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Hadestown

About Me

For centuries, the tragic Greek myth of Orpheus & Eurydice, in which the lyre-playing Orpheus descends into the underworld and attempts to win back his fallen bride Eurydice through the power of music, has been mined by artists from all corners of the world – a testament to its depth and universal appeal. Anais Mitchell's Hadestown, created in collaboration with composer Michael Chorney and director Ben T. Matchstick brings this timeless story into a contemporary context that is poetically, musically and visually fresh. The folk opera takes its inspiration from Depression-era America: the underworld is not the land of the dead but an exploitative company town; Hades is a sadistic wall-building boss-king whose wife Persephone moonlights as the proprietress of a speakeasy; and Orpheus wields not a lyre but a banjo. But the opera is not so much a history lesson as it is a rich patchwork of artistic vision, social commentary and raw human emotion. Old-fashioned symbols of poverty and exploitation are fused with a kind of futurism — albeit a clunky, analog, "vintage" futurism (think post-apocalyptic Jeunet/Caro films City of the Lost Children and Delicatessen) — which prompts reflection on just how much we’ve evolved (or devolved) as a society since the 1930s. Above all, Hadestown is a love story – a love story exploring what becomes of the human condition under the most tragic and trying of circumstances.

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 13/04/2007
Band Members: songs by Anais Mitchell, orchestral direction and arrangements by Michael Chorney, theatrical direction and set design by Ben T. Matchstick, live sound design by Ben Shiparo.

Anais Mitchell - Eurydice
Ben Campbell - Orpheus
Miriam Bernardo - Persephone
David Symons - Hades
Ben T. Matchstick - Hermes
Sara Grace - Cerberus
Sara Dawn - Fate
Lisa R - Fate
Nessa Rabin - Fate

Orchestra - Magic City
Michael Chorney - Prepared Guitar
Robinson Morse - Bass
Geza Carr - Drums
Andy Moroz - Trombone
Indigo - Cello
Caleb Elder - Viola

Type of Label: Major

My Blog

The Hadestown recording

Hello dear friends. So many of you have asked about a recording of this show of ours. We want to let you know that we are in the process of making such a thing with a very exciting cast of players and...
Posted by on Tue, 09 Sep 2008 01:02:00 GMT

donations needed for 2007 season!

hallo People,HADESTOWN is looking for donors to help mount the 2007 tour! we are getting ready to unveil HADESTOWN 2007 with a brief tour of vermont and likely one boston performance in late november ...
Posted by on Mon, 22 Oct 2007 06:27:00 GMT

Cast and Credits

Hadestown- written by Anais Mitchell, orchestrated by Michael Chorney for Magic City, and directed by Ben T Matchstick. 2006 & 2007 CastAnais Mitchell - EurydiceBen Campbell - OrpheusMiriam Bernardo -...
Posted by on Mon, 15 Oct 2007 07:14:00 GMT

About the music on this page

This seems a likely roost for some out-takes, unlikely renditions, demos, live and the like.Way Down - early demo.Preshow - just that, preshow music from Vergennes.Hobo - an early rendition of this so...
Posted by on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:41:00 GMT

About this page.

We are putting together the next rendition of Hadestown and simply wish to let you know how its coming along... Its also a chance to post some fun versions of things (see "About the music on this page...
Posted by on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 21:37:00 GMT