I went way down to “Hadestown” at the William Saroyan Theatre on April 7, and it was one of the most spectacular shows that I have ever seen.

The set, the lights, the sound and the performances were all top-tier. I felt extremely immersed in the setting of “Hadestown,” from the cold world above to the hot, industrial underworld.

I have only seen two other Broadway tours at the Saroyan Theatre before: “Wicked” in 2018 and “Hamilton” in 2022. I would say this production of “Hadestown” was not as good as “Hamilton” (given that I am a “Hamilton” superfan and biased), but better than “Wicked.” 

Highlight of the show: the lighting

The highlight of this show, to me, was the lighting. As a former theater kid, I always pay close attention to how lighting affects a show symbolically and moves the story forward. “Hadestown” was extremely intentional with its lighting, shifting from blue hues of the world above to signify the cold, harsh conditions, to oranges and reds in the underworld. 

Additionally, there was excellent use of headlights in the underworld, and at times, it blinded the audience, which went hand-in-hand with Persephone’s lines: “In the darkest time of year, why is it so bright down here?”

The famous myth is that Orpheus must walk in front of Eurydice without looking back, but if he looked, she would be banished to the underworld forever. 

The lighting during that scene was my favorite in the whole show. The lighting intentionally cast shadows behind Orpheus as he was doubting whether or not Eurydice was really behind him. I’ve seen other productions of “Hadestown” where it was obvious that Eurydice was behind him, but this time, I was questioning if she was really there myself.

The performances

There were some standout performances in the show, but there were also performances that I thought could have been a little better. For me, Hawa Kamara, who plays Eurydice, had the strongest performance in the entire show. 

Kamara portrayed Eurydice’s pessimism exceptionally. Other Eurydices I have seen played a bit more naive and soft, but Kamara really leaned into the edgy side of Eurydice, which made her decision to go to the underworld more believable. 

Her best trick was acting through her singing. Sometimes, actors will focus on sounding good and hitting the notes, but Kamara was extremely intentional when she would go from belting to a soft falsetto. When she was doubtful, scared or hurt, she’d belt, but when she would be vulnerable with Orpheus, she’d sing in the most gentle falsetto you’d ever hear. 10/10.

Bryan Chan, who was the understudy for Orpheus, performed at this show. This was his debut performance as Orpheus and was quite literally one of the best things I have ever seen. He was magnetic, soft and powerful. His performance of “Wait For Me” was the absolute best rendition of that song that I had ever heard in my entire life. His voice was so flawless and I genuinely believed that he was the son of a Muse in real life.

Not only did Chan deliver beautiful vocals, but he also acted his heart out. He portrayed the naivety and hopefulness of Orpheus flawlessly. During his walk back to the above world with Eurydice, his portrayal of anxiety and doubt genuinely started shifting my nervous system. I am still amazed at how this was his debut performance because I believe wholeheartedly he should be Broadway’s Orpheus immediately. 

The other standout performance was Nickolaus Colón as Hades. My god, was he menacing. He genuinely felt super scary to me at times. 

Colón had the best stage presence in the show. Anytime he was on stage, I was always looking at him, even if he was just in the background sitting down. Colón was also extremely funny at times, which gave in to the charm of Hades. His ability to sing so gracefully in such a low register was refreshing to watch. 

Although still amazing, I think performances that could have been a little stronger were Rudy Foster as Hermes and Namisa Mdlalose Bizana as Persephone. 

Foster’s portrayal of Hermes was quite different from other portrayals that I have seen. He played Hermes very goofily, and it reminded me of Prince at times. His singing was exceptional, but for the severity of the show, I felt like at some moments he was trying harder to stand out and be eccentric than he was fitting the tone of the scene. 

As for Bizana, she played Persephone stunningly, but my two critiques of her performance were that she really didn’t act that drunk until Act II, despite always singing about drinking, and it was hard to understand her at times because she didn’t enunciate a whole lot. Other than that, her acting was moving, her voice was powerful and she delivered great humor. 

I felt like Bizana and Colón’s chemistry and Chan and Kamara’s chemistry could have been more convincing. It did not feel super electric to me like other versions I have seen. 

The set

The biggest problem I had with this show is that it did not have a rotating stage. I was genuinely so disappointed. I assumed they would have a rotating stage because the “Hamilton” tour had one, but I was wrong. 

The rotating stage is essential to the plot of “Hadestown” because the climaxes of both Act I and Act II are centered around walking. When actors walk in place, it just looks kind of corny. Also, the rotating stage adds so much pizazz to the choreography. And it was lacking here.

My favorite part of “Hadestown” is “Chant,” where we are first introduced to Hadestown and its conditions. The rotating stage is what makes the song, as the workers are rotating around Hades in unison because his gravitational pull is just so strong. 

The ensemble still did a good job with the choreography without the stage, but I felt like having the stage could have helped make them look a little more synchronized. It was also hard not to have the rotating stage during the show’s famous “Wait For Me Reprise,” where Eurydice follows behind Orpheus. 

I saw Clovis North’s “Hadestown” last month, and they had a rotating stage. They even had an elevator trap door that sent Eurydice down to the underworld. And this show did not. They just dragged Eurydice off stage when Orpheus looked back at her, which was kind of underwhelming. 

Other than that, the set was gorgeous. It had a jazzy, New Orleans feel while also showing the barren, industrial conditions of Hadestown.

Final thoughts

I love “Hadestown,” and this show did it justice. I am campaigning for Kamara and Chan to be on Broadway. I will say, I do not think this show was worth spending close to $300 on, which is what many tickets cost , but it was still a powerful show. 

Overall, I would rate this show an 8/10. If it ever comes back to Fresno, I would recommend you go see it if it’s going for $100 or less.