Hadestown: Myth in the Metropolis

Hadestown is back and audiences are once again invited into an enchanting world where gods and mortals collide. Conceived by the ingenious Anaïs Mitchell and transformed under the direction of Rachel Chavkin, this once modest concert piece has blossomed into a Broadway sensation. Its latest London residency is a reminder that it richly deserves its eclectic and off-beat place in musical theatre. 

At the heart of Hadestown lies the entwined destinies of two pairs of lovers: Orpheus and Eurydice, Hades and Persephone. In this sung-through retelling, Orpheus ventures into the Underworld, armed with his enchanting music, to retrieve his beloved Eurydice. Meanwhile, the mighty Hades, captivated by Persephone, bends nature itself to keep her by his side. The plot, though known to many, prompts timely reflections on the interplay between faith and delusion, the profane and the sacred, and the masculine and feminine.

The story is given its rhythm by an eclectic blend of folk, jazz, and blues, with the staging shifting between the intimate ambiance of a 1920s speakeasy and the vast expanse of an industrial wasteland. The diverse cast perform with energy and depth. Together, they shine brilliantly on soft melodies and sweeping choruses, with highlights including the haunting "How Long" and the poignant "Wait for Me". Gloria Onitiri's Persephone is worthy of special mention - brimming with magnetic physicality and a "suitcase full of summertime", she is mesmerising. 

Yet, Hadestown is more than a good time. As with all myths, its narrative is rich with profound archetypal themes. Through a psychodynamic lens, the characters' quests to find one another may be seen as metaphors for the process of individuation. That is, the process of achieving psychological wholeness by coming to know and integrate opposing and unconscious forces within oneself. 

The path to individuation is, of course, not straightforward, and Hadestown warns us of the many things that can distract and derail us: garish neon creations, "rivers of wine" and ceaseless busyness. We are also reminded, in a poignant moment between Orpheus and Hades, that true integration requires us to see the most apparently ignoble parts of ourselves as inherently human and unashamedly "of us". To be able to recognise that there is ingenuity in our trickster, compassion in our villain, and cruelty in our king. 

Despite these challenges, the rewards on offer are rich: inner unity, balance and generativity. Or, as Hadestown puts it, for the world to fall "back into tune" and for "Spring to come again".  In this sense, while Hadestown is great theatre, it is not only that: it's a framework for understanding some abiding truths. A very real challenge, dressed in fantastical clothes. Go and see it; even if you know how it ends. You may find that the story knows you far better than you know it.