Opening on Broadway in 2019, “Hadestown”, an eight-time Tony award winner, including Best Musical, follows Greek tragedy characters Orpheus and Eurydice as they follow each other into the underworld in a search for true love and self-discovery. And now, this nationally renowned musical opens in the Healy Chapel Theater on February 21st and runs for three weekends at Seattle Prep.
Yet, for a long time, most students at Prep were in the dark about the winter musical. Whisperings were thrown around for what it might be and it was the job of the cast and crew to keep Hadestown as Prep’s short best kept secret. The reasoning for this was a matter of licensing and rights, and the newness that comes with putting on a production that has never been allowed for high schools to perform.
Since the opening of “Hadestown” in 2019, it has soared in popularity, drawing crowds of people from all over the country, regardless of whether they were musical theater fans or not. Hadestown’s infusion of jazz and poetry into the lyrics of its songs and the style in which it is told is what has made it such an attractive show to see. This is one of the main reasons that attracted Director Mr. Othman to the show.
“I love how it infuses jazz music in a whole New Orleans vibe of the show, it’s a musical that’s different from other musicals- it’s not just about song and dance, every song, every dance feels like the heartbeat of the characters as they go through this emotional journey of love and loss and trying to regain their love or save their love,” Mr. Othman said.
This musical will be something entirely different and unlike anything that Prep has put on before. The complicated harmonies and poetry style that “Hadestown” uses require top-level skills and technique from actors.
Junior Clara Schnider said “to audition you had to do a music and dance audition for an ensemble role. If you wanted a lead role, you said a poem in addition.”
The purpose of the poem was to assess if actors could speak well in poetry just as the musical required. In addition, Clara said that she researched the different roles and their backgrounds to make sure she had a clear and accurate understanding of each character and was well prepared.
In just under a month, “Hadestown” will open at Prep, finishing on March 2nd. The numerous hours of rehearsals will come to an end and the actors and audience will be left to see a beautiful Greek tragedy unfold unlike anything at Prep before. With unique choreography, haunting lyrics, and an incredible cast, “Hadestown” promises to be a moving tale of Greek mythology that you just can’t miss.
