Hadestown weaves fate, love and tragedy for a musical experience like no other

Grab your lyre and take a trip down the Styx to the Underworld… but just remember, don’t look back. Where love, tragedy and Greek mythology combine, Hadestown debuts the timeless love story of Orpheus and Eurydice at Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre. This Tony award-winning production, fuelled by the music and lyrics of Anaïs Mitchell, weaves Orpheus and Eurydice’s journey of love with the complex relationship of Hades and Persephone for a truly unique theatre experience.

Pulling from Greek Mythos, this tale is full of drama, thrills and gut-wrenching emotion, and every story beat is beautifully and effectively conveyed through poignant lyrics and clever staging. The narrative itself is generally well-known, having influenced love stories across all forms of media, but the joy of Hadestown comes from the beauty of the journey and its deep exploration of love, not so much the destination. Occasionally the story of a sung-through musical can get lost in the subtlety of its lyrics, but Hadestown doesn’t suffer the same fate, making the trajectory of every character clear via the guiding narration of Christine Anu’s Hermes. It’s a story that hooks you early and has you inching closer to the edge of your seat with each passing moment.

Part of what makes the experience of Hadestown so original, surprising and impactful is that while Orpheus and Eurydice are at the forefront, this is as much about Hades and Persephone’s timeless connection. Their respective journeys of love are linked in ways I didn’t see coming, enhancing the emotional weight of what is already a captivating story. It brings greater depth and drama to the musical, paving the way for some beautiful musical numbers through the second act.

Speaking of the music, when you have a soundtrack as undeniably outstanding as this, it’s hard not to fall completely in love. Both acts are jam-packed with a variety of numbers that range from the slow and poignant to the more loud and extravagant. The thing linking every song is love – it’s the core focus of the musical and ingrained in every creative decision. The performance of “Wait For Me” towards the close of the first act will send chills down your spine. It’s a phenomenal composition with captivating lyrics and comes at such an emotional peak in the story. The song’s various elements are echoed throughout the musical, including in the second act’s reprisal.

Making up the cast is a stellar ensemble of vocal performances that bring out the strengths of their characters. While it may be typical to kick off with the leads, I’m going to highlight the scene-stealing voices that left me speechless time and time again. Adrian Tamburini (Hades) and Elenoa Rokobaro (Persephone) are utterly mesmerising every time they grace the stage. As two of the more experienced stars, there’s a certain presence they each bring to the stage that’s irreplaceable. From the moment Tamburini first speaks as Hades, his booming, bass-heavy voice strikes an immediately intimidating chord that perfectly encapsulates the God of the Underworld. His background as an opera singer shines through as his every musical moment is accompanied with gravitas no one else is able to hit.

Elenoa Rokobaro contributes her powerful, soulful vocals to the production and charges the theatre with electrifying charisma. Being introduced in a bright green floral getup, her charm and limitless energy is unmatched in bringing vibrancy to a Greek tragedy. She’s a source of light in an otherwise dark tale, contrasting Tamburini’s performance as Hades beautifully.

As for the leads, Noah Mullins has seen great success across roles in West Side Story and most recently, Rent. His performance here may be his strongest yet, but it’s also a little hit or miss at times. Throughout the production, his vocal style shifts between singing in falsetto and singing a few octaves lower. There are some particularly poignant songs that benefit from the safter, falsetto voice, but for the most part it’s the moments he shifts into a more traditional musical theatre approach that are more impactful. He still makes an impact with a few jaw-dropping moments, but there are instances where singing down could’ve enhanced the experience.

With Abigail Adriano unfortunately unable to perform on opening night, Eliza Soriano fills the role of Eurydice and does a wonderful job. She captures and reflects the heart of the character through her loveable personality and radiating energy. With Soriano’s vocals being on the softer side, she’s remarkable in every musical number which called for a softer, emotion-heavy performance. This, unfortunately, leaves a slight gap in the moments that called for her to go big. She does her best but isn’t quite able to hit those highs, lessening the impact of some key moments.

Lastly I want to highlight the exquisite set design. When the show began, the set looked very static with no room to shift with the narrative, however it’s hiding a few small but impactful dynamic elements that are very well utilised in the staging of key moments.

There’s a reason Hadestown has been revered by audiences ever since it made its Broadway debut in 2019. The soundtrack offers hit after hit, each one beautifully encapsulating the tone of the narrative at the time and fuelling the beautiful exploration of love. Orpheus and Eurydice’s timeless journey is beautifully represented, but it’s the weaving in of Hades and Persephone’s own relationship that elevated the production to the next level. There’s hit and miss elements of both Noah Mullins and Eliza Soriano’s performances, but the breathtaking vocals from Adrian Tamburini and Elenoa Rokobaro fill those gaps.

One thing’s for certain, Hadestown is a musical unlike anything you’ve ever seen – an unforgettable, genre-defying experience.