"Anais Mitchell’s remarkably diverting musical...This highly original piece has been directed with great flair by the talented Rachel Chavkin…Chavkin ensures that we are immersed fully in this captivating tale, since the cast often stands and dances before us (and even interacts with a few of us)…Mitchell’s magnificently varied score is the main attraction…More importantly, each piece of the mostly sung-through score works beautifully in this theatrical setting."
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“This interestingly told and interestingly staged journey to the Underworld, alas, only occasionally hits the heights...While we have a bunch of prettyish numbers...things don’t get hot until we get the hell to Hades. The second act more thoroughly engages us and holds our attention...Fans of Mitchell’s album will likely be wowed by the piece, and the stage version is a worthy attempt at trying something different. But this visit to 'Hadestown' is not quite compelling.”
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"Mitchell and the ever-inventive director Rachel Chavkin have transformed the song cycle into a theatrical piece that sticks close to the main storyline but they've added a down-home Louisiana vibe that is alternately sweet and peppery and deliciously satisfying...The multiracial cast is terrific, except for Damon Daunno's Orpheus who is charming but strains when his songs venture into falsetto…Best of all, however, is Chris Sullivan, who plays the world-weary narrator Hermes."
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"Mitchell’s version cleverly evokes the 'satanic mills' of industrialisation and the lonely romance of the railroads, but it’s not quite enough to pad out the story for two hours. As directed and co-developed by Rachel Chavkin, 'Hadestown' thus feels more like a semi-staged concert (albeit an entertaining one) than a fully developed work of musical theatre. The ending in particular fails to extract much pathos from Orpheus’s fatal backward glance."
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“Offers one of the most enjoyable new scores this side of ‘Hamilton’...You feel as if you've slipped into a wormhole and landed in a New Orleans jazz joint circa the 1920s...The story of Orpheus and Eurydice doesn't quite justify a two-hour show, and the second act of 'Hadestown' feels flat...Still, good luck trying to get Mitchell's infectious, down-and-dirty melodies out of your head.”
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“Tightly directed by Rachel Chavkin, who helped develop the piece, one feels literally a part of the story from beginning to end...The score, ranging from ballads to bluegrass, is brilliant...Page turns in a bravura performance as Hades, and Gray is wonderful as Persephone. Her performance captures both the exuberance of a bird in a flight and one trapped in a cage...With a story of love, loss, and rebirth both timeless and universal, ‘Hadestown’ makes for a totally thrilling experience.”
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"The Orpheus myth is about so much more than young love denied. And, luckily, singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin celebrate such depths in the delightful new folk opera 'Hadestown'...The piece infuses the familiar Greek legend with sharp-edged commentary on capitalism, exuberant songs, and a complex meditation on love....Mitchell's best songs are raucous group numbers, expanding the characters' dilemmas into playful meditations on love and hardship."
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"I wouldn't change a thing about this practically perfect production...The superb cast is blessed with talent and attitude...Anais is fortunate to have entrusted the direction to Rachel Chavkin, who has a clear vision for the material...The action is immersive, with the cast sinuously moving in and out of the audience, which surrounds the small stage. As a result, you're carried along by the music of the sung-through production, played by an excellent onstage band."
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