Hadestown | Launch
Jack Solomon’s Club
HADESTOWN
LYRIC THEATRE, LONDON FROM SATURDAY 10 FEBRUARY 2024
On Thursday 16th November, Theatre South East was amongst those invited to the Hadestown live event, at the intimate Jack Solomons Club in Soho. Despite the drizzle upon arrivals, the attendees’ high spirits remained undampened as we eagerly gathered in the bustling downstairs bar area.
Winner of 8 Tony® Awards including ‘Best Musical’ and a Grammy® Award for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’, Hadestown returns to London five years after its sold-out run at the National Theatre in 2018.
Compering the evening of live entertainment last Thursday was Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and BBC Radio 6 broadcaster, Cerys Matthews. Cerys was joined on-stage by Anais Mitchell, writer & producer of Hadestown, and the two led us through a journey of the show’s creation, and teased elements of the upcoming London production. Their discourse was interspersed with dynamic live performances from the newly announced West End cast.
On Thursday we heard performances from Dónal Finn (Orpheus) known for playing Mat Cauthon in Series 2 of Prime’s The Wheel of Time, Grace Hodgett Young (Eurydice) who is currently starring as Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard at the Savoy Theatre, Musical Theatre actress and singer Melanie La Barrie (Hermes) whose many credits include originating the roles of Mrs. Corry in Mary Poppins at the Prince Edward Theatre and Nurse in & Juliet at the Shaftesbury Theatre, and Gloria Onitiri (Persephone) who originated the role of Fairy Godmother in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella at the Gillian Lynne Theatre, Princess Desiree in Upstart Crow at the Apollo Theatre and who previously performed in Hadestown at the National Theatre. Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne, and Allie Daniel also made appearances as the newly appointed Fates.
A talent that was amiss from Thursday’s live event was Grammy® Award-winner Zachary James (Hades), who we were sad not to see but highly anticipate seeing in 2024. Zachary James originated the role of Lurch in The Addams Family at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway and the role of Abraham Lincoln in the world premiere of Philip Glass Opera The Perfect American at Teatro Real in Madrid.
Hadestown takes you on an unforgettable journey to the underworld and back, intertwining two mythic love stories – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. A deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience, Hadestown invites you to imagine how the world could be.
The Hadestown creative team features Obie Award® winner and Chita Rivera Award® winner David Neumann (choreography), Tony Award® winner Rachel Hauck (scenic design), four-time Tony® Award nominee Michael Krass (costume design), two-time Tony Award® winner Bradley King (lighting design), Tony® Award winners Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz (sound design), Liam Robinson (music supervision and vocal arrangements), Tony® Award winners Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose (arrangements and orchestrations), and Ken Cerniglia (dramaturgy). Casting for the London production is by Jacob Sparrow. Whilst we did not meet these faces, we are excited to experience the storytelling magic they will produce for 2024.
“Wait for me, I’m coming Wait, I’m coming with you”
We cannot wait for Hadestown, coming to Lyric Theatre February 2024!
LISTING INFORMATION
Website: uk.hadestown.com
Tickets: Tickets from £20
Lyric Theatre, 29 Shaftesbury Avenue, London, W1 7ES
Dates: from Saturday 10 February 2024
Performances Schedule:
Evening Performances: Tuesday – Saturday at 7.30pm
Matinee Performances: Thursday and Saturday at 2.30pm with a Sunday performance at 3pm
Assisted Performances:
Captioned Performance: Saturday 20 April 2024 at 2.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Saturday 27 April 2024 at 2.30pm
BSL Interpreted Performance: Saturday 4 May 2024 at 2.30pm
Captioned Performance: Wednesday 12 June 2024 at 7.30pm
Audio Described Performance: Wednesday 19 June 2024 at 7.30pm
BSL Interpreted Performance: Wednesday 26 June 2024 at 7.30pm
Running Time: Approx. 2 hours and 25 minutes including interval