HADESTOWN to open this spring at the Walter Kerr — Page 7

FYI, the $49 preview mezzanine seats are up to $99, so congrats to everyone (and me) who bought them early!

yfs said: "Some interesting posts on the TB board from folks who loved it at NYTW and hated it at the National. I saw it in London last week -- my first-ever encounter with it -- and was mystified by all the enthusiasm on this board. What I saw wasinterminable, ugly, obvious, miscast and unbelievably pretentious. If this is what's coming, I'd temper my enthusiasm at least until you get a look at it. And while I don't like to predict awards, it's hard for me to picture Brooks Ashmanskas losing the best supporting actor award to Patrick Page, who spends the evening wandering the stage and displaying his basso profundo and looking bored --assuming they end upcompeting against each other."

I liked the earthier (in a hippie sort of way) hipster vibe they had at NYTW. The photos from London are concerning. At least from the NYTW version, I think the Persephone/Hades stuff has interesting intensity and managed to flirt with politics without being too heavyhanded (as it was somewhat abstracted). But while I thought the Eurydice performance was heartfelt, that romance was messy and I hated Orpheus. The writing of the character was a problem. He was a jerk. It was like Romeo and Juliet stripped of the poetry leaving them exposed as dumb kids. Basically the less charitable interpretations of the artist characters in RENT. I was hoping the design would mostly stay intact and they'd just work on the book to fix Orpheus and whatever was being said there. A character doesn't have to be likable if the show understands how the character is being received but the disconnect was a problem for me.

I'm curious which aspects you found pretentious and obvious.

Famebroadway2 said: "CT2NYC said: "Just got it. Code is WAYDOWN."

Did they pull the discount code? I don't see anywhere to enter it on the site."

I believe it was a presale code and not a discount code. New shows opening rarely offer discounts right away.

Mike Barrett said: "Famebroadway2 said: "CT2NYC said: "Just got it. Code is WAYDOWN."

Did they pull the discount code? I don't see anywhere to enter it on the site."

I believe it was a presale code and not a discount code. New shows opening rarely offer discounts right away."

That's correct, it was a presale code. However, there is discount pricing on some preview seats, which jump up significantly after opening.

Will the London company transfer or will they make any replacements for Broadway?

ColorTheHours048 said: "natashalost said: "Will the London company transfer or will they make any replacements for Broadway?"

I’ve heard from a production source that only the principals were offered their roles. We’ll almost definitelysee an entirely different ensemble.

"

Yup...ensemble will be recast for Broadway. Patrick Page, Amber Gray, and Reeve Carney, will reprise their performances as Hades, Persephone, and Orpheus. Joining them are Tony nominees Eva Noblezada and André De Shields as Eurydice and Herme

Well I certainly enjoyed it more tonight then I did the first time, but the exact same problems are still there for me and I discovered a few more...plus there was a major technical malfunction which completely ruined the big 'moment' in the show which was disappointing.

The entire cast have settled really well into their roles and Carney was excellent tonight I thought. I actually thought Page had a bit of an off night vocally, maybe he has a cold or something. The band was fantastic! The music in this thing is really incredible, well in the first act...unfortunately Act 2 as it currently stands is probably 30-40% reprises and is so repetative lyrically in the rest of the songs that it becomes almost annoying.

I do think Wait for Me should be the end of Part 1 because as it stands Part 2 has no 'big' numbers at all and Build a Wall is a perfect kick start to Act 2.

I think it's main problem is it still doesn't know what it wants to be. Is it a concept album come to life on stage...is it a theatrical rock concert or is it a full scale musical...because at the moment it's a jumbled mess of all 3 and it just feels odd. That's not to say it isn't enjoyable, there is just something missing and it is hard to put your finger on just what it is. It doesn't work as what it is though I guess it's styling is somewhat original in this form which I kinda admire, but it is just kind of an empty experience when it shouldn't be.

It feels like a really great 'homeless' musical looking for a place to live...

rjm516 said: "I can't believe how amazing this production in London is. I'm still kind of in shock. It's so powerful. I think the staging and whole effect of We Build a Wall is riveting and needs to stay as the act 1 finisher. It leaves you kind of breathless so it's good to have a break after that to recoup. It's the best scene in this city right now. I am SO HAPPY London has this show. So brilliant."

The problem is nothing really exciting happens after Wall and the shows just limps towards a conclusion everyone knows is coming anyways.

The opening of Act 2 is just weird and should be dropped altogether. Musically it's derivative of the best songs in Act 1 and doesn't advance the story in any way other than to introduce the band and Persephane who we already met an hour before which is just an odd way to open the 2nd Act.

Personally I think it needs major cutting down to a single 90 minute 1 act show ala Bands Visit/Come from Away and it would be amazing.

This show is so unique and has an incredible score - it is so catchy and melodic on first listen. And they manage to explore a few different styles while still keeping that blues/jazz theme at the heart of it. It has such an unusual tone, almost like if Mad Max were a musical crossed with Once. It’s hard to describe or compare to other shows because I've never seen anything like it.

Still, at the same time I think what the show is in need of badly is an expert show doctor who can help develop the two main characters and coherence of the story. It’s surprisingly, maybe shockingly very very simple and almost generic - but overlayed with a complex and interesting soundscape it works. And the ending almost makes up for it when you realise that the whole point is that these are generic people and a generic story that is told time and time again.

It must be a lock for best score. Thinking about the competition it might have a good chance at Best Musical but I think it’s too early to call.

After about 30 minutes I realised that this show is not conforming to many of the traditional standards of what I thought was a good musical, rather that fight it I relaxed and let myself go so I could enjoy it. For better and sometimes worse, they are presenting something new, fresh, innovative etc.

Updated On: 12/23/18 at 03:32 AM