Hadestown (National Theatre)
Closed 2h 30m
Hadestown (National Theatre)
91

Hadestown (National Theatre) London Reviews and Tickets

91%
(11 Ratings)
Positive
100%
Mixed
0%
Negative
0%
Members say
Great singing, Great staging, Entertaining, Clever, Absorbing

About the Show

Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin reimagine the ancient tale of Orpheus and Eurydice as a timeless allegory for our world in this new musical.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (11)

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372 Reviews | 84 Followers
100
Masterful, Romantic, Relevant, Resonant, Riveting

See it if Two love stories entwined with an incredibly inclusive cast and music that stays with you for days.

Don't see it if Don't like stories revolving around mythology, or double love stories.

52 Reviews | 1 Follower
95
Intelligent, Great staging, Great singing, Delightful, Clever

See it if You like a great new musical with glorious songs and singing. Wonderful stage and clever design.

Don't see it if You don't like Greek Mythology Read more

149 Reviews | 8 Followers
90
Masterful, Intelligent, Entertaining, Refreshing, Great singing

See it if You enjoy watching talented actors perform intelligent, innovative and fabulous music.

Don't see it if You dislike hip new theater.

216 Reviews | 911 Followers
78
Relevant, Great staging, Great singing, Entertaining

See it if There were some great moments in the show full of emotion and any change to see Eva and Amber should be taken. Very cool set design!

Don't see it if The concept of the wall seemed a bit too of the moment if that makes sense- like the creators didn't trust the audience to make connections

139 Reviews | 13 Followers
72
Resonant, Great staging, Great singing, Great acting, Absorbing

See it if See it if you like pop rock/folky operatic productions with wonderful staging and singing.

Don't see it if You don’t care for modern musicals based on Greek myths. Read more

21 Reviews | 0 Followers
100
Must see, Great staging, Great singing, Great acting, Enchanting

See it if You love a great score, New Orleans vibes and Greek mythology.

Don't see it if Don’t like musicals.

36 Reviews | 9 Followers
97
Delightful, Must see, Great singing, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if You want to refresh your memory on Greek mythology while listening to engaging Blues and Jazz music score. Well cast and fabulous stage

Don't see it if The mix of blues, jazz, folk and indie with pop does not appeal to you.

23 Reviews | 2 Followers
80
Great staging, Great singing, Great acting, Entertaining, Clever

See it if You like reworking of Greek myths, wonderful music and acting, clever staging.

Don't see it if you are annoyed by a rather confused picture of Hades, and the insertion of current political points.

Critic Reviews (9)

Variety
November 15th, 2018

"It’s a good time show for bad time times, a hoot that hits its political points hard...Mitchell sticks close to the original myth, fleshing its slight narrative out in song, but she soaks her score in contemporary Americana. It functions like a folksy, old patchwork quilt, pulling musical influences in from across the land...It’s Mitchell’s music that makes 'Hadestown.' Infectious without trying too hard to be catchy, her songs heat up as the show heads down to hell."
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Time Out London
November 14th, 2018

"'Hadestown’ is not perfect, but it is really, really good. The wonderfully diverse songs of Mitchell’s expanded, virtually sung-through soundtrack are the bedrock...It is a musically thrilling, lyrically eccentric articulation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth that has gratifyingly little to do with musical theatre convention...It’s a brilliant staging of an album, but nonetheless, the characters and plot are wholly contained within the relatively impressionistic songs."
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The Telegraph (UK)
November 14th, 2018

"An evening of evident cohesion...The journey at times threatens to feel interminable...Elaborate drama is in scarce supply. Mitchell’s through-sung approach squeezes out opportunities for richly character-defining dialogue...Before the stinging, melancholy payoff, an almost deadening repetition creeps in that Chavkin’s beautifully lit and propulsive production can’t quite mask...The show finally delivers the heart-stopping goods, but is it fully achieved yet?"
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WhatsOnStage
November 13th, 2018

"Its cleverness – and it is a phenomenally smart show – is that it takes that age-old story and makes it spark in many directions...Its brilliance is to take those ideas and set them – in Chavkin's truly inspired production – in a kind of Depression-era speakeasy...Chavkin makes joyful use of the many variants of the Olivier's revolve...Her always stylish direction is massively assisted by David Neumann's energetic but finely honed choreography."
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The Guardian (UK)
November 14th, 2018

"Whether you call it a folk opera, a hip oratorio or a musicalised myth, it boasts some cracking songs that far outweigh its dramatic shortcomings...Chavkin’s production, even in a large space, preserves the rough theatre elements that are part of the show’s charm...I’m not sure if Mitchell’s classical update imparts a palpable message, but her beguiling melodies linger on."
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M
November 15th, 2018

"It oozes cool...The gothic-tinged, old country blues and jazz of Mitchell’s expressionistic score played with laid-back élan by an on-stage band. It’s unusual for a new musical to feature songs that feel like ready-made classics: this one has them in spades. The problem — and it’s a big one — is Mitchell’s book, which overloads the original myth with crude 21st-century relevance...The sepulchral funk score is a blissed-out delight, but it can’t overcome the show’s dramatic shortcomings."
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The London Evening Standard
November 14th, 2018

"A defiantly original musical. Its story is thin, transposing the well-known Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to Depression-era America. But musically it’s a feast...A show that’s lush and haunting, even if overlong...The topical significance, especially in the song Why We Build The Wall, won’t be lost on anyone...With its emphasis on mood rather than action, this is the sort of show that risks being labelled portentous. But it’s tightly choreographed and genuinely inventive."
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Financial Times (UK)
November 14th, 2018

"Mitchell and her co-adapter, director Rachel Chavkin, cleverly weave in the story of Hades and Persephone...Mitchell’s songs incorporate elements of blues, New Orleans jazz, and rock...The lyrics and book are, however, less impressive...Yet a similarly informal aesthetic becomes a virtue in Chavkin’s direction. She creates a feeling of organic freedom...The journey of the story is both enjoyable and engaging."
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