(Cover Photo: The CAST of "HADESTOWN" by Anaïs Mitchell now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston from April 23 through April 28, 2024. Photo Credit: Charles Erickson)

By Kevin T. Baldwin

METRMAG Reviewer

# 774-242-6724

"People turn on you just like the wind, everybody is a fair weather friend. In the end, you're better off alone."

                                                           ("Eurydice") - Anaïs Mitchell  

The Boch Center Wang Theatre

Presents the Smash Broadway Musical 

"HADESTOWN"

Book, Music & Lyrics by Anaïs Mitchell 

Developed with and Directed by Rachel Chavkin 

Cast Includes: Amaya Braganza as “Eurydice,” Lana Gordon ss “Persephone,” Will Mann as “Hermes,” Matthew Patrick Quinn as “Hades,” J. Antonio Rodriguez as “Orpheus”; Fates: Marla Louissaint, Lizzie Markson, Hannah Schreer; Workers: Sevon Askew, Jamal Lee Harris, Cate Hayman, Quiana Onrae’l Holmes, Daniel Tracht; Swing: Nick Cortazzo, Ian Coulter-Buford, Kc Dela Cruz, Timothy H. Lee, Cecilia Trippiedi

Additional Creative Team:

Choreographer - David Neumann; Scenic Designer - Rachel Hauck; Costume Designer - Michael Krass; Lighting Designer - Bradley King; Sound Designers - Nevin Steinberg, Jessica Paz; Musical Director and Vocal Arrangements - Liam Robinson; Orchestrations/Arrangements - Michael Chorney, Todd Sickafoose; Dramaturg - Ken Cerniglia; Tour Hair Designer - Jennifer Mullins; Music Coordinator - David Lai; Tour Music Director - Eric Kang; Casting - Whitley Theatrical, Tour Booking Agency, The Booking Group; Tour Marketing and Press - Allied Global Marketing; Advertising/Marketing – Spotco; Press Representative - Rick Miramontez, DKO / O&M; Social Media - Mike Karns, Marathon Digital; Diversity Marketing Consultant - Realemn Productions; Tour Production Management - Aurora Productions; Tour Production Stage Manager - Joel Rosen; Tour Company Manager - Denny Daniello; General Management - RCI Theatricals; Producers: Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirdahy.

Performances:

April 23, 2024 at 7:00pm

April 24, 25, 2024 at 7:30pm

April 26, 2024 at 8:00pm 

April 27, 2024 at 2:00pm & 8:00pm

April 28, 2024 at 1:00pm & 6:30pm

BOCH CENTER WANG THEATRE, 270 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02116 

TICKETS:

TICKET PRICES Start at $63

BUY TICKETS

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COVID 19 PROTOCOLS

Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.

The 2024 Tour of "HADESTOWN" hits the stage at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston and, should you be one of those eight or nine people who have yet to see this amazing production, do yourself a favor and go see it. Now.

Told in a brilliantly powerful, most inventive way, "HADESTOWN" is a blistering story of audacity, class struggle and environmental clashes as we descend into the grim belly of the underworld. 

And yet...why are my toes still tapping and why is there a smile on my face as I leave the theatre?

Because this show is good, that's why. Damn good.

This is a glorious musical and one that deserves every praise it has thus far received.

As one enters the Boch Center Wang Theatre for this musical, the first thing noticed on stage is the stunning set which becomes even more astonishing as the tale unfolds. 

However, audiences should NOT enter the Boch under the assumption they will just be able to simply kick back and relax. 

No - "HADESTOWN" won't permit this. 

As soon as the tale begins, audiences will be hit hard by a powerful story - one told with great intensity. 

There are no gimmicks here but it does feel like every theatrical device has been utilized with nothing even remotely random happening on stage. 

During the second act of "HADESTOWN," just as the show appears to be wrapping things up with a happy ending, the next 20 minutes or so makes it clear that this is far more a complex story than one might be used to seeing from many musical tours. 

The individual performances by the principals are only exceeded by the collective Ensemble performances.

"HADESTOWN" is like a “Jambalaya" recipe - filled with a mix of epic, opus, opera, ballet, contemporary, Greek tragedy, theatre...all placed in a broth that is its gritty, steamy, New Orleans Jazz-infused score. 

Simply put, "HADESTOWN" is the very definition of artistry and storytelling at its most compelling.

(Photo: Will Mann as "Hermes," stands in between Amaya Braganza as "Eurydice," and J. Antonio Rodriguez as "Orpheus" surrounded by the CAST of "HADESTOWN" by Anaïs Mitchell now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston from April 23 through April 28, 2024. Photo Credit: Charles Erickson)

The 2019 Broadway juggernaut opened to rave reviews and seemingly endless awards, winning 8 of their 14 Tony Award nominations (including Best Musical and Best Original Score). 

While the show could hardly be described as anything "basic," "HADESTOWN" is, basically, a cautionary tale - a foreboding and ostentatious musical with overwhelming themes of power - power both romantic and political and both equally corruptible. 

There is also a New England connection to the monumental hit musical. 

In 2006, the show actually had its premiere in Barre, Vermont and toured between Vermont and Massachusetts during 2007.  

"HADESTOWN" features music, lyrics and book by Anaïs Mitchell and brings us a "unique" vision of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.   

It was Rachel Chavkin who helped re-vitalize the stage production for the ultimate 2019 Broadway premiere and, the rest, as they say, is history...or, in this case, mythology. 

Chavkin added a pivotal, more engaging environmental take, using climate change as a core element, then also provided new material, songs and dialogue.  

Chavkin won a Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical. Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose also won for Best Orchestration. 

The precision staging by Chavkin combined with the choreographed movements by David Neumann has every single action perfectly calculated and executed on stage to perfection. 

Among other Tony Award technical categories for which "HADESTOWN" won included Best Scenic Design, Best Lighting Design, Best Sound Design and, judging by the April 23rd performance at the Boch Center Wang Theatre, it is easy to see why. 

(Photo: J. Antonio Rodriguez as "Orpheus" and the CAST of the musical "HADESTOWN" by Anaïs Mitchell now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston from April 23 through April 28, 2024. Photo Credit: Charles Erickson)

All the musical's main characters are introduced by Greek god "Hermes" (played on this latest tour by Will Mann) in the opener, "Road to Hell." 

Mann oozes charisma, equal parts suave and boisterous as he guides us through the story of "HADESTOWN." 

Hermes regales us with how, "once upon a time," Hades (Matthew Patrick Quinn) had to leave "HADESTOWN" in effort to find someone who might appreciate its safety and security. 

Hades ventures upon desperate Eurydice (Amaya Braganza), a starving young girl, and Hades invites her to come to "HADESTOWN" in his song, "Hey, Little Songbird."  

As he sings, it feels like Quinn literally lowers the temperature in the theatre because his voice elicits chills. The walls seemingly reverberate. It is an astounding performance.

The "Fates" (Marla Louissaint, Lizzie Markson, Hannah Schreer) also urge Eurydice to join Hades in, "When the Chips are Down." 

The "Fates" trio of actresses not only serve to enhance pivotal moments in the story, they also act as accompanying musicians on stage. 

Quinn is a true, one-man masterclass in how to own the stage as an actor - almost coming across as "likeable" portraying this pernicious underworld sovereign. 

Then, the true colors of the ruler of Hades are exposed as his malevolence emerges, and those colors are perfectly illuminated in the Act One closer, "Why We Build the Wall."  

How can one not listen to the lyrics of this particular song and not find themselves aware of the obvious parallels to today? 

There are other tunes which function in the same way, which is part of the show's brilliance and why it is important audiences stay until AFTER the bows have concluded.

The above noted contrast repeats itself in Act Two when Hades is given a moment to be merciful but realizes the depth of such a "sacrifice" to his very nature could prove catastrophic. 

Persephone (Lana Gordon), wife of Hades, is goddess of agriculture and vegetation, representing spring, rejuvenation, life and rebirth - a perfect balance to Hades' death, decay, destruction and oblivion. 

Persephone has emerged onto the scene using a train that travels up and out of "HADESTOWN." 

In addition to Persephone's celebration of summer in the vibrant first act number, "Livin' it Up on Top," (with Hermes, Orpheus and the "Workers") Gordon later stuns the crowd with her vocal prowess in the show-stopping second act opener, "Our Lady of the Underground." 

Another masterclass equal to that of Quinn's.

(Photo: "The Fates" - Marla Louissaint, Lizzie Markson and Hannah Schreer - in a moment from the musical "HADESTOWN" by Anaïs Mitchell now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston from April 23 through April 28, 2024. Photo Credit: Charles Erickson)

Not long into the story, Eurydice finds herself working in a hellish industrial version of the Greek underworld to help escape her dire circumstances. 

Braganza is a formidable talent as Eurydice, bringing both an impish charm and dazzling vocal prowess to the character.

The “Workers” Eurydice sees in "HADESTOWN" (Sevon Askew, Jamal Lee Harris, Cate Hayman, Quiana Onrae’l Holmes, Daniel Tracht) act as a Greek Chorus, of sorts, but by referring to them as such almost seems to do them an injustice, as (similar to the "Fates") they serve as far more than a mere “echo” on stage. 

Adding to the above, there are musicians on stage who do far more than execute the "HADESTOWN" score with precision. 

The musicians on stage include: Conductor Eric Kang on piano, Dionne Hendricks as Associate Conductor, Clare Armenante on violin, Michiko Egger on guitar, Emily Fredrickson on trombone and glockenspiel, Calvin Jones on the double bass, Norbert Lewandowski on cello, Eladio Rojas on drums (offstage).

There are moments they are brought into the story, as well, becoming integral components of the overall piece. 

For Eurydice, the "Workers" represent the multitude of minions who were led down to "HADESTOWN" before her and, soon she realizes, they also represent those who will come after. 

However, for them...and for Eurydice...the trade of one form of Hell for another leads to even greater jeopardy. 

(Photo: The CAST of the juggernaut musical "HADESTOWN" by Anaïs Mitchell now playing at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston from April 23 through April 28, 2024. Photo Credit: Charles Erickson)

Herme's ward and Eurydice’s lover, poor singer-songwriter Orpheus (J. Antonio Rodriguez), risks everything to try and save her. 

Rodriguez has both an outstanding voice and incredible falsetto, reaching into the high alto range with a beauty reminiscent of singer Aaron Neville. 

His portrayal of Orpheus, emphasizing both his selfless nature and accepting demeanor, comes across as genuine, as does his feelings for Eurydice. 

Performances of "HADESTOWN" continue at the Boch Center Wang Theatre in Boston through April 28^th and is a theatre experience you will NOT soon forget.

BUY TICKETS

Approximately two hours, 30 minutes with intermission. 

Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)

@MetrmagReviews

@Theatre_Critics 

ABOUT THE SHOW

Winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album, this acclaimed new show from celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and innovative director Rachel Chavkin ("Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812") is a love story for today… and always. 

"AN AFFIRMATION OF ART’S TRANSFORMATIVE POWER" Will Hermes, Rolling Stone

"HADESTOWN" intertwines two mythic tales, that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. 

Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. 

Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, "HADESTOWN" is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go. 

Nominated for a multitude of awards, comes the story of two mythic tales of imagination, faith, and love. "HADESTOWN"'s haunting and romantic theatrical experience will capture its audience with its brilliant and passionate twist on the classic Greek Myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. 

According to the New York Times, this is a sumptuous, gorgeous, and as good as it gets masterpiece you do not want to miss!

("HADESTOWN" will play the Boch Center Wang Theatre for a limited engagement!)

ABOUT THE WANG AND SHUBERT THEATRES

Just as the city and audience have evolved with the times, the Boch Center, as guardian of the WANG and SHUBERT THEATRES (and from 2012-15, the Center also managed the historic Emerson Colonial Theatre), has changed to meet the needs of its community. 

Uniquely using a Balanced Scorecard (a Fortune 500 management framework), strategy map, and strategic dashboard, the Boch Center ensures that our Theatres and programs stay relevant to the community we serve. Today, the Boch Center is considered a best practice institution and nonprofit arts leader. With the belief that arts make and keep us a civilized nation, the Boch Center is dedicated to providing high-quality, diverse and culturally relevant arts and entertainment, and arts education programming for New England residents and visitors.

ABOUT THE BOCH CENTER

The Boch Center is one of the nation’s leading nonprofit performing arts institutions and a guardian of the historic WANG and SHUBERT THEATRES. As New England’s largest cultural venue, the Boch Center is home to theater, classical and popular music, dance, comedy, opera, Broadway musicals, family entertainment, and more. Located in Boston’s historic Theater District, the Boch Center also offers a diverse mix of educational, cultural and community outreach initiatives, including the City Spotlights Leadership Program and the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame; collaborates with artists and local nonprofit arts organizations; preserves historic venues; and acts as a champion for Greater Boston’s arts and cultural community. Learn more at bochcenter.org.