Editor’s note: I attended a performance of “Hadestown” while vacationing in New York City, NY, last December. It was a wondrous, high-energy, rhythmic, series of Greek mythology musical moments! I was reminded of the MHS production of “Grease” and MMTA’s “Joseph an the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” I urge drama/music lovers to attend one-or more of these MHS performances. Also. support the Theater Program fundraiser at McDonald’s on Wednesday, May 25, 2026.
Morrison High School Theater Department will produce a spirited musical based on Greek mythology, in the High School auditorium, 643 Genesee Avenue, Morrison, IL. Music teacher Erin Morris has cast High School and Junior High students as actors and a Chorus, in “Hadestown: Teen Edition.” Performances will be Friday, and Saturday evenings, May 1, and 2, and a matinee on Sunday, May 3, 2026.
Like the original “Hadestown,” by Anaïs Mitchell–an award-winning musical–the “Hadestown: Teen Edition” reimagines the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, intertwining it with the story of Hades and wife Persephone, set to a folk/jazz/blues score. The show follows the young lovers Orpheus and Eurydice and the at-odds King Hades and Queen Persephone. The narrator Hermes guides the audience on a journey into the Underworld.
Themes explore the struggle between
⇒ nature and industry
⇒ doubt and faith
⇒ the power of love and hope, even in the face of failure.
“Hadestown” evolved from a concept album into a Broadway hit, winning Best Musical in 2019, and explores themes of love, faith, industry, and hope. Mitchell developed the project over more than a decade, evolving from a DIY project to a studio album, and eventually to its Broadway run. She became the fourth woman to compose the music, lyrics, and book for a Broadway musical.
The musical won eight Tony Awards in 2019, including Best Musical, and a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
