Written by Melly Merida
Hadestown: The Musical, created by Anaïs Mitchell and directed for the stage by Rachel Chavkin, is an eight-time Tony Award-winning musical—including Best Musical, back in 2019. Now, it comes from Broadway to the movie theater as a full pro-shot directed by Brett Sullivan and filmed at Lyric Theater on London’s West End.
The story is an inspired adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus (Reeve Carney) and Eurydice (Eva Noblezada) transplanted into a proto-industrial world filled with New Orleans speakeasy jazz and blues and narrated by Hermes (André De Shields). In the musical’s story, the world faces blistering winters and blazing summers due to the strained relationship between Hades (Patrick Page) and Persephone (Amber Gray). In the midst of this chaos, Orpheus and Eurydice fall in love—until Eurydice heads into the Underworld to escape the cold—leaving Orpheus to follow and bring her back.
The entire cast is phenomenal. Carney and Noblezada encapsulate their characters with a youthful naivety towards the world and the Underworld. Noblezada portrays a girl hardened by the cold wind and a deep desire for stability. She shines in her performance of “Flowers,” achieving a precise balance of raw emotion and stellar vocals. Carney’s vocals are almost rockstar-like, as he plays Orpheus as a boy filled with determination and dreams.
Anytime the gods appear, they command the stage, and their complex emotions give them a sense of humanity, separating them from their celestial counterparts. De Shields, with his charming, witty attitude, leads the story with a compelling narration that the audience can’t help but listen to. Gray is the life of the party whenever she’s on stage, giving Persephone a vivacious spark filled with hilarious drunken antics in “Our Lady of the Underground” and a longing for the above. Page is intimidating, characterizing Hades as an unforgiving ruler, desperate for control, and with a hidden heart of gold.
Orpheus and Eurydice’s relationship is so beautiful in this musical. While they are fast to get into a relationship, you understand how their love for each other has grown so quickly. In “Wedding Song” and “All I’ve Ever Known,” their dynamic is fascinating. Eurydice is grounded and sees “the world as it was,” while Orpheus is a dreamer and sees “how the world could be.” When they fall for each other, their chemistry is palpable (no doubt due to Carney and Noblezada’s real-life relationship, recently getting married in October 2025).
Many musicals are seen from afar or up close, depending on your seating, and you may miss a few details. However, in film, we get a closer look at what characters are doing in the background. For example, when Eurydice is looking for a match for her candle in “Any Way the Wind Blows,” Orpheus is searching his pockets behind her. Additionally, with the pro-shot, it’s clear how important the ensemble is in Hadestown, as they always move the sets and perfectly set the tone of the environment through their physicality and expressions, uplifting the leads’ energy.
The cinematography introduces new perspectives, such as an exclusive shot of the cast and crew preparing for the show backstage. Several shots bring the audience closer to the action or the characters onstage, almost making them feel as if they’re onstage with the actors. Even angles from above or lower angles, like in “Way Down Hadestown,” where the audience gets the experience of traveling down into the Underworld.
Similarly, in a film format, we can see clearly the cleverness of the lighting as it casts hard shadows onto the set during scenes like “Doubt Comes In”. It creates the sense of isolation and loneliness Orpheus feels when walking in the Underworld, or on characters like Hades, where it covers half of his face, enhancing his intimidating factor.
Even as a pro-shot, the story of Hadestown is a wondrous experience: the actors, the music, the set, the lighting, the nuanced messages and the directing. I could write pages and pages of every beautiful detail this musical has to offer. Watch the film while it is still in theaters and see it live. Seeing it live will most certainly be my next destination.
