Increasingly there’s more and more stage musicals being filmed for the big screen and the latest is Hadestown that opened on Broadway back in 2016 to award winning acclaim and its stage success saw subsequent production run worldwide. This film version is from the London production at The Lyric on what is a small and intimate stage that draws an audience into its story.
The story stars…
That story is one that accommodates both the Greek myth of Orpheus (Reeve Carney ) and Eurydice (Eva Noblezada) with that of Hades (Patrick Page) and Persephone (Amber Gray) and narrated by the Greek God Hermes ( André De Shields) who, unlike the postal company, really delivers.
Right from the get go it’s a barnstorming opening with De Shields immediately having the audience in the palm of his hand in anticipation before the cast launch into the opener and it’s almost impossible to not get you in the mood. Audiences should not worry about no knowledge of Greek myths as the story is all in the lyrics with Orpheus and Eurydice love threatened by Hades luring all and sundry into his own Hell on false promises to the disdain of his wife Persephone. It’s a theme that is as relevant today more than ever.
Is Hadestown Hell?
The performers having an astonishing vocal talent – Page’s voice is deep, mellifluous and as near to a vocal version of caramel as you could get despite him hobbling around the stage due to a real life foot injury that is encased in a surgical boot, De Shields voice is distinctly his, Carney’s is phenomenal and Noblezada has the ability to move you to tears when needed in songs that take in a variety of styles.
By its very nature Hadestown as a film is of course stagey but film director Brett Sullivan has his cameras capturing the spectacle and places us in the theatre audience and occasionally picking up their rapturous reception along with high overhead shots that take in the stage revolving and sinking. In fairness he knows his stuff with a background in music videos having shot stage versions of Les Miserables, Miss Saigon and Frozen among many others.
Like every film of a musical it can never replace the theatrical experience but if you can’t get to one this is the next best thing.
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