Review of the Saturday, September 27, 2025 evening performance at the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York City. Starring Morgan Dudley, Malcolm Armwood, Alex Lugo, Paulo Szot and Jack Wolfe, with KC Dela Cruz, Jessie Shelton, Kay Trinidad, Emily Afton, Jeffrey Cornelius, Sydney Parra, Eddie Noel Rodriguez and Tanner Ray Wilson. Book, music and lyrics by Anaïs Mitchell. Orchestrations and arrangements by Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose. Scenic design by Rachel Hauck. Costume design by Michael Krass. Lighting design by Bradley King. Sound design by Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz. Choreography by David Neumann. Direction and development by Rachel Chavkin. 2 hours, 30 minutes including one intermission.
Simply put, Hadestown remains a musical theater masterpiece. After nearly six and a half years, more than 2,000 performances, a pandemic, and dozens of major cast changes, Anaïs Mitchell's jazz infused take on the Orpheus/Eurydice myth is in opening night shape.
We haven't seen the show since shortly after it opened in 2019, and the awe and wonder of this beautiful, thoughtful and disturbingly current production has not abated one bit. If anything, it has increased for this viewer. The technical elements of the show create a world that is both concrete and otherworldly. Rachel Hauck's set evokes the unique feel of New Orleans' French Quarter, strong but worn, with every dent, crack, stairway and lighting fixture giving a sense of history and timelessness. Similarly, Michael Krass' costumes call to mind each neighborhood and class that inhabits the Crescent City. The lighting, designed by Bradley King, is strong with foggy beams and smoky shadows, and brings the whole of the piece together in a way that feels both grounded and mythical.
Rachel Chavkin's seamless and tight direction allows the story to ebb and flow like a fever dream, with David Neumann's ingeniously integrated choreography that combines a presentational style with the joy of a Bourbon Street Second Line parade and the regimented flare of steampunk moves. In short, the staging is a perfect complement to the story and tone of the piece, and is uniformly breathtaking.
So what finally brought us back to the Walter Kerr Theatre after all these years? The allure of the current company. From top to bottom, they are just brilliant. The Workers (Emily Afton, Jeffrey Cornelius, Sydney Parra, Eddie Noel Rodriguez and Tanner Ray Wilson) are as captivating as the principal cast and dance with a startling mechanical way, as if in their unison they are actually making the turntables spin and the elevators move up and down. When they aren't way down in Hadestown, their exuberance and abandon are intoxicating. As the Fates, KC Dela Cruz, Jessie Shelton and Kay Trinidad maintain a tricky balance of darkness and hope, of guide and manipulation. They literally weave in and out of the action almost like wisps of smoke, singing, dancing and playing instruments simultaneously. Bravo to all of these amazing talents.
From the moment Malcolm Armwood (on for Kurt Elling) strolled on stage as Hermes, the audience was smitten - he had us in the palm of his hand the entire time. What a presence! What a voice! For my money, he was every bit as good as Andre De Shields. I was equally impressed with Alex Lugo (on for Rebecca Naomi Jones), as Persephone, whose powerful vocals and beguiling charisma reminded me of a young Eartha Kitt. Her act two opener, "Our Lady of the Underground," sent a jolt of electricity out into the house to thunderous applause. She was the perfect foil for Paulo Szot's magnetic and threatening take on Hades. Is there nothing this man can't do? It is almost hard to believe this is the same actor who played Lance in & Juliet and Emile in South Pacific. What a range! His "Why We Build the Wall," was positively chilling and utterly brilliant.
When Jagged Little Pill returned after the pandemic with Morgan Dudley in a principal role, I knew right then that she was a young actress going places. I was not wrong. Her interpretation of Eurydice is a heady mix of strength, vulnerability and desperation. I found myself watching her even when she wasn't the focus of a scene, she was that engaging. Her solo moments were stellar and her vocal stylings were a perfect match for her Orpheus, Jack Wolfe. Young Mr. Wolfe comes to his Broadway debut after his remarkable performance as Gabe in the West End Next to Normal. Here as there, his singing is incredible - it took everything I had not to stand after his magnificent "Wait For Me" (perhaps the single best staging of a song currently on Broadway). Further, he has made the role completely his own; his Orpheus is maddeningly focused, charming in his broken vulnerability, and heartbreaking in his unwavering and ill-fated love for Eurydice. The combination of these two actors adds a surprising (and satisfying) new layer of emotion to the evening.They moved me.
I cannot recommend enough a return visit to see this cast. And if you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? The Fates are calling you...
📸: M. Murphy
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