Hadestown: The Musical – A Decent Stage To Screen Production (Early Review)

Musicals are one of the bedrocks of theatre, and Broadway or London’s West End are one of the meccas of theatre, each attracting tens of millions of audiences on average every year. That being said, not anyone could make it to New York City to see a show, so that’s what makes live show recordings such a popular option. Releasing in movie theatres and/or streaming services as of late, fans of theatre get a chance to see shows that they otherwise did not get the chance to see, or shows they just want to see again. The latest musical to get the big screen treatment is Hadestown: The Musical, a performance of the musical that was filmed in February 2025 at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End. In the end, the purpose of this recording is to attract new audiences, as those familiar with the show will be treated with more of the same, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

While a filmed performance may not quite come as close as watching it live in the viewing audience, the filming allows movie theatre audiences to better focus on the story being told, and less on all the happenings on stage at one time. Circumstances aside, the show is beautifully staged, offering strong choreography and a great soundtrack. Bringing back the Broadway original cast, Reeve Carney (Orpheus), Eva Noblezada (Eurydice), Patrick Page (Hades), Amber Gray (Persephone), and André De Shields (Hermes), it has an energy to it that keeps this performance engaging, but it will feel long for some, clocking in at nearly 2.5 hours.

As mentioned, Hadestown: The Musical is a filming of a West End performance of the show by its original Broadway cast. For those unaware of the story, the show follows two intertwining love stories, that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and of King Hades and his wife Persephone. Using ancient Greek myths as inspiration for this contemporary tale of poverty and wealth inequality, little did the characters realize, the pursuit of love was a journey that would take them to the underworld and back. Set in a harsh, impoverished world, guided by the god Hermes, young musician Orpheus falls in love with and proceeds to propose to the beautiful Eurydice. Skeptical of the prospects of his plan due to their shared poverty, he wins her over with the promise of writing a song that will bring back spring and end their suffering. Meanwhile, the marriage between Hades, the king of the underworld, and his wife Persephone is fading, throwing the seasons out of balance.

When Persephone is forced to return early to Hadestown, Hades leaves his underground factory to find someone who will truly appreciate what it has to offer, finding Eurydice and inviting her down. Seeing no other choice, Eurydice signs a contract to become a worker in Hadestown, trading her freedom for stability. Finally realizing she is gone, Orpheus sets off on foot to rescue her. Eurydice, quickly realizing the reality of her choice, begins to lose her memories as the first step on her way to becoming a forgotten laborer forever. However, when Orpheus arrives to take her home, Persephone and the workers, inspired by his determination, stand up to Hades. Moved by Orpheus’s completed song, Hades and Persephone reconcile. Now, trapped in a dilemma when it comes to Orpheus’ fate, Hades ultimately lets he and Eurydice go on one strict condition, if he were to turn around to look back at her before they reach the upper world, she will be then be trapped in Hadestown forever. Waxing poetic to perhaps too high of a degree in relaying the emotion of the story to its deeper messaging, the show kind of gets lost within itself. Trying to be too much, our four main characters get lost in the shuffle to an extent, while in service to the story as a whole.

Keeping to its musical structure, Hadestown throws in a good amount of musical set pieces, all within the same stage. The camerawork, meanwhile, does a decent job at keeping up with the action. Making the most out of their set up, the choreography and theatricality of it all, they are entertaining to watch, as the production does not miss a beat. That includes the original Broadway cast, who all deliver great performances. Their many talents are without question, as they continue to show them off here. While Carney leads the way with his effortless charm, as Orpheus, De Shields’ Hermes is a scene-stealer, offering a youthful energy beyond his years, and Gray’s showmanship as Persephone also deserves commendation.

When all is set and done, Hadestown: The Musical delivers an entertaining musical that opens up the original stage show to new audiences, but gets lost within itself.

still courtesy of Mongrel Media

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.