As an avid theater fan, one of the biggest banes of living in Kansas is the lack of shows around me — especially shows performing on Broadway. For years, I’ve survived off of cast recordings and promotional clips, until on Friday night, when I had the privilege of sitting in a theater for 2 and a half hours to see one of my favorite shows of all time.
“Hadestown.”
It’s a retelling of the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice, entwined with the tale of Hades and Persephone, putting a musical twist on classic myths. In the original tragedy, and the musical, Eurydice dies and Orpheus travels to the Underworld to bring her back to life.Hades agrees — only if Orpheus doesn’t turn around to see if Eurydice is following.
This Broadway on Wichita performance of “Hadestown” was one of the best shows I’ve seen in my entire life and I’ve seen the touring productions of “Hamilton,” “Mean Girls” and “Six.”
There was so much emotion in this production, which does make sense considering it’s a tragedy, but I was still impressed. And it wasn’t just one person who carried the scenes; it was everybody on that stage, from the cast to the chorus to the band on stage.
Special shoutout to Haik Demirchian; he absolutely killed it on the trombone.
The lead actors of “Hadestown” went above and beyond. Orpheus, played by Jose Contreras, and Eurydice, played by Hawwa Kamara, left me stunned.
I, in my life, have never seen a man with so much open yearning on his face. Contreras was a desperate Orpheus — a man willing to do anything to bring back the love of his life. He perfectly embodied the character’s essence. If my future partner doesn’t look at me like that, I don’t want them.
And his voice, oh my god, it was magical. It was heavenly and echoed through Century II, giving me goosebumps every time he opened his mouth.
Kamara was such a powerful Eurydice. Her voice rang throughout the theater with well placed pitches throughout the entire performance. I would kill to have her voice. And her acting was perfect. Her body language truly summed up her cold, isolated nature to finally accepting Orpheus’s warmth. Something about her sarcastic tone mixed with the need for love mashed up perfectly for her.
The contrasting couple of Hades, played by Nickolaus Colón, and Persephone, played by Namisa Mdlalse Bizana was also exceptional.
My mother, who went with me, is now in love with Colón, and frankly, so am I. To begin with, his voice was a deep bass that reverberated through my bones and Century II. But his actions, every step, every facial expression, were perfect.
Bizana radiated sunshine, literally, in her role as Persephone, and vocally with her songs. She did such a good job of conveying her character’s emotions through body language, like when she was stumbling around drunk on wine, or feeling pity for Orpheus using his voice to bring his love back from Hadestown.
Rudy Foster, who played Hermes, was so, so amazing. His performance was so enchanting that I found myself searching for him even when he wasn’t the main focus of a scene. His voice was majestic and so full of energy. I think Foster was one of my favorite parts of the whole show.
The Fates played by Gia Keddy, Miriam Navarrete and Jayna Wescoatt were absolutely phenomenal. Their voices were so haunting, with harmonies that settled like a chilling fog over the audience. Their movements were fluid and in sync as they moved across the stage. Watching them only made me want to have the opportunity to play one of the Fates in my future.
Both the chorus and backing band were on point throughout the entire show, with highly energetic and emotionally poignant performances.
I can not say it enough: this was one of the best shows I’ve ever seen in my life. I highly recommend anyone who has the opportunity to see the touring cast of “Hadestown” to purchase those tickets as soon as you can. You won’t regret it.
