Proshots are a great way to make theatre accessible to everyone, especially in a time when theatres are price gouging based on the stunt casting in shows, and when most people are barely making ends meet — an irony not lost, especially for Hadestown.
Written by Sydney Grulloń-Matos
Unlike most other proshots, the Hadestown production starts with a few behind-the-scenes moments. We see the cast in their dressing rooms getting ready — sharing moments with their costumers, with one another. We see a shot of the slate clapper, and then we follow André De Shields onto stage from the wings, where he shares small moments with a handful of cast members before taking his starting mark.
While Hadestown, the musical written by Anais Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, is the 33rd longest-running show on Broadway, the production filmed for audiences is the West End production. When it was announced that the original Broadway cast would be taking over their roles for a limited engagement on the West End, a proshot was a no-brainer.
Hadestown follows the Greek myth of Orpheus (Reeve Carvey) and Eurydice (Eva Noblezada), along with the story of Hades (Patrick Page) and Persephone (Amber Gray) narrated by Hermes (De Shields), but instead of being set in ancient times, it’s set in the 1900s, in a poverty stricken town, where everyone is struggling to eat and make ends meet, with a score inspired by the streets of New Orleans. It’s a political commentary on poverty and capitalism, with Hades’s underworld being an industrial type of world, where he oversees his "workers."
Page’s booming voice is perfect for a character like Hades — a voice that sounds like velvet, but is so commanding that it will stop you in your place. As for Gray, there’s no one else who could match his energy. Her growl in her voice as Persephone is absolutely stunning, and those who are fans of the theatre know that it’s her signature style. Their chemistry is so sweet that even though Hades is quite literally an interpretation of the Devil, it makes you root for their story no matter what.
In a story about two love stories, the main romance between Orpheus and Eurydice is told by Reeve Carvey and Eva Noblezada — who met while doing the show on Broadway, and subsequently fell in love, and got married in October 2025. They are a formidable pair, and their chemistry as the characters is very sweet. However, Carvey is a little awkward to watch at times, considering Orpheus is an ingenue, and Carvey is in his 40s, but somehow it works. Noblezada’s Eurydice is less innocent than her original portrayal of her over half a decade ago, but that works too — it’s a role that’s grown with the actress as she’s aged. But the real star is De Shields as our fearless leader Hermes, who flawlessly narrates the story. The oldest actor in the show, his portrayal is not only wise, but soulful. His voice soars throughout his narration, and his chemistry with each character makes the story what it is — because not only does he interact with the other leads, but he shares small moments with the ensemble as well, something that’s unusual in shows that have a narrator.
The whole ensemble deserves its flowers here too, because a show like this is nothing without its band, who sits on stage for majority of the show while playing their instruments — each band member getting a shout out in the opening number of act two "Our Lady of the Underground," the fates, and the underground workers, who double as regular folks when the story is above ground.
This proshot is filmed beautifully, and the audio mix is incredible, allowing the audience to hear every vocal part, especially for the songs where the fates act as a Greek chorus. At one point, the mix was so great that I could feel the vibrations from Page’s voice during "Chant (reprise)." Its sole flaw in the direction is that during the first ten minutes of the show, there are too many cuts to the audience, pulling focus from the stage for shots or the audience simply just cheering for nothing in particular.
Proshots are a great way to make theatre accessible to everyone, especially in a time when theatres are price gouging based on the stunt casting in shows, and when most people are barely making ends meet — an irony not lost, especially for Hadestown — and this one should extend its run not only in length, but in distribution so as many people around the world as possible are able to witness this cast.
Hadestown: The Musical is now playing in theatres.
Photo: Bleecker Street and LD Entertainment, Courtesy of Mongrel Media
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