Hadestown

Hadestown
Walter Kerr Theatre
June 14, 2022 

Photo courtesy of Hadestown

Hadestown is a dark and haunting journey of love and trust.  The music, lyrics, and book by Anais Mitchell are brilliant.  Director Rachel Chavkin brings Ms. Mitchell’s unique creative voice to spectacular life.  The choreography by David Neumann is visceral and boldly drives the action forward.

Hermes (played by T. Oliver Reid) enters to tell the tragic tale of Orpheus (played by understudy Sayo Oni) and Eurydice (played by understudy Grace Yoo).  It starts with their meeting and instantly falling in love.  Orpheus is the son of the muse of epic poetry, and has an unfinished song to sing.  Eurydice urges him to finish the song.  He immediately asks her to marry him.  It is spring, so Persephone (played by Jewelle Blackman) returns from the underworld.  She is growing tired of her husband, Hades (played by Tom Hewitt), and enjoys her time away from him.  When Hades comes for her in the fall, Eurydice captures his eye.  She follows them back to Hadestown.  Orpheus travels to find her, and sings his finished song of love to release her from Hades grasp.  His is successful, but he is put to one final test. 

An Original Cast Photo
Photo courtesy of Hadestown

The music lures you into the story.  It creates another world, full of mystery and passion.  It is Hermes’ narration that keeps most of the story connected in Act I.  Once the characters journey to the underworld, the tale deepens as the stakes heighten.  The characters face their uncertainties and darker sides, and come out redeemed.  The end will shock and sadden you, yet hope is not lost. 

An Original Cast Photo
Photo courtesy of Hadestown

Sayo Oni and Grace Yoo have amazing chemistry as Orpheus and Eurydice.  Mr. Oni’s portrayal of Orpheus’ journey back from the underworld in Act II is emotionally focused and skillfully portrayed.  Jewell Blackman is playful and daring as Persephone.  She is intoxicating in her powers, and desperate for love.  Tom Hewitt has a commanding presence as Hades.  In Act II, when Orpheus sings his song of love for the release of Eurydice, Mr. Hewitt transforms his character and opens his heart.  Soara-Joye Ross, Jessie Shelton, and Kay Trinidad are beguiling and manipulative as the Fates, constantly singing in Orpheus’ head and making him doubt himself.

Hadestown won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2019.  Rachel Chavkin also won for Best Directors in a Musical, and Anais Mitchell won for her score.  Have you seen this show yet?  What are you waiting for?  Hadestown is playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre. 

Domenick Danza

Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812

Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812

Imperial Theatre

August 2, 2017

 

Photo courtesy of Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 is a Broadway show like no other!  The entire theatre is the set and the audience is totally submerged in the action of the play.  The orchestra is spilt into four different locations and musicians move throughout the theatre.  The concept and design are brilliantly conceived and superbly accomplished, giving every audience member, no matter where they sit, a visceral, engaging and memorable experience.

The story comes from a seventy page section of Leo Tolstoy’s War & Peace.  Natasha (played by Denee Benton) is betrothed to Andrey (played by Nicholas Belton).  When he goes off to war, she and her cousin, Sonya (played by Ingrid Michaelson), stay in Moscow with her Godmother, Marya (played by Grace McLean).  While at the opera, Natasha catches the eye of Anatole (played by Lucas Steele).  They fall in love, risking Natasha’s reputation.  It is after consolation with family friend Pierre (played by Okeiriete Onaodowan) that she regains her self-assurance. 

Denee Benton & Lucas Steele
Photo courtesy of Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812
 

The music, lyrics, book, and orchestrations are all by Dave Malloy, and are pure genius.  He tells this story with bold, fiery passion, developing strong and true characters who, since it is Russia in 1812, are highly dramatic.  At the end, he takes you to a quiet and touching meeting between Natasha and Pierre that leads to a deep emotional catharsis in the shadow of the great comet.  Denee Benton and Okeiriete Onaodowan deliver the honesty and tranquility needed in this final moment, after two and a half hours of heightened exuberance.

Ingrid Michaelson as Sonya
Photo courtesy of Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812

The show has no spoken lines and a number of arias that stand out.  Denee Benton’s rendition of “No One Else” sets up the inner life of her character.  Ingrid Michaelson’s solo in Act II, “Sonya Alone,” is flawlessly performed, filled with compassion and tenderness.  “Charming” sets up the character of Helen, Pierre’s wife, as cunning and untrustworthy.  Amber Grey stands out in her portrayal of this character playing every layer of subtext from subtle to palpable.  Okeiriete Onaodowan delivers “Dust and Ashes” with a keen insight into the yearning of Pierre’s soul that connects all the action to the final moment of the story.

Lukas Steele is fantastic as Anatole.  Every one of his entrances grabs attention.  He is charismatic and beguiling.  Another stand out performance is Grace McLean as Marya.  She is warm and welcoming in Act I, then explosive when she feels betrayed by Natasha in Act II.  These are two strong and absrobing performances.

Photo courtesy of
Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet of 1812

Mimi Lien and Bradley King well deserve the Tony Awards they received for set design and lighting design.  Together with sound design by Nicholas Pope, they transcend any pre-conceived notion of environmental theatre.  They transport the audience into a space filled with heightened emotion and vivid imagination.  Director Rachel Chavkin’s vision and collaborative mastery create an intimate experience for a very large Broadway audience.    

Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812 is playing at the Imperial Theatre.  Be sure to see it!

Domenick Danza

Small Mouth Sounds

Small Mouth Sounds

The Pershing Square Signature Center

July 3, 2016

Photo courtesy of Small Mouth Sounds

Small Mouth Sounds, written by Beth Wohl, follows six people during a week-long, silent retreat.  Each character’s story is revealed with little to no speaking.  They each sign up for the retreat for different reasons, ranging from seeking enlightenment or inner peace to grieving over a loss or conquering a serious illness.  Each is changed by their silent experience, though not necessarily the change they signed up for.  Director Rachel Chavkin skillfully weaves subtle detail with bold gesture, allowing this fearless ensemble to create truthful moments and achieve a dramatic arc with very few words.

Photo courtesy of Small Mouth Sounds

The set design, by Laura Jellineck, seats the audience on two sides of a long rectangular playing area.  Seated in the same folding chairs as the characters and enveloped by video (designed by Andrew Schneider) and sound (designed by Stowe Nelson), audience members become additional participants in the retreat.  The beauty of this design is that the Teacher’s lessons, humor, and disorganization are experienced directly, as well as through the bonding with the characters.  This effect heightens the emotional connection to the journey of the characters by personalizing the content of the teachings through the individual point of view of audience members.  

Small Mouth Sounds is a unique and daring concept that delivers an unexpected outcome.  This Ars Nova production showcases very strong performances by Max Baker, Babak Tafti, Brad Heberlee, Marcia DeBonis, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Zoe Winters, and  Jojo Gonzalez.  Bess Wohl’s script is bold, funny, and daring.  The show runs through September 25 at the Pershing Square Signature Center.  If you are in the mood for something totally different, check it out. 

  

Domenick Danza