The Broadway touring cast of “Hadestown” made a stop in central Illinois, performing for two nights at the Peoria Civic Center earlier this week.
The 2019 Tony Award winner for Best Musical is widely regarded as one of the best musicals of the past decade, and its trip to Peoria absolutely lived up to the hype.
“Hadestown” intertwines two ancient Greek myths. The central arc follows Orpheus, the son of one of the nine muses, gifted with a transcendent talent for music. He falls in love with Eurydice, a capable, hardworking woman, who struggles to put food on their plates. After Eurydice’s death, Orpheus travels to the underworld where he encounters the production’s other primary characters: Hades and Persephone.
Hades, the god of the dead, rules the underworld with an iron fist, trying to win back the love of his wife. Meanwhile, Persephone, the goddess of spring, grows increasingly frustrated with Hades’ impositions on her life, as the two struggle to rekindle the love they once had for each other.
“Hadestown” combines these two myths beautifully, with the two love stories serving as dark reflections of one another. Orpheus’ gift for song lends itself perfectly to the musical format, with conversations happening almost exclusively through song.
The music itself takes influence from southern bluegrass instrumentation, with powerful integration of brass and percussion. It balances different vocal stylings with incredible precision. Orpheus’ vocal range often rises into falsetto, while Hades lives almost exclusively in a deep bass. These two styles never feel out of place in the same space. In fact, their clashes heighten the symbolism and impact of the combining myths.
The story and music provides an excellent foundation, but it’s up to the cast to bring the show to life.
Thankfully, they were more than up to the challenge.
Jose Contreras fills the lead role flawlessly. You immediately believe Orpheus’ musical talent and passion, as Contreras’ haunting vocals feel like they truly could “bring the world back into tune.”
Hawa Kamara’s Eurydice is a perfect complement, with their powerful vocals creating brilliant harmonies in tandem with Contreras. The two create a brilliant chemistry that makes you buy into the love story by the first scene they share.
Namisa Mdlalose Bizana brings a charisma to the role of Persephone that, much like the goddess she plays, brings life into the entire performance whenever she enters the scene.
She’s effortlessly hilarious with a fun-loving demeanor that immediately makes you understand why the character is beloved within the context of the production.
Nickolaus Colón’s Hades is a brilliant, compelling antagonist. Through his sheer demeanor and physicality, you gain a complete understanding of why the character is so feared before he utters a single word. Once he does begin to speak, or rather, sing, that conception is ingrained.
His performance grounds what could easily be an over-the-top antagonist into a character you have a complete understanding of by the end of the musical. It’s a dynamic, show-stopping performance.
Hermes, the Greek messenger god, serves as not only a character within the plot, but the narrator for the audience. Rudy Foster strikes this balance perfectly. Precisely bouncing between in-scene dialogue and out-of-scene explanation, as well as between song and speech, Foster steals the show with every expression, inflection and movement. His performance provides a loving welcome to the production before breaking your heart with his final few moments.
The supporting cast operates in perfect complement to the leads. Miriam Navarette, Gia Keddy and Jayna Westcoatt are endlessly entertaining secondary antagonists as the Fates, working in perfect harmony, both physically and vocally. The remaining ensemble dazzles with their command of both blocking and singing, adding extra layers to much of the symbolism through simple body language.
The music is performed by an on-stage band, each member of which gets their time to shine. From the plucky acoustic guitar to the flowing string passages to the bombastic brass, every moment is flawlessly performed for the audience to appreciate. I wish there was a way the drummer could also be on stage instead of behind the set, because he was tearing it up as much as anyone.
It’s not just the on-stage performers that are operating on a high level. “Hadestown” is staggeringly impressive from a technical standpoint too.
The production uses lighting in one of the most creative ways I’ve ever seen in a stage production. At multiple moments, specifically when Hades is showing off to the characters, the lights shine on the audience, as if the god of the dead is a showman, displaying his work to us as well, immersing the viewer into the story even more.
The set is immensely detailed and dynamic, with backgrounds changing depending on the setting and the space used to its fullest extent. The paintwork on the backdrop makes the setting feel ancient and storied, perfect for a story about immortal beings.
“Hadestown” next performs in Huntsville, AL for three shows from Jan. 9-11 before traveling west to Tulsa, OK for shows on the 13th and 14th. If you missed the production in Peoria, it’ll return nearby later in the year, visiting Milwaukee in early March, Champaign in mid-May and St. Louis later that same month.
Run, drive or fly to the production of “Hadestown” nearest to you, wherever that may be. It’s more than worth the journey.
