Hadestown: The Musical
Rating: 5/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Hadestown is a major musical that has taken the Broadway world by storm. I wasn't too familiar with it when I went to go see the movie treatment the play got, with them filming the entire production on Broadway with the original cast. I had families and friends tell me how great the musical is, but I didn't have a chance to check this one out live for myself. So, when it started to be released in movie theaters, I was excited for the opportunity to get a chance to see this story. Right from the beginning, this beautiful staged production caught my attention and kept me hooked until the very end, presenting a beautiful story that has amazing performances and wonderful musical performances; this may quite possibly be one of the best staged productions I have ever seen. On top of that, the cinematic brilliance behind capturing this musical is gloriously on display here, containing jaw-dropping cinematography and showing the beautiful nature of this hit Broadway musical.
The story is that of Orpheus (Reeve Carney) and Eurydice (Eva Noblezada), as the former must travel into Hell to rescue his love from the clutches of Hades (Patrick Page). The entire story is narrated by Hermes (André De Shields), and we follow the romance between the two from their first meeting to their last moment together. The musical also features a fantastic ensemble consisting of the Three Fates and the workers from Hell, all working together to bring this story of Greek Mythology to life.
To start, looking at the production itself, there is no doubt that these talented individuals did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life, both on stage and behind the scenes. Every single performer here did a brilliant job, and I especially want to highlight De Shields, Page, and Amber Gray, who plays Persephone. These three in particular absolutely blew me away with how they were able to command the stage and bring these characters to life. At the same time, Noblezada and Carney, who are actually married in real life, have wonderful chemistry with one another and they are fantastic as the two leads.
While the performances brought the film to life, it was really the set design and the stage management who really make the viewer gawk at this excellence that they were able to craft. I love how the entire musical was sort of set in this jazz club atmosphere, and it was awesome seeing how they expanded it to bring the characters and viewers to different locations in Greek Mythology. The part of the floor that sinks down below to represent Hell was perhaps my favorite, but I also loved how they were able to expand the walls to represent Hadestown. It's all just so well done. Don't even get me started on the fantastic swinging lights during one of the musical numbers.
I was intrigued going into the theater, wondering how they were going to capture this production on film and bring it to the big screen. It honestly exceeded all of my expectations, and like I mentioned earlier, this is one of the best musical productions brought to film. They give us a front row seat to all of the action, and I love how we were able to be up close and personal with these performers. I think it is hard to appreciate the subtle acting that Broadway performers are able to bring to the stage due to how far we are away from them, but this film perfectly shows how these actors can convey so many feelings and so much emotion with so little. Take Gray, for instance, who if looks could kill, Hades would be six feet under.
At the same time, the cinematography here is unmatched. Consider the shot where we follow a couple of the characters down into Hell; that shot of us sinking under and the ensemble dancing and singing around the hole is the best shot of the entire film. These filmmakers didn't just capture this Broadway production on film, but they made a cinematic spectacle out of it. That is something that each and every single one of them should be proud of.
Hadestown: The Musical worked on every possible level, and I can't wait to see this cinematic portrayal of a Broadway musical again. This makes me want to fly to New York and check out the story live for myself, and I can't wait until I can be in that theater watching it. If you are unsure about this or not a fan of musicals or Broadway, do yourself a favor and just give it a chance. It may surprise you.
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