Way Down, Hadestown

Lately I've been obsessing over another musical after the rampage that was Dear Evan Hansen. It took me a while to get out of that whole Dear Evan Hansen obsession, especially with that one actor who I absolutely fell in love with. Then I realized he was starring in another musical called 'Hadestown'.

Now, I had heard of this musical for quite a while, but I judged the book by its cover (musical by its poster..?) and thought this musical would be quite a dark and depressing one. So I tried to avoid it my whole life until now. Because my favorite actor was in it, I decided to look into it - then I realized that the 'Hades' in 'Hadestown' was literally from the Greek mythologies.

Basically, this musical is a retelling of Eurydice and Orpheus' tragic love story. The original story is that Orpheus is the son of a muse and has a voice that is Heaven-sent. Eurydice ends up going down to Hell and Orpheus travels all the way down to save her soul. He moves Hades' heart with his song and lyre, and Hades agrees to let Eurydice go. The only catch is that Orpheus must travel in front of Eurydice and if he looks back, Eurydice will be brought back to Hades. The musical also talks about the love story between Hades and Persephone, and how Hades fell in love with the bright and lovely Persephone and wanted to keep her underground in his kingdom. Like the original myth, when Persephone is in the world above, it's summer time, but when she's down under with Hades, winter strikes.

The setting of this musical is honestly so clever

• Love - based on trust and availability for each other

• Symbolism for Hades being a businessman with quite literal slaves working for him - a critique of industrialization and social classes

• Persephone - she had Hades but she was always lonely (why she became an alcoholic)

• Linking it to some Christian values (hey, it's literally about Hell and Gods) - even Orpheus' pure love could not save Eurydice from the grasp of Hell. This is where I started thinking of God and how He sent Jesus to bring us back to him. People are too weak to save each other from eternal death and suffering. The doubt that sets in because of the world around us is so

Characters + Actors

• There is only one Orpheus for me. Not the Broadway one, not the West End one, but Orpheus played by actor Park. He literally has a voice that's Heaven-sent and I can 100% believe that if he sang that song, Hades would be moved.

• He also cries so much because he's so into the role he's playing and the situation he's in but his voice literally does not waver??! Like, please, teach me your ways, sir.

• I loved the actress who played Eurydice. Her voice and acting impeccably mirrored that of the original Broadway Cast.

ALL, and I mean ALL the musical numbers were amazing. I loved every single one of them and the musical would not be complete without any one of them. It was in full sung-through form, where there are scattered lines and usually one song leads into the next. I started liking this format after Hamilton, but honestly, the musicality in Hadestown runs much deeper. Sometimes that becomes a little awkward and cringey (usually becomes what people know as the 'musical talking effect' where the actor very obviously gets ready to sing a song but is still talking) but Hadestown did this absolutely brilliantly.

I do have a few favorites that I keep singing/listening to. I even made a 20-minute-long Eurydice karaoke soundtrack by cross-editing the Original Broadway Cast Recording and existing karaoke tracks on YouTube.

• Road to Hell: first song, sung by Hermes and basically the whole cast, such a good way to start the musical and set the atmosphere. I love the live jazz band!

• Any Way the Wind Blows: sung by Eurydice and the Fates, sets up her character so well, and makes the fact that she falls in love (in spite of herself) even sweeter.

• Wedding Song: A cute duet by Orpheus and Eurydice, I love the puns in this one, like 'the river will break their banks for us' (which was a slight bummer since it didn't translate well to Korean while still keeping the pun)

• All I've Ever Known: This is the song that made me love Eurydice even more (than I thought possible). It shows that she's willing to be vulnerable and how she begins to open up to Orpheus. Although, I've noticed that it is quite a fast turn of events, almost as if they knew each other from a past life? (because, that would be totally unthinkable, right? 😆)

• Wait for Me: Literally the most epic, grand, chilling, eye-opening song I have ever heard. Gives me goosebumps every time and don't even get me started on the set-design for this. I will literally go on for hours.

• Why We Build the Wall: a glimpse into Hades' mind, and honestly, if he sang it like this I would be convinced that we need a wall for freedom. It's literally like a cult. I'm always blown away by how captivating Hades' voice is, in a different way to Orpheus' voice.

• Epic III: I cannot stop myself from crying when I hear this song. It brings everything together, and the songs are motifs that have been playing throughout the musical, giving it a feel of different worlds coming together in harmony. Like its name, it is EPIC (times three)

• Doubt Comes In: The lyrics are so chilling in the sense that they reflect on reality. Just igniting a small flame of suspicion can start a wildfire that cannot be put out. Because when doubt comes in, people start imagining. They start imagining the worst. Even the song's dynamic itself gives you the feel of something creeping up, quietly at first, only to devour you at the end.

I do want to watch this on Broadway while Jordan Fisher is still cast as Orpheus. He is also a multitalented actor, so I would love to watch his interpretation of the character. And just to experience the original greatness of Broadway musicals. Perhaps someday, since I'm close to New York.