Way Down Hadestown

Hello and Welcome!

Okay, so we HAVE to talk about Hadestown. The musical.

I added this playlist way back in June because I wanted to expand my musical theatre knowledge. I found myself watching multiple YouTube compilations of multiple musical’s hit songs and I heard so many gems which led to soooo many new playlists, including Hadestown.

I finally got around to listening to this just a few days ago and WOW. Up until that day, I’d only listened to the first track, Road To Hell, and was just singing along with Hermes. I wasn’t expecting much from the rest of the track as I really didn’t know what the musical was about, but I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not joking when I say that I got SO sucked into the story, emotion, and just clever lyrics that I completely abandoned what I was doing and just listened. Huge kudos to Anaïs Mitchell. I mean, not only is the music extremely jazzy, energetic, yet intimate and emotional, but the lyrics and the way the story is told falls together perfectly.

I have been so obsessed with it, like I haven’t listened to anything else except the soundtrack on repeat. I know it’ll eventually wear out and become periodic, like every other day (like Hamilton), but I can’t get enough of it. Especially Eva Noblezada. She has such a beautiful, strong voice and I literally got goosebumps when I first heard her.

So let’s get into the songs. Not that it matters, and I’m sure the two of you reading this don’t really care, but I’m going to list my top five faves anyway.

1) Wait For Me: I don’t think there was any hesitation with this one. It was so beautiful to hear and its remixes are just wow. I'm speechless.

2) How Long?: I have to say that when I first heard Hades (Hey Little Songbird), I laughed so hard cause I was not expecting THAT voice at all. But, the more I listen to him, I can’t stop smiling because he actually sounds amazing and I’m no expert, but he went LOW low :). Also, Persephone has such a pleasing voice and a motherly tone that really shines in this song. I just like her unique voice a lot.

3) Chant: I love Persephone’s lines in this song “It ain’t right, and it ain’t natural!” I also really enjoyed the banter between Hades and Persephone. It was kinda cute. And then the mixing of melodies towards the end. Super good song.

4) Road to Hell: As I said, this song is super jazzy and, now that I pay attention to the lyrics more, super good at introducing the story and characters. I love the whole concept of an actual road to hell. Btw, Andre can SING. And yes, I was absolutely vibing with the trombone the whole time. I, of course, fell in love with Orpheus’ la la la’s. They are sooo melodic and nice to hear which leads me to my next favorite.

5) Epic III: Wow. Forget about making Hades cry, this got me right in the feels. I did tear up. Okay you're right, I cried. It was his voice, his words, his emotion. Raw.

*Honorable Mention= Doubt Comes In: So, I really like this song because it gets the theme of trust across really well. And Eva’s performance in this song is just sooo beautiful. Like, unreal. Seriously.

*Also, I just counted the reprises in with their original song because if I didn’t, all the Wait for Me’s would literally be the first few. Haha.

Of course, the whole soundtrack is amazing and if you’re interested definitely check it out. These people can BELT. Not to mention the intriguing story of Orpheus and Eurydice itself. I knew about Hades and Persephone already, but never of Orpheus and Eurydice so it was interesting to learn about new people from Greek Mythology.

Anyway, that was my first review of the theatre. These were just my thoughts and opinions on it. If you have listened to the soundtrack or watched the show, what’d you think? What were your favorite songs?

*I can’t wait to see Hadestown come alive on stage. (When it is safe)

Thank you for reading,

Your fellow thespian.