Welcome to HADESTOWN

LISTEN TO HADESTOWN

Experience the Original Broadway Cast Recording anywhere you can stream music online.

 
 
 
 

“If you ride that train to the end of the line / where the sun don’t shine and it’s always shady / it’s there you’ll find the king of the mine / Almighty Mr. Hades!” 

from “Road to Hell” 

The last stop on the railroad track to hell, in other words, the underworld, is where the heart of our story takes place. Here, Hades is king and Persephone is his bride who spends half her time in Hadestown and the other half walking among the mortals above Hadestown. 

As the stories of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Perspehone unfold, we get the sense that Hadestown (like the rest of the world) is changing. Spring is gone, the sun doesn’t shine, and it’s only getting hotter and hotter, which is quite the tragedy for this industrialized underworld where the residents must keep their heads low and toil no matter the weather. And Hadestown is only industrializing more and more; it is becoming a (under)world of oil drums and automobiles, electric grids and fossil burning furnaces, Hades is the king of industry and Hadestown is his kingdom. 

So why would someone give their soul to such a place? After all, as Hermes tells us, “Those who go they don’t come back.”

Listen to Way Down HADESTOWN.

 

“Everybody hungry

  Everybody tired

  Everybody slaves by the sweat of his brow

  The wage is nothing and the work is hard

  It's a graveyard in Hadestown”

from “Way Down Hadestown”

Creating HADESTOWN…

See how the Tony-nominated scenic designer and Tony-nominated director came up with the look and feel of Anaïs Mitchell's musical on Broadway.

Who’s who in HADESTOWN

  • Eurydice

    When we first encounter Eurydice she is making her way on her own. She is no stranger to the cold, to hunger, or to fighting for oneself. She is accompanied by The Fates in the same way Orpheus is guided by Hermes. She is more practical than Orpheus, but falls in love with him anyway. 

  • Orpheus

    Orpheus is the son of a muse, a musician, poet, and master of the lyre. An artist and a dreamer who tries to show us how the world can be, Orpheus is working on a song that will bring spring back to a world that is stuck between brutal summers and winters. He is the lover of Eurydice. 

  • Persephone

    When Persephone emerges from the underworld she brings back the summer, spring, and merriment. She is the wife of Hades and queen of the underworld, though their relationship is not always an easy one. Lately, Persephone has been called back to Hadestown earlier and earlier. To cope with the gloom and toil of Hadestown, Persephone takes to vices like “the fruit of the vine.” 

  • Hades

    Hades is the ruler of the underworld, the king of industry. He is the husband of Persephone. They love each other, but that love is sometimes strained as Hades has grown less compassionate and more domineering as a ruler.

  • Hermes

    Hermes is the all-knowing messenger, our guide who leads us through the mortal world and Hadestown. He is something of a mentor to Orpheus.

  • The Fates

    Something of a Greek Chorus, The Fates are a contingent of powerful seers and guides who watch our story unfold, subtly nudging our heroes towards their destinies.

  • The Workers

    The workers are the people of Hadestown. They exist under the rule of Hades who continually reminds them that they are secure and taken care of within the walls of Hadestown, far from the enemy.