The Destrehan High School Theatre will perform the musical Hadestown March 28-30 at the Lafon Performing Arts Center.
Cristina Rivas, who teaches Talented Theatre alongside Bethany Ayuso at DHS, said some people may be surprised to know that Hadestown is not about the devil or “hell” as the name may suggest.
“It’s a tale of love and hope that is rooted in Greek Mythology with some New Orleans flavor,” she said.
The musical follows two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of immortal King Hades and Lady Persephone. Hadestown is inspired by the traditions of classic American folk music, ancient Greek mythology, and vintage New Orleans jazz.
“We chose the show for the connection to New Orleans and jazz music as well as its thought provoking themes,” Rivas said. “The story has a lot to do with ‘taking a journey’ and each of us is on our own personal life journey where we will continue to persevere through tough times and hold on to hope which is a very human experience making the show beautifully devastating and relatable.”
The theatre collaborated with Jefferson Performing Arts Society and Le Petit Theatre to design the production and ensure a unique set that can place the audience in the heart of the French Quarter.
“We think [the audience] will be wow-ed by our set build that will be unlike anything they’ve seen in St. Charles Parish,” Rivas said.
Rivas said the cast is small with only 19 students performing in the musical. For the first time, the live musicians will play on stage with the actors instead of in the orchestra pit.
“The students are very excited to premiere the show for the first time ever in St. Charles Parish,” Rivas said. “Initially, the excitement turned to alarm once they started to approach the musical score. If you know the show, then you know “Hadestown” has little to no dialogue being performed without music underneath them. However, now that the students have overcome those challenges, they are very eager to perform it for a live audience.”
