Culture

Now Playing: ‘Hadestown’ is a beautiful blend of blues music and mythology

By: Gordon Briggs
Posted on: Tuesday, August 11, 2026

I was lucky enough to see Hadestown during its national tour. I found it to be a thoroughly entertaining musical romance.

Blending ancient Greek mythology with a more modern world of American folk music and New Orleans jazz, the work creates an enrapturing combination of music, modernity, and myth. When I heard they were going to release a pro-shot version with the Broadway cast, I was skeptical about whether a film could capture the specific magic of seeing it in the theater. Thankfully, the live stage recording of Hadestown works not as a movie or a theater, but as an engaging synthesis of both.

The musical retells the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, only here the setting has been updated to a post-apocalyptic, depression-era New Orleans and narrated by the god Hermes. The musical weaves together the tragic romance of young lovers Orpheus and Eurydice with the turbulent marriage of King Hades and Queen Persephone.

Further updating this ancient material, Orpheus is a poor but fiercely optimistic young musician who works as a waiter (characterizing him as a struggling artist makes the character more relatable). Eurydice, who is often portrayed as a passive victim in some versions, is a tough, cynical, and fiercely independent runaway who has spent her life running from starvation.

I love the story’s modern spin on its female characters. As a longtime fan of Greek mythology, it hadn’t occurred to me until watching Hadestown that there’s a connection between Eurydice and Persephone and the ways both seem to be captives of one kind or another in the underworld. Not only do both women find themselves bound to the underground factory world against their true desires, but both also suffer from intense loneliness because of partners who are too consumed by their own work to notice their emotional or physical needs.

The actor who played Orpheus in the stage musical I saw had an angelic voice that filled the entire theater. Played here by actor Reeve Carney, this Orpheus has an equally enticing vocal range. I can only describe Carney’s vocals as an ethereal falsetto. He relies heavily on a high register to perform challenging songs like “Wait for Me” that are a delight to hear.

What’s interesting here is the multiple perspectives on the stage the movie offers viewers. When I watched the musical live, I sat stage right, and my eyes could only see so much. However, through a skillful use of close-up, the camera can create a far more intimate experience. While live theater inherently forces the audience to view the stage from a distance, the film utilizes close-ups to bridge that spatial gap, allowing you to see the beads of sweat forming on an actor’s forehead. Specifically, close-ups on Reeve Carney’s performance allow emphasis on eyes and earnest facial expressions during his yearning musical numbers.

If a theatrical ticket is too pricey or you’re suspicious about adaptations of Broadway musicals, rest assured Hadestown is definitely worth the trip to the underworld. ★★★1/2