Back in December, the news of the Hadestown original Broadway cast reuniting for a limited West End run immediately got the theatre sphere in a frenzy. One that I wasn’t going to throw away my chance at seeing having missed out on their National Theatre run and long regretting it after witnessing it become a decade defying juggernaut in real time. In fact, when I got the invite to the West End transfer’s press night having asked PR about it the very day of its announcement (one year prior), I was in tears.
After waiting for three hours in two online queues in what felt like Orpheus’ trek down the railroad track and the theatre equivalent of the Eras Tour, I booked a ticket for their very first show for an actually decent price way below my much higher planned price point. Sat in the balcony of the Lyric Theatre – I didn’t care where I was sat as long as I was in the room where it happened – with a surprisingly clear view, the only way I can describe the experience was pure magic.
There’s a reason why the original Broadway cast is so beloved in Hadestown. Having been with these characters for years, a few even before this current iteration’s first run at the National Theatre, the first performance felt like a homecoming. You could feel the joy in the air as soon as they stepped onstage to relive the world again, and we more than showed our appreciation – that collective roar and ‘ALRIGHT’ is forever ingrained in my brain.
I refuse to leave anyone out because every single cast member was on top form. Eva Noblezada and Reeve Carney both shared out of this world chemistry and stunning vocal performances that drove me to tears. Andre De Shields’ Hermes felt like a vibrant old soul with an old school flair that made you smile one minute and cry the next – immediately I understood the reason for his Tony win. Amber Gray’s vibrant vaudeville-esque Persephone brought the house down as she clearly had the time of her life.
While Patrick Page’s return trip to Hadestown is delayed due to an injury, we had fan favourite Phillip Boykin stepping in as King of the Underworld. I can assure anyone seeing his performances that you’re going to be just as enthralled by his take. Considering that he only learned on Saturday he’d be doing the show and had such limited time rehearsing with this cast, the way slotted in so easily with them was unbelievable. With a smooth baritone and a commanding yet humorous charisma, the chemistry he shared with everyone, Gray in particular, was palpable. And better yet, everyone welcomed him with open arms.
It’s not just the principals who deserve all praise. Madeleine Charlamagne (who recently took over Eurydice from Grace Hodgett Young), Allie Daniel and Bella Brown are all spectacular as the trio of Fates – I still need to see an Allie Hermes performance. To cap off are the phenomenal Workers old and new with Waylon Jacobs, Lauren Azania, Lucinda Buckley, Tiago Dhomdt Bamberger and Christopher Short at this performance.
What really made this performance extra special was the audience experience. I was anticipating a roar as soon as the cast entered, but to witness and be a part of it was spine-tingling. The rest is what I can describe as wildly respectful – ever an oxymoron! We hollered, clapped (to the point my hands stung) and cheered at the end of songs and some iconic lines, but in the heavier and emotional scenes, we were all so gripped that you could hear a pin drop. The silence in the room carried so much weight as we all savoured the moment, all the more a surprise to me considering that I went in expecting fans to scream every few seconds.
Overall, it was so magical seeing this wonderful cast I will always treasure. In so many ways it inadvertently felt like a love letter to the show’s diverse cast history with Boykin’s very last minute fill-in and a mix of old and new faces ranging from Off-Broadway to the National Theatre to the original West End. Hadestown may be a sad song, but boy am I glad to have sung it again with this cast.
As for everyone who didn’t get tickets for this run, at least the long-awaited proshot is coming so everyone can eventually gain access to these iconic performances (and Patrick Page’s for those of us unable to see him) and I urge you to support every Hadestown cast afterwards comprising of stellar West End names including Cedric Neal, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and Desmonda Cathabel. No matter who you see in Hadestown, it’s always going to be a phenomenal experience you’ll want to do again and again.
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