From Broadway to the West End: Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre

It is time for a girls’ night out in the West End (because why not) and for reasons beyond my memory we are seeing Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre. I came here a while back for the Bob Marley tribute musical but this time I am sitting in the well-leveled stalls, assuring that we even people of smaller stature enjoy an excellent view to the stage. The front of house staff very proactively point out the nearest toilets and share where additional ones can be found – even before the show starts, I feel like having returned to a good place.

The Saturday night audience is excited and enthusiastic, and also given the high amount of American accents surrounding us, they might have seen Hadestown before, maybe in its early stages in Vermont or Massachusetts, maybe in New York or here in London where Anaïs Mitchell’s musical premiered at the National Theatre in 2018. The Lyric Theatre has hosted Hadestown since February. The ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice has been told endless times as tragedy and comedy alike but here it almost takes the role of a side story, dominated by Hermes‘ shiny, sexy, fabulous narrations which take is from Cuban sunshine all the way down the river Styx to Hades‘ majestic, diabolic baritone.

Clearly inspired by melodies and music venues like the Buena Vista Social Club, the orchestra stays on stage (I have a shameless audience crush on the trombone) and occasionally steals the show from the singers and their parts. Another highlight of the show is the stage setting, only topped by the powerful use of lightning which will lighten up the joys of weather-beaten colonial villas in the Caribbean and steam punks alike. Hadestown has some lengths, some missed opportunities (give the Three Fates more parts and don’t let them go on stage without playing that accordion so beautifully) and many five out of five star sceneries – making this a musical night out, many people will agree on. There is something very Broadway about this production but I might say this because my thoughts steer towards memories of seeing Titanic and Hamilton rather than European West End shows tonight. I am glad I have seen it: Last night, I woke up with Orpheus’ leitmotif in my ear.