Hadestown is Gritty and Mesmerizing to Close out the Broadway Season at The Fabulous Fox

 

–by Shannon Mills

 

On Friday night, the Fabulous Fox crowd was sprinkled with steam punk characters and red and black attire. Hadestown is back in St. Louis! I did not realize that this show had such an avid fan base until the show began. As soon as the very charismatic Hermes (Rudy Foster) stepped on stage to begin his narration, the audience exploded into thunderous prolonged applause.

Hadestown reimagines the Greek myths of the tragic young lovers, Orpheus (Jose Contreras) and Eurydice (Hawa Kamara) and the seasoned, troubled relationship of Hades (Nickolaus Colon) and Persephone (Namisa Mdlalose Bizana).

The show begins in a gritty New Orleans style jazz club that doubles as the railway station that transports Persephone from earth to the Underworld. This same set becomes the industrial hell of Hades underworld through the creative (as well as blinding at times) use of light. Warm white light is used for the world of the living while stark cool white light is used in the underworld.

The music of Hadestown is what first made me want to see this show. I had listened to the Broadway album and really liked how different this musical was in its style.  A mixture of folk, jazz and blues, the music and lyrics tell the story because there is very little spoken dialogue.

Seeing the production for the first time, I was mesmerized by the rich booming bass of Nickolaus during “Why We Build the Wall”. He unleashed a powerhouse of a voice, and it was spectacular! The 3 Fates (Gia Keddy, Miriam Navarrete, and Jayna Wescoatt) wove intricate harmonies as they manipulated both gods and humans. Incorporated into the musical, the onstage band was not only amazing but also integral to the story as they interacted with the cast and the audience. I especially enjoyed the trombonist (Haik Demirchian). He was killing it with those riffs and the audience loved him!

Hadestown is here thru May 31st and concludes the 2025-2026 Fabulous Fox season. Season tickets are on sale now for the 2026-27 season at Fabulousfox.com. It really is the best way to catch all the wonderful shows The Fox brings in each year.