Picture: Matthew Murphy
American folk singer Anaïs Mitchell’s record-breaking and multi-award-winning Hadestown will return to the UK for the first time since its sold-out National Theatre premiere run in 2018.
Based on Mitchell’s original concept album, the singer-songwriter’s version of the Greek myth of Orpheus journey into the Underworld to rescue his love Eurydice will make its West End debut at the Lyric Theatre from 10 February 2024.
Commenting on the Tony and Grammy Award-winning show’s London encore, Mitchell said: “We’re all thrilled to be bringing Hadestown back to London! We truly loved our time at the National Theatre in 2018 and felt so welcomed by your city that it feels like a homecoming to be returning (to the West End)!
“I’m excited to work in and with the fantastic theatre community of London, and to share the newest version of our show, as there was a great deal of development pre-Broadway based on things we learned at the National! And it’s always a curious gift to witness how this epic myth vibrates differently in different places and times. That is, West End Hadestown will be its own world – born of London and the now – and we can’t wait to discover it.”
A version of the show was first performed on stage in Mitchell’s home state of Vermont ahead of the concept album release. Mitchell added 15 new songs and dialogue before joining forces with the show’s director Rachel Chavkin to shape the project into a full stage show.
After a successful debut run at the New York Theatre Workshop in 2016, followed by an equally successful run in Edmonton, Canada, the musical played a sold-out run at the National Theatre in 2018.
After further development, Hadestown premiered at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theater, winning eight Tony Awards including Best Musical. It now holds the record for the highest-grossing musical and longest-running show in the theatre’s 100-year history. The North American tour is celebrating its second year of sold-out performances.
Mixing modern American folk music with vintage New Orleans jazz, the genre-defying musical features set design by Rachel Hauck, costume design by Michael Krass, lighting design by Bradley King, sound design by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz, choreography by David Neumann, musical direction by Liam Robinson, arrangements and orchestrations by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose with Ken Cerniglia as dramaturg.
Angela Thomas
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