A nearly brand-new cast makes Hadestown’s two-week return to the Ahmanson not only a must-see for anyone who thrilled to the Best Musical Tony winner last year, but also a thrilling introduction to Anaïs Mitchell’s electrifyingly original musical smash for those discovering it for the first time.

Mitchell’s Tony-nominated book and her Tony-winning music and lyrics take as their point of departure the millennia-old tale of Greek hero Orpheus (J. Antonio Rodriguez), who trekked all the way down to the depths of hell to restore his beloved Euridice (Amaya Braganza) to the world of the living (and if you don’t know how the Greek myth ends, I’ll leave it for you to discover that in Hadestown).

Also along for the ride are god-and-goddess couple Hades (Matthew Patrick Quinn) and Persephone (Lana Gordon), the latter of whom is privileged to spend half of the year “Livin’ It Up On Top” before being forced back down under to spend the next six months in hell as our narrator Hermes ties it all together in song.

With only occasional snippets of spoken dialog, Hadestown’s sung-through format requires careful attention to the lyrics being sung, which is why even after having seen it twice last year, I made sure to reread a Wikipedia synopsis before my return visit.

Still, even if you miss a good chunk of the plot as I did the first time round, that shouldn’t stop you from falling under Hadestown’s intoxicating spell.

To begin with, there’s Mitchell’s music, a heady mix of blues, folk, and New Orleans-style jazz performed by a sensational on-stage band (including actors doubling as musicians) under conductor-pianist Eric Kang’s expert music direction.

Add to that some trenchant political commentary (Hades has his workers building a wall to “keep out the enemy … because that want what we have got”) and you’ve got a musical that is as contemporary as musicals get.

Indeed, so thrilling are Hadestown’s music and lyrics and the story they have to tell that the show would probably earn cheers even if performed on a bare stage.

That being said, it’s hard to underestimate the contributions made by a design team whose collaborative efforts have contributed greatly to Hadestown’s “event status” on Broadway and on tour.

Rachel Hauck won a much-deserved Tony for her atmospheric Big Easy-inspired set bathed in saturated greens and reds by Bradley King’s Tony-winning lighting (one of the most dazzling designs I’ve seen on the Ahmanson stage), and though Michael Krass’s costumes lost to the legendary Bob Mackie’s for The Cher Show, they are a stunning mix of glamour and grunge.

Rachel Chavkin’s Tony-winning direction is a marvel of imagination and panache, and the performances that she has elicited from every single actor-singer-dancer on stage are nothing short of miraculous, as is out-of-the-box casting that make each new Hadestown incarnation its own unique entity.

For instance, I can’t think of another show in which Reeve Carney (Broadway), Nicholas Barash (Ahmanson, 2022) and Rodriguez (Ahmanson, 2023) would be up for the same role, nor can I imagine three more different “types” than André De Shields, Levi Kreis, and Will Mann, the last of whom takes over the role of narrator/guide Hermes this time round.

And yet each and every one of these performers is absolutely “right” for his role, and the same can be said for the entire 2023 cast.

The instantly likable Rodriguez sings Orpheus with the voice of an angel, the power-piped Braganza is on fire as Eurydice, Gordon is a fabulous force to be reckoned with as Persephone, Mann’s Hermes is as charming as he is imposing, and Quinn sings Hades with a voice as deep as the pits of hell.

Marla Louissaint, Lizzie Markson, Hannah Schreer burn up the stage as The Fates, with three-part harmonies to do the Pointer sisters proud.

Last but not least, Sevon Askew, Jamal Lee Harris, Courtney Lauster, Daniel Tracht, and Racquel Williams add up to the hardest-laboring “Work Chorus” any demonic despot could ever wish for.

The entire cast sing sensationally and dance dazzlingly to choreographer David Neuman’s athletically challenging Tony-nominated dance moves, with additional Tonys deservedly won by sound designers Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz and orchestrators Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose.

Ian Coulter-Buford, KC DeLa Cruz, Colin Lemoine, and Cecilia Trippiedi are the touring production’s invaluable swings. Joel Rosen is production stage manager.

Like Rent, Spring Awakening, and Hamilton before it, this musical theater groundbreaker propels the genre forward in thrilling new directions, making haste of the essence to secure tickets to Hadestown at the Ahmanson. Hesitate too long and you’ll miss your two-week window to catch one hell of a Broadway show.

Note: Since the majority of production stills provided to the press feature cast members who have left the tour, this review features far fewer images than I would have preferred.

Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N Grand Ave, Los Angeles.
www.CenterTheatreGroup.org

–Steven Stanley
October 4, 2023
Photos: T. Charles Erickson

Tags: Ahmanson Theatre, Anaïs Mitchell, Center Theatre Group, Los Angeles Theater Review