Review: HADESTOWN at Jacksonville Center For The Performing Arts

Hadestown is a unique retelling of the ancient Greek Myth of Orpheus (J. Antonio Rodriguez) and Eurydice (Amaya Braganza). A myth that many learned in school but have probably forgotten. However, some may not have even heard of, as there were audible gasps at the musical’s conclusion. To give a summary of the original Greek myth, Orpheus meets Eurydice, falls in love, marries, and lives happily ever shortly when Eurydice becomes trapped in the underworld with Hades and his wife Persephone. Heartbroken, Orpheus goes to the underworld to see the god and goddess and played them a song that moved Hades to compassion. Hades allowed Orpheus to take Eurydice back with him, but with a catch. Eurydice had to walk behind Orpheus the entire way and he could never look back to check on her. No spoiler alerts on the ending here, though. The musical is captivating and beautiful, even when speaking everything rhymes and flows in the most poetic way. The national tour cast is supremely talented with the most beautiful voices.

The leading lady, Eurydice (Amaya Braganza) had an astounding voice. Every song she sang had such passion. One of my favorite numbers of Braganza’s was “Flowers.” She showed such despair as the character finds herself a long way from home without the love of her life but can recount all the beautiful moments she had on the other side. Not to mention the chemistry she had with the leading man, Orpheus (J. Antonio Rodriguez). The two exhibited a love at first sight type of romance as Rodriguez introduced Orpheus with “Come Home with Me.” There is something so pure about a man being all in for a girl he has just met. Rodriguez and Barganza’s chemistry were evident in “All I’ve Ever Known”, “Wait for Me”, and “Promises.”

The narrator, Hermes (Sevon Askew) did a phenomenal job guiding the audience through the story, but also remaining within the story as his own character. Askew opens the musical with “Road to Hell” and does a great job introducing each character and a brief background as a Greek god.

Another couple to mention was Hades (Matthew Patrick Quinn) and Persephone (Lana Gordon). An odd duo as god of the underworld and the goddess of spring. Quinn exemplifies the darkness of the underworld, but also the love and adoration for Persephone as he shows he all he has done while she did her duties as the goddess of spring in “Chant” I have never witnessed an actor who could pull off such a deep baritone voice so well, such as in “Hey, Little Songbird”, “Why We Build the Wall”, “Papers”, and “His Kiss, The Riot.” His partner, Gordon, was an absolute powerhouse. This was most evident in “Our Lady of the Underground.” Gordon belted out the last note of that song while almost doing a back bend. Not only was she a powerhouse, but she was also the only comedic relief in the cast. Gordon would break the fourth wall numerous times to say, “Anybody need a drink?” Or “I need a drink” due to the heaviness of the scenes.

“Because here is the thing, to know how it ends and still begin to sing it again, as if it might turn out this time.” Every Broadway fan can relate to this sentiment. We watch musicals and /or plays and brave the second act heartbreaks and conflict. We know exactly how it will end each time, but we come back every time. Hadestown is no different just because you may know the story going into it. Hadestown will be in Jacksonville now through February 11th.