Based on a tale as old as time — the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice — the eight-time Tony Award–winning musical Hadestown still managed to bring fresh, youthful energy to the musical theater form in one of the most engaging and entertaining shows I’ve seen in a long time.
Last week’s Broadway in Santa Barbara series production at The Granada Theatre was a full house of enthusiastic theater lovers, amping up an already high energy production up an even further degree.
The cast was strong overall (although sadly Hawa Kamara, the Eurydice I interviewed in my preview here, was not on stage for the first night), and Nickolaus Colón as Hades was truly a showstopper. For the show to work, the devil has to command the stage with both charm and strength, and this king of the underworld was definitely also the king of the stage.
“Why We Build the Wall” (about the enslaved people building a wall “to keep us free”) was particularly powerful both for the strength of the song itself and the political implications it now has.
“Wait for Me,” which is probably the best known song from the show, was the other standout in an evening of high points. I was definitely teary at the end, both from the ultimately tragic love story and the reminder of what an unparalleled emotional roller coaster ride that truly great live theater can be.
