This is the first in a three-part series of highly subjective, opinionated and personal reflections of your faithful bee on the musical Hadestown. This critique is not aimed at the production, the actors, or the musical score—all of which were beautifully executed—but rather at the core storytelling elements that, unfortunately, did not resonate with the bee. Spoilers abound.
About Hadestown: Hadestown is a Tony Award-winning musical that reimagines the ancient Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as Hades and Persephone. The story follows Orpheus, a gifted musician, as he journeys into the underworld to rescue his beloved Eurydice. Through its blend of folk, jazz, and blues, the musical explores themes of love, power, and the struggle for freedom in a world that feels increasingly oppressive. But beyond its mythological roots, Hadestown also serves as a modern allegory, reflecting on the dynamics of labor, industry, and society.
Hadestown bills itself as a modern retelling of ancient Greek myths, particularly the tragic love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. For audiences familiar with these myths, the show promises a layered experience where the power of music, love, and art transcends even death. However, what happens when you enter the theatre with little to no knowledge of the original stories? Does the narrative still resonate, or does the absence of that mythological context reveal deeper flaws in the storytelling? Unfortunately, in Theatre Bee's experience, beloved readers, the latter proved true.
The Mythological Context: A Double-Edged Sword
The original story of Orpheus and Eurydice is not just about love; it’s about the tragic flaw of doubt, the power of art to alter reality, and the thin line between life and death. For those steeped in this knowledge, Hadestown should be a feast of these elements, reinterpreted through the lens of a contemporary musical. Yet, the reality of watching Hadestown without this context—or with only a cursory understanding of the myths—presents a different experience.
One might assume that coming into the show with a “blank slate” would allow the musical to paint a new, vibrant picture, unclouded by preconceptions. In theory, this could heighten the emotional impact, allowing the audience to be swept away by the story without the safety net of knowing how it ends. But in Hadestown, this blank slate did not result in a more profound or moving experience. Instead, it highlighted the show’s shortcomings. For the bee, at least.
The Missing Transcendence: When Music Fails to Move
Orpheus’s music, in myth and in Hadestown, is supposed to be transcendent—capable of bending reality and moving even the heart of Hades. This is the central conceit of the story, the force that drives Orpheus to descend into the underworld. Yet, the musical’s portrayal of this power felt oddly muted. Despite the enchanting score and strong performances, the music lacked the necessary emotional depth to make the bee believe in its world-altering power.
The story does not sufficiently establish the stakes or the contrast between the oppressive underworld and the idealistic vision Orpheus represents. Without this contrast, the music fails to embody the transcendental force it’s meant to be. Even Eurydice, who should be most moved by Orpheus’s song, ultimately chooses her primal needs over his vision. If the character who is supposed to be closest to Orpheus cannot see the transformative potential in his art, how can the audience be expected to?
Orpheus’s Doubt: A Tragic Flaw Left Underdeveloped
One of the most frustrating aspects of the musical was the underdevelopment of Orpheus’s tragic flaw. In mythology, Orpheus’s doubt is a crucial element—it’s what leads to his downfall. However, in Hadestown, this doubt is barely hinted at until the very moment it causes his undoing. This lack of foreshadowing or exploration makes the climax feel unearned and, worse, confusing.
Orpheus is portrayed as an idealist, optimistic to the point of naivety. This characterization makes the sudden emergence of doubt at the most critical juncture feel out of place, almost accidental. Arbitrary, unexplained, confusing. The musical fails to delve into Orpheus’s internal struggle (was there one?), to show the audience the seeds of doubt growing within him. Instead of a tragic, inevitable moment of human weakness, Orpheus’s turn feels like a jarring, arbitrary twist.
The Myth’s Power vs. The Musical’s Execution
In the end, the disconnect between the mythological roots and the musical’s execution is stark. Hadestown attempts to modernize and expand on the ancient stories, but in doing so, it loses some of the myth’s inherent power. The tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice, meant to be a poignant reminder of the fragility of human resolve and the transcendent power of art, is reduced to a frustrating narrative misstep.
This is not to say that Hadestown lacks merit—its production values are top-notch, and its music is undeniably enchanting. But when it comes to delivering on the depth and resonance of its mythological source material, the show falls short. For those who come in with an understanding of the myths, this might be a disappointment. But for those who enter with a blank slate, like the bee, the experience is even more disheartening. The story that should have felt timeless and tragic instead felt thin, its deeper meanings obscured by a lack of narrative coherence.
In the end, Hadestown had all the ingredients to be a modern myth for the ages, but it left a rather underwhelmed bee wanting more—more depth, more clarity, and more of that transcendent power that the original myth promises but the musical fails to fully deliver.
...To be continued.
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