Hadestown (Teen Edition)

With its record of memorable productions, there’s an expectation that any YOBOS show is going to be impressive, but every year it seems to me that those expectations are comprehensively exceeded.  Of course, the principals brought their characters vividly to life, with vocal performances to leave you wondering whether or not this can really be a teenage company.  Of course, the ensemble was committed and engaged, the singing clear and powerful, the stage movement perfectly aligned with the music and executed almost flawlessly.  Of course, the show was imaginatively directed and technically accomplished.

But “Hadestown” is not just another musical.  Its folk-inspired, jazz-influenced score, with its unusual chord structures and rhythms, is a challenge for singers and musicians alike.  The plot interweaves the stories of Hades and Persephone, the King and Queen of the underworld, and of Orpheus and Eurydice, a hopeful musician and a girl simply struggling to survive: familiar tales perhaps, but it takes a while for the narrative threads to emerge from the mysterious mists of the plot so the staging has to be sustained by the evocation of mood and atmosphere.  So why don’t we have a revolve?  And cut away to live video?  Oh, and have two casts of principals to give more opportunities to the talented young performers in the company?  And we’ll still do it all in just a week …

A week when heatwave conditions must have made it as hot as hell in rehearsals, but thankfully an air-conditioning unit had been installed at the back of the auditorium which took the edge of the temperature, its rattle and roar adding to the oppressive industrial atmosphere of the underworld. Nor was it out of place in the station setting of the opening and closing scenes, an environment which tapped into the journeys between “on top” and “way down”, and which complemented the steam-powered rhythms of the score.  The company filled the concourse in the minutes before the show started, building the atmosphere and sense of expectation.

The quality of the company movement proved to be a particularly strong feature of the production, even when the ensemble was merely loitering in the station.  It’s so easy for scenes like this to become either awkwardly static or formulaic in their activity, but here there was a genuine sense of hanging around in oppressive heat: there was movement and activity when necessary, but it properly lacked form and structure, and it was never allowed to become a distraction.  Similarly, interactions between the principals and the ensemble felt very natural rather than obsessively rehearsed.

There was also a clear contrast between the freedom of movement on top and the regimented patterns of the industrialised underworld; the choreography had a bit of swing in numbers such as “Livin It Up On Top” with pleasingly fluid interchange of dancers, but in “Way Down Hadestown” the movements were sharper and more angular, with the unison steps drilled to a high level of precision.  The Workers struck some particularly strong poses in “If It’s True” and handed out a stylised beating to Orpheus in “Papers”, scenes which carried uncomfortable overtones of fascist regimes.  The co‑Choreographers did a terrific job in drawing such confident physical performances out of the company in such a short rehearsal period – performances which actually helped to tell the story rather than merely complement it.

The company sounded just as good as it looked.  The co‑Musical Directors drew some accurate and disciplined singing from the ensemble, with a nice tone evident in the unison choruses and in the unaccompanied singing towards the end of Act II.  The composition of the mainly acoustic band was in keeping with the distinctive musical style of the show.

A revolving stage often sounds like an attractive idea, but not everyone knows how to make the best use of it.  Here it was used to good effect in several different contexts: it allowed confrontations and moments of realisation between individuals to be seen from different perspectives – such as Hades and Persephone in “How Long?”, it gave an extra dimension to the choreographed movements of the mechanised industrial world, and it introduced energy and movement into various journeys.  The revolve was complemented by the video cameras scattered through the theatre, including one positioned directly over the centre of the stage.  This allowed for a completely different view of some of the movement, with a few moments played out with the overhead camera very much in mind.

This was the first time I had seen “Hadestown” and to be honest I wasn’t as blown away by the piece as many others have been, while recognising its originality and many distinctive qualities.  However, I was hugely impressed by the ambition and accomplishment of this production.  Two casts of principals, together with such a capable, motivated and disciplined ensemble, illustrated the depth of talent which the company is able to call upon.  The musicianship demanded by the challenging and distinctive score, coupled with the quality of the onstage movement, demonstrated the breadth of the performers’ skills.  And the technical demands of the production showed that this company is not content to stand still but is determined to push the boundaries of what can be achieved in a school theatre in a week.

© NODA CIO.  All rights reserved.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.