On September 20th-22nd, after Lincoln-Way East decided to join forces with Lincoln-Way Central and Lincoln-Way West, the three schools combined to perform a one-of-a-kind fall musical.
This is the first time that the three schools have merged in such a way, bringing together a powerful production of “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” and featuring stars from all throughout the Lincoln-Way school district.
The rights for the musical were finally released in North America on April 26th, five years after the original opened on Broadway in 2019. The district obtained arrangements and licensing from Concord Theatricals, a company that provides services to creators and producers of plays and musicals such as licensing, music publishing, and cast recording. The musical was then announced on the Lincoln-Way East Musical Theater Instagram page on June 13th.
“Hadestown” is an incredible portrayal of the ancient Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone.
In Greek mythology, Orpheus is the most beautiful singer in the world, able to make plants grow and draw animals to him. He eventually stumbles upon an alluring woman named Eurydice, whom he charms with his music and appealing personality. However, Eurydice is soon bitten and killed by a venomous snake. Orpheus finds her body and decides to travel to the underworld to save her. When he meets Hades, god of the underworld, he pleads for his wife’s life. Hades agrees, but only if Orpheus doesn’t look back while leading Eurydice to the surface. Tragically, Orpheus turns around and loses his wife forever.
The main difference between the musical and the Greek mythology is that in the legends, Eurydice is a victim who had no choice but to enter Hades’ realm after her death. However, in the musical, Eurydice makes the conscious decision to go to Hadestown rather than endure the cold and hunger, so when she’s offered a train ticket, she takes it.
Hades and Persephone’s relationship is much more complex and nuanced in the musical than in Greek myths. In the myths, Hades essentially kidnaps Persephone and forces her to be his wife in the underworld. When she goes missing, her mother Demeter, goddess of harvest and fertility, searches for her. Demeter and Hades eventually agree that Persephone will stay in the underworld for half of every year, but then return to the surface to bring spring to mortals for the other six months.
In the musical, though, their relationship is depicted as much more human. It shows that the couple was once deeply in love and filled with passion, but now they have grown apart. It reveals Hades’ longing and jealousy that only grows in the absence of his wife every year.
The musical also includes several more aspects of Greek mythology, including the Fates, who decide the destiny of humans, and Hermes, the messenger god.
Anaïs Mitchell, the writer of “Hadestown”, masterfully weaves these legends into the cultural phenomenon that was New Orleans during the Great Depression. She draws parallels to this period of time by using lively jazz, folk, and country music, the mentions of Eurydice’s constant hunger and cold, poor working conditions, and railroads, which are all reminiscent of this era.
In an interview, one student from Lincoln-Way East remarked, “the production they did was unique… different from others I’ve seen”, and, “my favorite part of the Lincoln-Way production was the very first song, ‘Road to Hell’, where Hermes is introducing the different characters”. She also recalled tearing up while watching the ending scene, and according to some of the actors from Lincoln-Way Central, their performance even made the project’s director cry.
The Lincoln-Way Central spring musical will be Little Shop of Horrors, which was hinted at on the LWC Theater Instagram page on September 21st with a passage from the script. Many students involved in theater are already excited for auditions and another unique Lincoln-Way production.
