful balance of humour, timidity and soaring musical confidence that is close to genius. This is a reinvention of the character that I would not have thought possible. Finn taps feeling out of ‘If It’s True’ that I didn’t know was there. Much of what didn’t work at the National was in Orpheus’ characterisation and Anaïs Mitchell (music, lyrics and book), Rachel Chavkin (director) and Reeve Carney (Orpheus) made comprehensive changes, such that he was quite different on Broadway. Maybe memories of the National encouraged the West End team to go for yet another pass on the character, something they might be well served to do with Eurydice and Hades, where the talents of Grace Hodgett Young and Zachary James are abundant and yet somehow slightly straining against the direction.

And, importantly, most audiences just won’t make these comparisons with a previous performance and only some will know the cast recording well enough for it to matter. And, as ever, there’s no accounting for taste: you may prefer a slightly different characterisation of Hades or Eurydice. Hadestown is about change and rejuvenation, which will come with every repeat performance, making this truly extraordinary show even better with time.

Tom Martland