HADESTOWN Previews — Page 14

Brian07663NJ said: "Is the point being lost entirely by the beauty of Timothy Hughes [...]"

Thank you for mentioning the beauty of Timothy Hughes!

He's the man who answers the question: "How can you improve on a glorious abundance of arms and legs?" Answer: Put a beard on 'em.

Hughes is hot, but man this show sucks.

theaterdude2 said: "I haven't commented on the show yet, I saw it last weekend and absolutely LOVED it. I am writing today because I can't stand one more person on here hating on Reeve Carney. I almost think I must be missing something here. Are all these haters just because he replaced Damon Daunno? (which is ridiculous, people leave shows all the time)"

I've never seen (or heard the music to) Hadestown before this week, and also have never seen Damon Daunno. I saw Hadestown with a friend who hasn't seen a Broadway show for 10 years, and we both agreed that Reeve Carney was the weak point in this show for us. However, everyone is more than entitled to their own opinion, and it's great to hear that you loved him!

I don't want to speak for John Adams, but of course Reeve didn't choose how many times to sing the song. However, I agreed with the above comment that I got more annoyed every time he sang it. In my opinion, that song was the weakest song in the show... partly because of Reeve's voice, but also partly because I didn't find it to be a particularly catchy / pretty song. In contrast, I thought "Wait for Me" was one of the best songs - it's still in my head despite having only heard it during the show, and I much preferred Reeve's voice on that to anytime he sang in that weird falsetto.

Updated On: 4/4/19 at 04:13 PM

Heh, theaterdude2, I actually just made an account after lurking on this site for ages because Reeve Carney’s performance really worked for me, and I want to add a vote in his favor. As I was fortunate enough to miss Spiderman, I didn’t know anything about him, or much about the show in general before I saw it last week. I wouldn’t call his voice technically flawless, but I thought its tremulous quality was very affecting and ethereal, and the phrasing and pauses that he took in all of the Epics, particularly III, really underlined the drama. It was not a cold, perfect delivery, but a very human and vulnerable one, which for me captured the essence of the character as it seems to have been conceived for this telling.

My take on this show as a whole is that it’s about frailties — fear, doubt, insecurity — and the self-sabotaging things that we do to protect ourselves from them. So the wall to me is not primarily a political reference, but a symbol of the futile barriers that we build to try to save ourselves from our own fears. The topicality of it might work more or less depending on your view of the relationship of politics and theater, but I think the symbol is integral to the larger theme of the piece, and the song is critical in establishing that. (However, I do agree with many that it would be better as an opening for Act II. Can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work!)

Anyway, I loved this. As many have said, the set and lighting design was breath-taking, and I thought the orchestration was really striking — lots of unusual instrumental technique and great use of the variety of vocal timbres. The narrative shorthand for the ingenue relationship was fine with me — this is a mythical work, not naturalist — and I thought it funny and satisfying enough that the abruptness is acknowledged in text in their meeting song. I also didn’t need Hades to be “redeemed” — he’s a complex figure, and I didn’t need him tied up in a bow. His cathartic moment in Epic III is well earned and so affecting, but there is always history. In the end it’s a sad song, a tragedy, after all.

It says something about the effectiveness of the world created here that I’m very familiar with the Orpheus myth, and yet I somehow throughout the course of the evening I didn’t think about how it ends, until they were actually walking back up to the top. And even then I felt suspense and wondered which way it would go. It felt incredibly fresh, which is hard to do with an ancient tale. In all, it packed an emotional punch for me to a similar degree to Dear Evan Hansen and Hamilton. I wish it the very best run and a successful awards season.

"I compared him to Damon because I prefer Damon's voice, like 50by25, I hated that weird falsetto thing he kept doing... Reeve also plays the role in such a weird creepy way. I could not understand at all how Eurydice is supposed to fall in love with him so quickly. With Damon however, there was more sex appeal there."

Again, you're entitled to your opinion but i strongly disagree that he plays the role in "such a weird creepy way". I don't know where you get that from at all. I guess it's just another comparison you're making because you love Damon's take so much.

theaterdude2 said: "I haven't commented on the show yet, I saw it last weekend and absolutely LOVED it. I am writing today because I can't stand one more person on here hating on Reeve Carney. I almost think I must be missing something here. Are all these haters just because he replaced Damon Daunno? (which is ridiculous, people leave shows all the time) Speaking of ridiculous, comments like this make no sense either:


"I was not a fan of Reeve Carney's high notes, either 50by25. ...and he reprised them so,somanytimes while he was writing his song."

As if it was Reeve's decision to choose how many reprises to sing. Of course everyone is allowed their opinion but it seems like people won't stop comparing him to his predecessor, which at this point is boring.

My opinion - I thought he was absolutely fantastic in the role, and I found all of his singing (including his high notes and all the reprises) to be flawless. A reminder that the majority of people will be seeing Hadestown on Broadway, and Reeve will be their first and only actor playing Orpheus. He will be on the one and only original Broadway cast recording and go down in the history books. He will be eligible for awards. It's his part now, so unless you have a good reason for it, maybe stop the insanity.

If I am missing something about why there are so many haters, please point it out, but I hope the reasons are constructive."

Preach! I thought Reeve was lovely as well. He brought a tenderness to the role that really resonated with me. I thought he sounded flawless as well. He just had that it factor and really shined on stage. Plus after the show, he was so incredibly humble and really took the time to talk to me and my friend...so points for being a good guy.

BenElliott wrote:

"I do think the creative team wanted you to make comparisons to our current climate. The show just feels relevant and art should reflect what's happening in the world."

Considering the lamentable state of what's happening in the world, I think art would serve us far better by offering us an escape from it. We would no doubt offer it our undying thanks and gratitude. What's more, it's not as if we're not already bombarded 24/7 with what's happening in the world, no matter where we turn, in every possible venue. In their relentless quest to "enlighten" the dodos in the audience and play up to their fellow elites, our self-important theatre artists end up just dishing out yet another stale helping of the same tired talking points we've heard a gazillion times already --- just at far higher prices.

It's sad to see that the term "art," like so much else today, has been sabotaged. It now just serves as a protective shield behind which self-satisfied "artistes" can preen, preach, and pronounce their unending screeds before a captive audience.

We poor audiences! Can we never catch a break?!

I'll chime in that I also liked Reeve's performance. I thought his Orpheus was endearing and sweet and made me want to root for him (even though I knew how the story would end)

I did not mind his voice, but I agree with those who have said Epic isn't a particularly beautiful song so it was difficult to understand how significant and impactful it was supposed to be in the story.

Lot666 said: "LeftofLinus said: "the feeling like the relationships were rushed"

It's not my intent to argue for or againstthispractice, but the concept of the "rushed relationship" is not really new inmusical theatre. Entire relationships in this medium often occur within the scope of a single song. Consider Marius and Cosette in Les Miserables, Raoul and Christine in Phantom of the Opera, orChris and Kim in Miss Saigon. These characters basically just see each other and then declare their undying love in the space of two verses and two choruses. The depictionof passingtime is often unique in musicals because songs are used to convey thoughts, feelings, and events inneat little packages, rather than by actually showing the proceedings in a literal manner."

(YAAAHS) Very, very true. Side note... "WHY WE BUILD THE WALL" was WRITTEN sometime BEFORE 2006. Just a little fyi. A previous review had mentioned they disliked certain songs they felt were kept in the show due to sentimental reasons ie: hard to cut things you like even if they no longer serve the story. I'll take that opinion over "bleh they're writing about Trump and I don't like it". Also, to some it might seem on the nose .. I understand that as well.

For me.. I love the music. That song is great, Patrick Page is phenomenal. The history behind the shows making is fascinating and definitely worth a look. Simply put.. I can't wait to see this f***ing show.

Updated On: 7/12/19 at 02:40 AM