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Hadestown

After almost five years on Broadway, the train to hell is still going. Ever wonder how the world could be? Find out in Anaïs Mitchell’s hit musical, Hadestown. Directed by the innovative Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown is a love story for today, and always. What’s the show about? In Hadestown, a song can change your fate. Hadestown intertwines two mythic Greek tales - that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and of King Hades and his wife Persephone. Set in a dark, industrialized underworld that feels part jazz club, part dystopian factory, the musical blends folk and jazz with poetic lyrics to explore themes of love, sacrifice, and the struggle between hope and despair. Hadestown is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go. Hadestown originated as Anaïs Mitchell’s indie theater project that toured Vermont which she then turned into an acclaimed album. With Rachel Chavkin, her artistic collaborator, Hadestown has been transformed into a genre-defying new musical that blends modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale. After many years of development and productions off-Broadway and beyond, Hadestown officially opened on Broadway on April 17, 2019. The show was the critical darling of the 2019 season, earning 14 Tony nominations (the most of the year) and winning in 8 categories, including Best Musical and Best Score. More about the score… the music of Hadestown can be heard on the 40-track cast recording, which won Best Musical Theater Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. The musical is also captured in its original live cast recording (2016) and new work from Mitchell is featured in a followup holiday album, If the Fates Allow (2020). Additionally, Talking Hadestown, a sixteen-part, digital words-and-music experience is now available to stream. Though the original Broadway cast (including Eva Noblezada, Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Patrick Page, and Amber Gray) are long gone, the show has boasted an exciting slate of replacement actors over the years, including Lillias White, Jordan Fisher, Betty Who, Ani DiFranco, Yola, Stephanie Mills, Solea Pfeiffer, Lola Tung, Maia Reficco, Jon Jon Briones and Isa Briones. You should know now… Hadestown is pronounced: HAY-deez-town. Other tricky pronunciations include: Persephone: per-SEFF-phony; Orpheus: OR-fee-uss; Eurydice: your-ID-uh-see; and Hades: HAY-deez. You’ll love Hadestown if you’re down for a great love story and have a penchant for unique scores. No musical on Broadway sounds quite like Hadestown. Mitchell spent over a decade crafting this musical, and it shows. Catch the train to hell now before it leaves the station!