a secret third thing

Crows & Flowers

We choose to sing the song, again and again, not because we cannot escape it, but because we choose to return. We lead Eurydice back up out of the Underworld each performance, each time hoping she’ll finally be allowed to stay. We follow Orpheus back down again, each time begging him to have hope that Eurydice is there behind him, even when he can’t see her. And when he doesn’t, we hope for him. We hope that it’ll turn out this time, that the workers will escape and the world will renew itself and Orpheus and Eurydice will embrace once more in a field of flowers.

As the character with the most awareness of the audience, Hermes is closest to the time loop protagonist - and yet, they do not change the story, because it is not theirs. They offer guidance, all the guidance they can. They build the world for us at the beginning of each show, and lead us into the next telling at the end. And yet, they cannot fulfill Orpheus’ role for him. And they cannot change the story as they tell it - not until the story itself changes.

And perhaps it never will. Maybe we know it never will. But still, we have hope.

The story starts again. The loop continues, because we continue it. We continue it to bring the characters back to life. We continue it to give them another chance, and another, and another.

Say it isn't true. PAPERS | HADESTOWN