Hadestown Teen Edition

First of all, I have to confess that I have never seen this Tony Award winning musical by Anais Mitchell and was intrigued by both the idea of setting a Greek tragedy in modern terms and what 4SIXTEEN would come up with. Having followed the performing arts department of Castle Newham School for the last 11 years from humble beginnings in their school hall to having their own dedicated studio theatre; they have become a force to be reckoned with and as one of the leading drama schools in the area, I was expecting something rather special. This production however, directed by Molly McCarthy and Luke Skeel was a bar raiser on a completely new level!

The cast was made up of two principle casts, blue and yellow doing alternative shows. We saw the yellow cast. The ensemble and Fates performed in all shows.

The plot, a modern reimagining of the Greek tragedy, is set in the industrial underworld of Hadestown in perpetual winter, where poet Orpheus embarks on a perilous journey to rescue his beloved Eurydice, who has been driven there by hunger. With his songs he pits the power of love against the cold reality of a world built on walls and labour.  

The oblong studio stage is set in the round usually with audiences on all four sides, but for this production the band was on one end and the other end was a raised platform upon which sat Hades’ and Persephone’s thrones leaving the other two longer sides for the audience. The scenic concept and design by Luke Skeel and Sophie Kelk included a revamp of the floor which was patterned with halfmoon shapes in, if the lighting served me right, red and orange which created an atmosphere of the underworld as soon as you entered the studio. 

The lighting, designed by Luke Skeel and operated, together with the sound, by pupils Lyra Colliss, Reuben Clooney and Baxter Sturge was atmospheric to a tee. Often very low in intensity, sometimes almost dark and augmented by the clever use of smoke effects really made for an eerie underworld. Absolutely brilliant!

Sound balance to begin with was a little loud but was gradually adjusted so the balance between voice and band was much better.

Costumes designed by Sophie Kelk were extremely well chosen from a suit for Hermes, the dark dresses and woolly jackets for Eurydice.  Cleverly for Persephone  her costume changed from florals to all blacks depending on whether she was in the underworld or not. The all-black rolltop and beanies with goggles, which really emphasised the industrial setting for the chorus. Orpheus himself was contrastingly dressed in trousers with braces and a white top.

When we first entered the studio, it looked somewhat chaotic with pupils sitting and lounging around on the floor and in the walkways. As soon as the action started with ‘Road To Hell’ it became clear however that what looked like a disorganised rabble was in fact a very well drilled and choreographed unit under the direction of Choreographers Sophie Kelk and Molly McCarthy.  With slow motion precision to a drum beat this army of workers rose from their positions and simulated the action of industrial manufacturing in perfect harmony. This was continually demonstrated in various ways throughout the show. Very impressive to say the least!

Castle Newnham School have not only come a long way with their theatre studies but have also developed some excellent musicians, amply demonstrated by the accompanying band of: Willow Woodfine (Guitar), Jack Serino (Piano), Francesco Marra (Saxophone), Lily Gibson and La Quintha Barrett (Violin), Emily Green (Bass), Genevieve O’Brien (Drums), Samantha Smith (Alto Sax) and Amelia Holmes (Percussion). They accompanied a total of over 30 songs including reprises.

All our lead actors were all very confident with their roles with great interaction between them. Flynn Sibley stamped his role of Hermes the storyteller like a seasoned master of ceremonies from moment one, calling us to order. Noah Wosahlo, is a lad with serious talent with a mesmerising  performance as Orpheus, demonstrated by the way he controlled the pace with a beautifully measured performance, whilst also amply demonstrated his musical skills with his voice and on the guitar. Annalise Reveglia was his perfect foil as Eurydice, demonstrating all the emotions with serious chemistry between the two of them. Ollie Rodgers was a tall imposing figure as Hades stamped his authority on the underworld. Sami Clements was a very upbeat Persephone, with a beautiful voice actually bringing a little light and cheer to the otherwise dark proceedings. And for The Fates (The Accusers), we had Frankie O’Donnell, Rebecca Humphries, Faith Mazwi, Phoebe Mann, Cemo Erkan Boyd and Romy Schneider adding darkly to the plot.

And finally, the very large ensemble, really were the making of this show, their haunting slow motion stooped walking, hip movements in perfect harmony will be my outstanding memory of what was a thoroughly professionally produced show. So, well done to Directors Molly McCarthy and Luke Skeel, their cast and crew, both staff and pupils. You raised the bar a considerable distance. Good luck following that. And I’m certain you will.

 

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