By Sandi Masori
SAN DIEGO— One would think that a play based on a Greek tragedy would be heavy and slow, but that is not the case with Hadestown, now playing at Broadway San Diego. With charismatic characters and ear-wormy tunes, it feels a bit more like a celebration than a tragedy.
The show is based on the tragic Greek story of Orpheus (Bryan Munar) and Eurydice (Megan Colton). In this version, Orpheus, a poor but charming poet, is working at a cafe and bumps into street urchin Eurydice and falls in love. He’s been working on a song that will fix all the problems in the world and end the bitter winter. He charms her with his gentleness and sweet voice.
Persephone (Nakia’s Mdlalaose Bizana) comes up from Hadestown for her annual spring visit, and the world rejoices, enjoying the warmth and wine that comes with her. But all too soon, Hades (Nicklaus Colon) comes to fetch her and bring her back home down below, thus ushering in another bitter winter. Eurydice, feeling ignored by Orpheus who is hard at work on the world-fixing song, is freezing and hungry and starts to despair.
Hades tempts her into signing on to stay in Hadestown where she begins to forget herself and everything else. Orpheus, upon finding out that she’s gone decides to go down to hell to get her and bring her back. Since he can’t go the usual way, he learns from the narrator (and the immortal) Hermes (Jaylon C. Crump) that he can walk there the long hard way. So he does. But getting there is only half the battle, he must also figure out how to charm Hades into letting them back out.
Colon is magnificent at Hades and his deep voice and imposing presence is perfect for the character. Even though I have seen the show before with a different cast, I could not imagine a better casting choice.
Crump’s Hermes was also spot on. He is charismatic and energetic and captivating in the role. Again I couldn’t imagine a better casting choice.
One more call out needs to be made and that is Munar as the lovestruck Orpheus. His voice is perfect for the sweet song he sings and he plays the guitar as well. He nails the role and was a joy to watch, especially when he sings. The only critique I have is that there didn’t seem to be any chemistry between him and Colton.
The three Fates (Katelyn Crall, Erin McMillen, and Miriam Navarrette) are also incredible in their roles.
There’s another main element in this play, and it’s the lighting. It is masterfully done, helping move the story forward in tone and location, and huge kudos go out to lighting designer Aja Jackson. It’s difficult to put into words what the lighting effects were or how they differ from most shows, but suffice it to say that they were striking enough that I overheard many audience members commenting on it as we left the theater.
The onstage jazz musicians also deserve a shout out. They become a part of the show as much as the actors.
The saddest part about this show is how short the run is. It ends this weekend having only come for four days. Why so short? You may wonder. Well, it’s actually an extra season event, and not a part of the regular season of shows. There are several other performances coming as extra-season events, ranging from only one show like Menopause 2 to Hamilton which will run for two weeks. There are some other shows coming back for encore performances as well like Ain’t Too Proud and The Book of Mormon. I really recommend checking out the website to make sure you don’t miss the show you’ve been dying to see.
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Sandi Masori is a theater and restaurant reviewer for San Diego Jewish World.