If you are like me, you enjoyed junior high English the most when our focus was on Greek mythology. Learning about the mythical gods and goddesses, legends of heroes and devastating monsters seemed like getting to read fairy tales every day. While the myths were used to describe Greek culture and religion, most of them explained natural occurrences in nature and conveyed important moral lessons. The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is a Greek tragedy and an example of what can happen when you trust your head over your heart.
“Hadestown” tells a version of the myth with heavy themes of politics, romance and economic decline—eerily appropriate to the current state of the world we are living in, even though the first draft of the show was written back in 2006.
Hermes starts the show and acts as the narrator throughout the performance. The Greek god speaks to us, breaking the fourth wall, and explains this is a sad story and we’ve “heard it before,” but they are going to keep singing it because it is an important story to tell.
After welcoming the audience to the show, Hermes begins by introducing each character in the story, including himself, the king and queen of the underworld, Hades and Persephone, the Fates, and, of course, Orpheus and Eurydice. The human world is in shambles and in economic decline, with climate change, poverty and homelessness being prominent aspects of the life they’re living. Even though the story is an old Greek myth, the set is designed to look straight out of a New Orleans jazz speakeasy.
Living in this world of depression, Eurydice is a strong but cautious girl, while Orpheus is a hopeful romantic who just happens to have a magical gift of music. The two fall deeply in love, with Eurydice’s doubts being brushed away by Orpheus’s promises of writing a song to make spring come again, and they will no longer have to struggle.
The other couple featured in this musical is the well-known tale of Hades and Persephone. As the original myth goes, Persephone’s mother, Demeter (Greek goddess of agriculture, fertility and the harvest), was heartbroken by her abduction and caused a famine on Earth. To resolve this, a compromise was made where Persephone would spend half the year with Hades in the underworld and the other half with Demeter on Earth, explaining the changing seasons.
Although Persephone seems to truly be in love with Hades in “Hadestown,” she still protests having to go back down to his rusty underground factory. Honestly, the best way I can describe how Hell is portrayed in this musical is by comparing it to Planktopolis from “The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie,” when Plankton takes over Bikini Bottom and brainwashes the town with chum-bucket helmets. I know you know what I’m talking about.
Anyways, the theme of death and mental health is also a huge component of this musical. Despite hearing about Persephone not wanting to go back and the never-ending labor endured by Hades’s factory workers, Eurydice is intrigued by the promise of protection and consistency that Hadestown offers. Though deeply in love, Eurydice willingly “rides the train” to Hadestown, effectively committing suicide after feeling neglected by Orpheus as he was focusing on finishing his song.
After Hermes informs Orpheus of Eurydice’s decision, Orpheus takes “the long way ‘round” to Hadestown to rescue her and bring her back to the world above. Hades informs the audience of the truth about Hadestown, bringing up modern themes of the exploitation of workers and the concentration of wealth in the hands of the 2%. Hades’s song “Why We Build the Wall” sounds familiar…
As Orpheus reaches Hadestown, he manages to rally the workers and, through song, convinces Hades to let Orpheus and Eurydice go on one condition: they must walk single-file back the long way Orpheus came, and if he turns around to see if Eurydice is still there, she will be stuck in Hadestown forever.
While many other themes are touched on throughout, such as hope and the importance of perseverance in the face of adversity, the Fates also act as a “villain” as they represent the anxieties, doubts and uncertainties within the characters’ minds. They are the inner voices that affect various actions and decisions, ultimately contributing to the tragic events that happen throughout.
The event that makes this tale a tragedy happens at the very end when the two lovers are steps away from reaching the end. As the Fates sing the hauntingly beautiful “Doubt Comes In,” Orpheus begins to question if Eurydice is still there and why she would ever want to follow him.
As we watch the perfect ending unfold, where Orpheus manages to build comradery and act as a leader for the Hadestown workers, express his love for Eurydice and sing his magic to warm the heart of Hades long enough to set them free, the audience is smacked right back to reality as we watch Orpheus turn around, steps away from the end, condemning Eurydice back to Hadestown.
Hermes comes back on stage to remind us that this is an old tale, and even though we knew it was a tragedy and what would probably happen in the end, we still became hopeful and led with our hearts, which Orpheus did not do. The musical acts as a reminder not to let our doubts creep in and take over what could make us happy. Self-sabotage can mean the difference between developing a positive or negative fate, and it’s our job to always keep that in mind.