‘Hadestown: The Musical’ Review: Captures the Crowd-Pleasing Vibrance of the Mythological New Orleans-Meets-Rock Opera Stage Show
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- "Hadestown: The Musical" is a filmed recording of a live performance from February 2025 at London's Lyric Theatre, released in a format modeled on the 2020 "Hamilton" film
- Anaïs Mitchell wrote the show's book, music, and lyrics, weaving the Orpheus and Eurydice myth with Hades and Persephone in a New Orleans-inflected rock opera
- André De Shields, 80, plays Hermes and the narrator in a silver three-piece suit, delivering what the review calls "mystical authority"
- Reeve Carney plays Orpheus with a "keening high tenor" the reviewer compares to Jeff Buckley; Eva Noblezada plays Eurydice — the two met during the early stage production and are now married
- Patrick Page plays Hades as a "capitalist oppressor" and demonic executive presiding over an underworld foundry
- The film is projected to earn $10 million at the box office in its opening weekend, directed by Brett Sullivan
Why it matters: The release positions "Hadestown" as only the second Broadway-to-screen live capture of this kind after "Hamilton," and the projected $10 million opening confirms there is a measurable commercial audience for filmed stage musicals beyond the genre-defining smash that set the template in 2020.
