Greek tragedy meets New Orleans jazz at the Firehouse

The Pleasanton Youth Theater Company is performing “Hadestown: Teen Edition” this week and next at the Firehouse Arts Center.

Anaïs Mitchell’s “Hadestown” won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including the award for Best Musical, and reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in Depression-era New Orleans.

With an Underworld inspired by coal mines, big industry and dark factories, “Hadestown” is filled with jazz and American folk music. Narrated by the god Hermes, the main stars of “Hadestown” are Orpheus and Eurydice, in addition to King Hades, god of the dead, and the lady Persephone.

“The love story of Orpheus and Eurydice is full of struggle, but hope continues to shine through,” said Jeff Zavattero, library and recreation coordinator for the city of Pleasanton.

Mitchell published “Hadestown: Teen Edition” in June 2024, which was written specifically for teen actors to perform for family audiences. Fans of the original Broadway production have no need to worry about the “Teen Edition” missing anything from the original — musical licensor and publisher Concord Theatricals claimed the primary difference between the two editions is simply modifying vocal arrangements to better fit teen voices.

Concord Theatricals also noted that copies of “Hadestown: Teen Edition” are in high demand, something fans of East Bay youth theater groups may have noticed. The upcoming PYTC performance of “Hadestown: Teen Edition” is a continuation of the musical’s local popularity this year.

So far in 2025, “Hadestown: Teen Edition” has been performed by Christian Youth Theater (CYT) Tri-Valley in March and by the joint efforts of Livermore and Granada high schools’ students in May. While its popularity and publishing recency may have influenced PYTC to put on “Hadestown”, Zavattero told Pleasanton Weekly the musical’s deep emotional complexity is what drew him to the musical.

“I chose it because it gives our performers the chance to explore emotionally rich and complex material,” Zavattero said. “Every time I give direction, students ask thoughtful questions about motivations or suggest movements and emotions they think their character would express. It’s inspiring to witness, and I’m incredibly proud of their commitment and creativity.”

PYTC’s cast of “Hadestown: Teen Edition” is split between the “Melody Cast” and the “Song Cast”. The two casts will be performing the same musical, but Zavattero explained that each cast has different interpretations of the musical’s complex themes. Show dates are this Friday and Saturday (July 25-26) and next Friday and Saturday (Aug. 1-2).

Entirely made up of actors ages 13-18, PYTC’s performances at the Firehouse Arts Center will be briefly interrupted by one of their three annual cabaret-style shows on July 31 starring the behind-the-scenes staff of the company.

Tickets for “Hadestown: Teen Edition” are available for purchase at firehouse.vbotickets.com or in person at the Firehouse box office or Pleasanton Library. PYTC performs over 50 times at the Firehouse each year and produces seven musicals, four improv shows, three cabarets and its annual Youth Music Festival.