Hadestown tour questions.

[adotburr]

Posted: 10/12/21 at 6:29pm

Has anyone seen the tour? How does the new staging work without the turntables and elevator? And do the lamps still swing out over the audience during Wait for Me?

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 10/12/21 at 6:57pm

Haven't seen the tour yet but based on images I've seen, there are still turntables on tour, just not as many. It seems like there's just the center circle (the one that used to be the elevator) and one ring around the outside, rather than two.

[adotburr]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 7:27am

First look: Hadestown tour! They all sound amazing!

Link to YouTube! 

Updated On: 10/14/21 at 07:27 AM

[maryad2]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 8:43am

I heard from someone who saw the tour, according to her the center circle does not rotate, just the outer ring!

Good question about the lights, I would be curious to know too

[steven22]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 8:44am

adotburr said: "First look: Hadestown tour! They all sound amazing!

Link to YouTube!"

They look and sound fantastic! Hopefully I can catch this in Philly 

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 8:48am

I saw the tour last night at the Kennedy Center! It was an amazing performance.

First, yes, the swinging lamps are in the tour during “Wait for Me.” With the exception of Orpheus not descending an elevator at the end of the song (instead, he runs through the workers and out toward the back of the stage), that number is staged pretty much identically to Broadway. The audience went absolutely nuts after—a solid full minute of applause. Incredible.

Second, there is (thankfully) still a turntable! That turntable is really so integral to the choreography of the workers and for a lot of the staging in Act 2. I'm so grateful that it wasn't scrapped.

Finally, on the staging sans elevator (putting in a spoiler box below)…

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Though most of the band is still on stage, the drummer is not; he is backstage (as Persephone mentioned during “Our Lady of the Underground” when calling out all the band members’ names). Where the drummers’ section was on Broadway is now an industrial-looking door that opens from the middle. The door opens for the first time when Hades enters during “Way Down Hadestown” and there are extremely bright lights that shine from behind, which helps it look super dramatic. There is no mini-elevator behind the door or anything; the door just closes and opens, which sounds a little lame in writing compared to a stage elevator, but honestly it works VERY effectively in person. My friend, who has not seen the Broadway production, said the door was his favorite part of the show and couldn't imagine an elevator being any more effective.

You can tell Rachel Chavkin has been working very hard to make sure touring audiences are not deprived of any drama or excellent stagecraft.

The staging for “Chant” is, of course, majorly altered because of the lack of an elevator. Instead of  Hades and Persephone emerging from below, they come out onto their balcony/patio section, looking down onto Hades as the workers are doing their thing on the turntable. The rest of “Chant” staging is pretty different because there’s no elevator, but it all works really well.

During “Gone, I’m Gone,” when Eurydice puts her chips in Hermes’ bag to board the train, the doors ominously open behind her, which was fantastic.

At the climax of the show, Orpheus still ascends the staircase on stage right before he turns. When he does, Eurydice throws herself back behind the doors, which slowly start to close. She looks confused and scared and reaches out toward Orpheus before the doors close in on her. You could hear a pin drop.

Otherwise, the only other major difference I noticed between Broadway and the tour was at the end of “Why Build the Wall.” The cast no longer ends by loudly singing “FREE!“ and then breaking for applause. They sing that final word very softly and then it transitions right into the final 30 seconds of Act 1 so there’s no space for audience applause after “Wall,” which I actually thought was a very smart choice.

The touring cast is phenomenal, with Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus being a standout. His high notes sometimes aren't as full as Reeve's, but his acting is exceptional.

My only performance complaint was:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Levi Kreis as Hermes, who really missed the mark for me. I wanted to like him so much, but he just did not embody the coolness and suaveness that André has mastered in the role. Moreover, he just said some lines really bizarrely. Like when he came out to start the finale after Orpheus turns and Eurydice goes back to Hadestown, he said "Alright..." in such a bizarre way that it actually prompted some laughter from the audience. Kind of supposed to be a tragic, somber moment... 

I highly recommend the touring production if it comes your way. I was apprehensive about how strong the staging would be since the visual elements of Hadestown are so important in conveying the story, but they've done an absolutely superb job. The stagecraft is different in places but no less dramatically effective.

[ksdc]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 7:57pm

Also saw the show at Ken Cen today. Just wanted to add, there are only 5 workers (3 men, 2 women) instead of the 7 on Broadway.
Only one spinning ring, no elevator, but the new feature upstage at the back was very effective.
Was interesting that the musicians onstage were masked, other than the trombone player.

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 10:08pm

ksdc said: "Also saw the show at Ken Cen today. Just wanted to add, there are only 5 workers (3 men, 2 women) instead of the 7 on Broadway.
Only one spinning ring, no elevator, but the new feature upstage at the back was very effective.
Was interesting that the musicians onstage were masked, other than the trombone player."

I've seen the Broadway production twice and I'm pretty sure there were only five workers. I believe the musicians' union states that they must be masked unless wearing one makes it impossible to play their instrument - the Broadway production is the same in that regard.

[ksdc]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 10:24pm

Interesting... I was basing my comparison of worker numbers to a video I have of the show. There are definitely 7 workers, but I only see 6 listed in the Broadway cast. I wonder if my video is an older one from London? 

Screenshot of video showing 7 workers linked below. Now I'm just curious if anyone knows about the change!

https://ibb.co/v15W0R5 

[MattieIce2018]

Posted: 10/14/21 at 10:58pm

ksdc said: "Interesting... I was basing my comparison of worker numbers to a video I have of the show. There are definitely 7 workers, but I only see 6 listed in the Broadway cast. I wonder if my video is an older one from London?

Screenshot of video showing 7 workers linked below. Now I'm just curious if anyone knows about the change!

https://ibb.co/v15W0R5"

I'm guessing that's London - the stage looks larger than the one at the Walter Kerr. Maybe that's why the ensemble was reduced? I just checked my Playbill from September and there were only 5 workers listed. I'm not sure why there's 6 on the website, as only five perform in the show.

Updated On: 10/14/21 at 10:58 PM

[adotburr]

Posted: 10/15/21 at 4:07am

Trent Saunders is the extra worker listed on the website. We’re still trying to figure out why. I heard he’s not listed in the playbill yet.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 10/15/21 at 9:28am

ElephantLoveMedley said: "The touring cast is phenomenal, with Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus being a standout. His high notes sometimes aren't as full as Reeve's, but his acting is exceptional."

 

Awwww.....this makes me really happy, he is my favorite young actor.  So fresh, so natural.  Hoping to catch him in Boston!

 

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 10/15/21 at 9:34am

adotburr said: "Trent Saunders is the extra worker listed on the website. We’re still trying to figure out why. I heard he’s not listed in the playbill yet."

Saw Hadestown on October 2nd and can confirm that Trent was not on stage or in the playbill.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/15/21 at 10:11am

Got to catch the tour on its last night in Boston.  LOTS of good, some not so terrific - but a very enjoyable evening, and a very receptive audience.

 

Nicholas Barasch is amazing as Orpheus, I'm going to hope they pull him off the tour when Carney leaves. 

I enjoyed both Marable and Morrow (Persephone and Hades, respectively) more as the night went on, and both were in fine form in Act II.  I didn't care for Persephone's wig (at least I'm assuming it's a wig)  - it had a life of it's own.  Green (Eurydice) was a mixed bag for me, although her "Flowers" in act II was outstanding.  I did not appreciate Levi Kreis as Hermes as all.  He was too slick, too aware of himself.

 

Overall, I found the pacing a bit off....long pauses, where I don't think they exist on Bway - that didn't seem to serve a purpose.  I also found some phrasing off - and many ends of sentences just dangling, for a better term.

 

The only understudy was one of the workers - Eddie Noel Rodriquez was on for Will Mann, he was fine.

 

Overall, a bit of the staging felt forced, and the stage seemed too small - like they had to squeeze in to get the blocking to work.  There were also a number of times that one actor definitely kept a section of the audience from seeing the actor that should have had focus.  

Again, we enjoyed our evening very much.   (And since a huge reason I went to the tour was to see Barasch, I was not disappointed.

[ElephantLoveMedley]

Posted: 11/15/21 at 10:21am

dramamama611 said: "I did not appreciate Levi Kreis as Hermes as all. He was too slick, too aware of himself."

I'm still curious what they thought he was bringing to the role when he got cast. He really stood out to me like a sore thumb in an otherwise quite strong principal cast. Part of what makes André's performance so iconic is that he brings an authentic suaveness and coolness to the role and you trust him as our narrator to bring us through the tale from start to finish. André's age also makes more sense in the role too—Hermes is supposed to have lived through the retelling of this story over and over again. For me, Levi was "playing" cool, which came off as overly self-aware, and almost inauthentic—kind of suspicious and shady. And I didn't buy that his Hermes had endured the retelling of this story "again and again." 

Otherwise though, I'm really glad you enjoyed the show, dramamama611! It's such a fantastic production.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 11/15/21 at 11:00am

I caught this in Boston last week. I think I enjoyed Levi Kreis more than others on here. I went in with the mindset that I knew I wasn’t getting André, and I was at least happy to see that Levi wasn’t trying to mimic him in any way. I also thought he sounded great.

I agree that Nicholas Barasch was fantastic and thought he is the big improvement that the tour offers.

Overall, I think the tour is a good representation of the show for those who can’t make it to NYC. Still visually and aurally lovely.

[dramamama611]

Posted: 11/15/21 at 12:28pm

I appreciated the insight, as well, to NOT copy Andre - I just think this didn't work.  I think the post between yours and mine expounds my thoughts well.

[suicidalmickeymouse]

Posted: 11/16/21 at 1:07am

I saw the tour on 10/28 after seeing the Broadway cast 3 times (opening weekend, 2/26/20, and Sept 26 of this year) with full casts each time. So I’ve seen Andre 3x and think he is just dumb good. Incredible. Even brought my whole family up in September specifically to see his performance because he’s just that good. My partner feels the same.

 

We LOVED Levi Kreis. He sounded incredible, and I loved his take. He seemed more like a true friend to Orpheus while sometimes Andre feels like a more passive narrator about the characters. Levi is not Andre but I still think he made a really spectacular Hermes and I was very skeptical coming in. 
 

Everyone in my party felt Siobhan was the weak link. She hit some pretty bad notes, her acting was very angry, and she did some kind of odd, pointy/sharp hand and arm gestures that didn’t feel natural. 
 

We thought Kevyn Morrow was an amazing Hades. Such a strong performance and we preferred him to Tom. We liked Nick a lot as Orpheus as well. Very talented. Kimberley was pretty good, but we didn’t like her as much as Kevyn, Nick and Levi. If I had never seen Amber, I probably would have been more enthusiastic.

[HeyMrMusic]

Posted: 11/16/21 at 1:31am

I agree with suicidalmickeymouse. I found Levi to be a sort of ringleader, but he also seemed more personally invested in Orpheus making the right decisions, like he was hoping it really would turn out differently this time. He seemed devastated by the end instead of worldly wise and weary from telling the story, if that makes sense. I thought it was a valid interpretation of the role.

[windowwaving]

Posted: 11/24/21 at 8:36am

Just saw their opening night in Detroit and wow was I impressed. I’ve seen the OBC, which I thought would be hard to beat. But each actor had such a different take on their character, I actually found the story to be much clearer.

I loved Act I but I think everyone’s acting really shined in Act II, especially Persephone and Hades.

I really enjoyed Levi’s interpretation of Hermes. He added a lot of energy to the show. He did kind of give me Michael Buble/Justin Timberlake vibes, but it didn’t seem out of place and his vocals are amazing.

The best part of this show is Nicholas Barasch. From the very beginning, he already feels somewhat otherworldly. The physicality that he adds into his Orpheus makes the whole show much more magical. I also think his age makes the naivety more believable and makes the small moments of comedy much funnier.

I was the most hesitant about Siobhan as I think Eva’s voice is pure magic. It took me just a little to warm up to her but I realized that I paid much more attention to Eurydice as a character here than I did with Eva. Siobhan acts the hell out of the role.

I was also afraid that the set would be disappointing, and in Act I it does feel a little small, but once they’re in the underworld, it feels much bigger. I don’t think I missed the elevator at all. While it makes the most sense with the over/under themes, the doors (and the bass-driven sound effects) feels more effective, especially since it’s a little more obvious when it’s opening/closing.

Audience ate everything up. Lots of sniffling and lots of extended applauses. The gasps at the ending were audible.

[everythingtaboo]

Posted: 11/24/21 at 10:49am

Nolan LuPone said: "adotburr said: "Trent Saunders is the extra worker listed on the website. We’re still trying to figure out why. I heard he’s not listed in the playbill yet."

Saw Hadestown on October 2ndand can confirm that Trent was not on stage or in the playbill."

Saw the show on Broadway last weekend and Trent is now in the Broadway company.

[Det95]

Posted: 12/2/21 at 12:51pm

I saw the show for the second time in Detroit last night. After seeing it twice on Broadway with Patrick Page pre-shutdown and with Tom Hewitt in September. This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but while I obviously love Patrick Page as Hades I think the role works better up the octave. I feel like Kevyn Morrow got more emotion into the role when the was more room to work with. I absolutly love his take on "Why We Build the Wall", "Papers", and "Chant (reprise). The Fates are on point here too. Their harmonies are so tight. During "Word to the Wise" they're much more taunting than I remember on Broadway and definitely on the cast album. 

One question. The final note of "...Build the Wall" they sing in piano unlike how they do on the cast album and I remember on Broadway. Can someone who has seen the show recently confirm how that that is sung on Broadway?

[Nolan LuPone]

Posted: 12/2/21 at 1:55pm

Det95 said: "I saw the show for the second time in Detroit last night. After seeing it twice on Broadway with Patrick Page pre-shutdown and with Tom Hewitt in September. This is going to be an unpopular opinion, but while I obviously love Patrick Page as Hades I think the role works better up the octave. I feel like Kevyn Morrow got more emotion into the role when the was more room to work with. I absolutly love his take on "Why We Build the Wall", "Papers", and "Chant (reprise). The Fates are on point here too. Their harmonies are so tight. During "Word to the Wise" they're much more taunting than I remember on Broadway and definitely on the cast album.

One question. The final note of "...Build the Wall" they sing in piano unlike how they do on the cast album and I remember on Broadway. Can someone who has seen the show recently confirm how that is sung on Broadway?"

The note is still sung as originally written in the Broadway production.

[hak5]

Posted: 12/2/21 at 3:21pm

ksdc said: "Also saw the show at Ken Cen today. Just wanted to add, there are only 5 workers (3 men, 2 women) instead of the 7 on Broadway.
Only one spinning ring, no elevator, but the new feature upstage at the back was very effective.
Was interesting that the musicians onstage were masked, other than the trombone player. "

 

Broadway is only five workers 

 

[kingjames2]

Posted: 12/3/21 at 6:36pm

One question. The final note of "...Build the Wall" they sing in piano unlike how they do on the cast album and I remember on Broadway. Can someone who has seen the show recently confirm how that that is sung on Broadway?"

The tour is ever so slightly different. On Broadway, “Wall” buttons for applause, and on tour the last bite of the song is held while the underscoring of the Outro begins, thus eliminating the applause break.