Review: HADESTOWN at Fisher Theatre

Hadestown is a new take on a classic story of love, music, innovation, and regret. This dual love story shows new love blooming and mature love changing throughout the years. The show begs the question: Can love endure heightened obstacles and stand the test of time? Hadestown will be running at the Fisher Theater through February 2.

The first time I saw Hadestown was with the original Broadway cast, so my expectations were high for this performance. Not only did the touring cast meet those high anticipations of seeing the beloved show again, but they also exceeded my high hopes with many surprise appearances and some amazing interpretations of the characters I have come to adore. This production brought on many surprise appearances as well as some fantastic performances. On the first night in Detroit, we saw the understudy for several characters, which is always a treat to the audience. I love it when I glance at the performance board and see an understudy or swing performing because they are the backbone of all casts. A lot of people don't understand the amount of work it takes to be a swing or understudy for several parts. As a swing, you are not only asked to be on stage at the last minute, but you are also usually required to learn several different parts. As an understudy, particularly for this show, they perform in another supporting role but can then be asked to step in for one of the principal roles. The amount of rehearsal and dedication to memorizing not only the lines and songs but also the extensive choreography practiced in Hadestown is not only impressive, but it also takes a meticulous actor to pull it off flawlessly. The fight, captain, and one of the ensemble members who usually plays one of the workers is also the understudy for Hades, Randy Cain. Randy Cain thrilled the audience with his quick timing and even made us laugh, which was quite the coup for such a powerful villain character. We laughed at his line delivery, but I was also intrigued by his tone for the king of the underworld. Hades has a deep bass voice, which pairs well with his dark character, but it's also a complicated singing role because you must keep that level present for the unsung lines, and Randy Cain kept this consistent throughout the entire show.

We also got to see Miriam Navarrete as Persephone for this performance. Miriam Navarrete usually plays one of the fates, but she is also the understudy for Persephone, and on opening night in Detroit, she stepped into the role. Miriam Navarrete take on Persephone was unlike any I have seen since the show's opening in 2019. She brought a new light to Persephone. She's a highly complex character who has a foot in the underworld and with the humans up above. I particularly loved her rendition of "Our Lady of the Underground". Her interpretative dancing throughout the performance added an extra layer to her character. She expressed how much inner turmoil she's experiencing while being torn between two worlds.

One of my favorite trios in Broadway history is the Fates in Hadestown. This performance had one swing cast member, Julia Schick, and one ensemble member (who usually portrays one of the workers), Michaela Rada, dropping into the iconic trio role. Katelyn Crall completed the three-part harmony as the third fate and is the standing cast member in that role. These three play such a crucial role in the show as the voices that often cause doubt in the minds of the main characters. Julia Schick, Michaela Rada, and Katelyn Crall's voices merge to form a seamless, beautiful, delicious sound. I couldn't wait for them to enter the stage with their bits of wisdom or spout cautionary tales to help guide the characters through their journeys. The three harmonize so perfectly that I would've followed them anywhere.

During this performance, something happened that I have never encountered in my 20+ years attending live theatre. A medical emergency occurred during the 11th-hour first-act song, "Wait for Me," The song is at such a climax of the show that the whole cast joins in on the music, and we hear screaming in the audience. We were all looking around, thinking this was part of the show, but a medical emergency was happening on the balcony. Once the cast was made aware of a medical emergency, they all instantly stopped, and a whistle blew backstage, and they broke character and walked off. It was so abrupt, and the lights came on quickly. I commend the Fisher staff for how quickly medical aid was brought to the person who had had a seizure on the balcony level. Thankfully, they were taken care of and could exit the building by foot instead of being taken out by ambulance. This production has a lot of strobe-type lighting. This lighting often shines throughout the audience. Please note that if the side effects of flashing lights impact you or you have an issue with strobe lights, this may trigger you. However, after the person was taken care of, they resumed the show, and there were medical professionals throughout the theater in case of any incident. After that, I applaud the cast for jumping right back where they left off. It was as if the show did not pause.

I was very impressed, particularly with Bryan Munar(Orpheus), who was singing at the time of the incident and jumped right back into character as if nothing had happened. I was in such a trance by his voice. He has such a beautiful, high, tender voice. Orpheus is one of the most challenging shows for a tenor to sing, and he made it look so flawless. My favorite actor of the night was the narrator of the show, Hermes, played by Jalyon Crump. Jalyon Crump was a fantastic storyteller, and I also felt he was Hermes. He had a natural chemistry with all the cast, but his relationship with Persephone was especially special to experience. I was so delighted with his singing and natural charisma.

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