The time has nearly come for Hadestown to make its way to Broadway.
For those involved in its production, it has probably felt like an eternity.
For those fans of Hadestown and Anais Mitchell, it is a thrilling time.
For those of us who have witnessed its evolution firsthand, its changes are staggering.
For those who might not be aware of Hadestown, please take notice.
Hadestown is art.
Hadestown is love.
Hadestown is timely.
Hadestown is everything.
Deep down, we are all Orpheus.
Deep down, we are all Eurydice.
Deep down, we are all Persephone.
Deep down, we are all Hades.
Deep down, we all have the potential to be great and flawed and human and tragic and lost and hopeful.
Perhaps that is why Greek mythology continues to resonate after millennia.
The glimpses that we might just see of ourselves have maintained their impact for thousands of years of telling and retelling.
Hadestown is proof that some stories must be told again and again.
The concept of time rests upon perspective.
It has been nearly a decade since I first heard the original Hadestown album.
It has been nearly two and a half years since I saw the immersive and inventive production at the New York Theatre Workshop.
It has been just over a year since I flew to the Canadian tundra on a relative whim to see the next stage in its development.
It has been seven weeks since I took my seat at the National Theatre in London to see Hadestown in its most moving form yet.
In ten weeks, I will once again enter the underworld to bear witness to the final transformations it has undergone for its Broadway debut.
Over the next few months and years, I hope to revisit this production over and over again to see its continued progression.
Hadestown has become a muse and guide for me in recent years.
Anais’ lyrics and music have provided clarity and comfort through dark times.
Hadestown has gifted me with the thought of the potential of new possibilities.
Hadestown has reminded me to be aware of time, both grand and small.
For this, I am most grateful.
Hadestown might just “make you see how the world could be, in spite of the way that it is.
Can you see it?
Can you hear it?
Can you feel it like a train?”
Hadestown is art.
Hadestown is love.
Hadestown is timely.
Hadestown is everything.
Hadestown is not to be missed.
May its beauty and wisdom have an impact on countless people for a long, long time.
(Hadestown arrives to Broadway on March 22, 2019. Tickets are already on sale.)
TINY-JOURNEY 