Anais Mitchell Pens Op-Ed on New Relevance of HADESTOWN Tune 'Why We Build the Wall'

Anais Mitchell, writer of the HADESTOWN musical, has just penned a blog post for The Huffington Post about the renewed relevance of her song "Why We Build the Wall" in light of the current presidential election.

Mitchell writes:

"Ten years ago I wrote a song called 'Why We Build the Wall' for the very first draft of a music theater piece called Hadestown...It's set in a darkly political, Americana dreamscape - the Underworld is not the land of the dead, but something like a company town -a walled city whose citizens engage in mindless, soulless work in exchange for the security promised by their boss-king Mister Hades.

"In 'Why We Build the Wall,' Hades indoctrinates the workers in a call-and-response song:

"'Why do we build the wall? / My children, my children / Why do we build the wall?'

""And the workers answer:

"'Why do we build the wall? / We build the wall to keep us free / That's why we build the wall / We build the wall to keep us free.'

"Hadestown has been evolving slowly over a decade...At this point, 'Wall' is an old song; I never expected it to feel new again. And then Donald Trump came along. It wasn't just that Trump made the building of 'the Wall' central to his initial platform, it was the call-and-response style chants at his rallies:

"'Who's gonna pay for the wall?'

"'Mexico!'

"Suddenly it felt like the song was speaking directly about today's politics, rather than ancient mythology. People began to ask if it was written in response to the Trump campaign, when in reality, both Trump and the song were simply tapping into the same folk archetypes. There is nothing new about the Wall. Political leaders have invoked it time and again to their advantage, because it works so well on people who feel scared..."

"But we all know the Underworld Boss/King archetype when we see him. Let's not elect him President.

Read Mitchell's op-ed in full at The Huffington Post.

HADESTOWN played an extended run this spring and summer at New York Theatre Workshop (79 E. 4th Street New York, NY 10003), starring Nabiyah Be (Queen of the Night) as Eurydice, Damon Daunno (Brief Encounter) as Orpheus, Lulu Fall (Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812) as a Fate, Amber Gray (An Octoroon) as Persephone, Patrick Page (Spring Awakening) as Hades, Jessie Shelton (Futurity) as a Fate, Chris Sullivan ("The Knick") as Hermes, and Shaina Taub(Old Hats) as a Fate.

HADESTOWN follows Orpheus' mythical quest to overcome Hades and regain the favor of his one true love, Eurydice. Together we travel from wide open plains where love and music are not enough nourishment to survive the winter, down to HADESTOWN, an industrialized world of mindless labor and full stomachs. Inspired by traditions of classic American folk music and vintage New Orleans jazz, Mitchell's beguiling melodies and poetic imagination pit nature against industry, faith against doubt, and love against death.

The HADESTOWN recording is available for download here.