#the workers

First off, the casting changes that I saw! Overall, a brilliant cast. I saw a few understudies yesterday, being Iosefa Hermes, Sarah Persephone and Molly Fate (replacing where Sarah would be a Fate), but I was still so impressed:

-> Sarah's Persephone was pretty vibrant and fun, leaning into the who 'ugh fml but let's drink' side heavily in Act 1, but a clear shift in Act 2. That was especially in "Our Lady Of The Underground" where that rebellious aspect of her shone forth.

-> Iosefa Hermes... Where to begin. The talent!!! Is all there!!! He really drove the narration in so many ways, with his emphasis in the words especially. But I also loved the stronger kinship between him and Orpheus that I saw (maybe this is something done in productions? Never seen it live before this) but how Hermes was constantly saying things like "Go on," or "Attaboy", and encouraging Orpheus to face the audience when he sang.

Second! The other cast members (being the main ones!)

-> Noah Mullins' Orpheus was incredible. He really played into the tentative/dorky/shy side of him, especially in the beginning, and I found that really cute! He was a very gentle type all the way through, even in a song like "Papers Intro" where he 'raises up his voice', but does so very quietly! His "If It's True" was so powerful, especially as he started raising his voice and gesturing around at The Workers during "I believe that we are many / I believe that they are few!"

-> Abigail Adriano's Eurydice was such an exquisite blend of sass, defensiveness, anguish, and love. She really nailed the role, from flipping off Hermes in "Road To Hell", to fully keeling over during "Flowers", and more. There was so much expression, especially during those tense/emotional moments. Even in something like "A Gathering Storm" which is sometimes taken with more melancholy, was really taken with so much emotion: The fear and despair when she called his name and subsequently was ignored, you could really hear and feel it.

-> The Fates overall were wicked. That's how I'd describe them: Wicked good in their ability and wicked bad in personality. One of The Fates hissed during the beginning of "When The Chips Are Down" and that was such a good choice!! They really highlighted The Fates as these wicked, playful, uncaring gods that also constantly taunted the characters and created endless doubt for the other characters.

-> Adrian Tamburini's Hades was one-of-a-kind. So it felt to me, at least. Originally, I was really tentative about how his voice, trained in opera, would transfer to the musical stage. He nailed it in every aspect. I feel blown away by his role, especially. Hearing the jazzy side in "Hey, Little Songbird", the pure torment in "His Kiss, The Riot", the ups and downs, the growling and almost 'fry-type' voice in parts was amazing to hear. He wasn't one-dimensional in the slightest, it really brought out his dictator side and human side so well.

-> The Workers were great too. I don't have much to say on them, only because I was so engrossed in everything else that it was hard for me to spot things with individual Workers or anything like that! But their voices and movements as a group really brought the show together, as always.

Third: Set/Staging/Lighting/Sound:

-> Again, I don't know if this is done with other productions, but the "door to the Underworld" was at the back of the stage rather than dropping through the turntable! This created some changes for a few moments, being the entries and exits of Hades/Persephone/The Workers, but most noticeably The Turn TM. Orpheus did a full run around the stage, looking from side to side, and ended up on the right side of the turntable, looking to the back of the stage, where Eurydice was. Then the door closed in on her.

-> The lights in "Wait For Me" were awesomeeee - I know this has been a feature throughout the productions, but those swinging lights were so cool.

-> The light turned blue at points in the musical (I think during "All I've Ever Known"?), and turned bright orange in others (most vividly in "Chant"). The lights cut out after "I CONDUCT THE ELECTRIC CITY" before shining back in. There were also lights shone into the audience, during "Wait For Me" asw, iirc.

-> That turntable is so cool to see in person, the dynamism created with The Workers on top of it, then Eurydice lying on it and moving, all of that action was just great.

-> THE SOUND! Epic sound!! My favourite thing to mention was this persistent echo used often throughout the show, especially when relating to The Fates. It just added so much to their eeriness.

Fourth: Band And Instruments!!

-> They get their own mention because they were just that good.

-> The lady on the piano and the guy on the trombone especially - Trombone guy (I don't have the program on me rn I'm sorry) was a character of his own, really. And I think that's the effect the creators wanted. After the show finished, the band continued with a "Way Down Hadestown" instrumental, and this guy on the trombone kept goofing around and showing his talent! Definitely a fun pick-me-up after the raw emotion of the show's ending.

-> The violins in "Chant"... Ugh. They're so iconic - The ones in the buildup with Orpheus: "The dark clouds roll in the one up above / Look up! / Keep your head low..." that whole section.

-> The Fates with their instruments as well were so talented. I particularly loved hearing that accordion sound throughout, it's made so clear when live!!

Small Gripes

-> I think this has been done in other productions, but I was not prepared for it: "Nothing Changes" was sped up immensely! It felt like it was on 2x speed and I don't know why they made that choice. To me, it took away from the impact of the song, but I suppose it also added that echoey/taunty dimension with the speed, like a "haha you're doomed!! You're doomed! You're done!"

-> Added/Changed lyrics to Epic III: This one kinda just... Eh. Idk how to feel about it, I'm more negative than positive about it. It felt like it made things too obvious or something. It was before the "Where is your treasure inside of your chest" section. I believe West End used these lyrics, and all the Australian productions that I've seen are based on West End versions (eg: Heathers, with "I Say No" and "You're Welcome" changes, etc.)

-> There were a couple of notes missed, but not many! Tbh, this isn't much of a gripe, just an observation. These actors are working overtime every day and these notes are incredibly hard to hit. But some I noticed were:

Eurydice in "Chant" - She hit the "shelter us" note perfectly, but went lower on "harbour me" (with Hermes' lyrics entwined, "And the wrath of the gods was in it!" section). She hit a high note for the second "harbour me" (during the "think of them as my embrace..." section) but it was quite strained!

Orpheus in the beginning - I don't think he missed many notes but some of the "la la la"s weren't done in that high voice, done with a different voice but still done clearly. Probably because those "la la la"s are like- The hardest notes to hit!!! I mean!!! It's why he's touched by the gods themselves and all of that!!