A fun thing about this musical is that it justifies its own existence with the "and we're gonna sing it again" line. The characters arent actually the characters, theyre the actors, always performing one more time hoping itll turn out differently. It breaks the 4th wall multiple times. One of the biggest examples is early on in the musical where the band is introduced. Theyre not given time-appropriate names and arent playing characters, theyre just straight up introduced as themselves and thats who theyre playing.
I love the 4th wall break moment where they introduce the band because Persephone starts it by saying “Look a little closer and… there’s a crack in the wall!” While they’re in Hadestown, where the most important thing is building “The Wall”. And Hades later sings in a different song, “Give them a piece, they’ll take it all. Show them a crack, they’ll tear down the wall”. And Persephone explicitly showed them a crack in the wall, but it doubles as a 4th Wall Break to introduce the band, it’s so layered
Something I just noticed is that Orpheus is the bird that sings in the dark night, and Eurydice is the flower that blooms in the bitter snow. So they are toasting to them both i think. Anyone else catch that?
@@QuikVidGuy I think they can kinda sorta each be both. Orpheus the flower and Eurydice the bird for the reasons you mentioned/alluded to, but also Orpheus the bird in the night because of his power of song, and literally singing his way along the dark road to (and then from) Hadestown. And Eurydice the flower in the bitter snow because of how she made it to Hadestown in the first place (more or less froze to death), and also because of her song "Flowers"
i love hadestown's commentary on the cyclical nature of storytelling... i don't think you noticed since you only watched animatics before, but here at the end the stage and costuming is reset to the way it was at the start of the show. when i saw it the first time and eurydice came back in with her old clothes and her bag, i fully burst into ugly sobbing tears. there's something so magnetic about tragedies, which is exactly why we humans have been telling them for thousands (!!) of years. it's a sad song, and we'll sing it again.
When I first saw Hadestown, I actually didn’t know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, so a lot of the message about “maybe it will turn out this time” was lost on me. Seeing it again through this series made me realize something: To know a story is going to end badly and yet still sing it anyway, hoping that it will turn out this time in spite of the fact that you know it won’t… that is what it means to see what the world could be, in spite of the way it is… exactly what Orpheus wanted to bring to the world.
Raise our cups always makes me cry- I think it’s cuz I saw a video of the live performance where the original Persephone was singing, but she was crying during her song because it was her last performance
Fun fact! If you subscribe to the interpretation that it's like a time loop situation, with the "we're gonna sing it again" being the show repeating in the hopes it gets better (and therefore making every single performance of the show canon as a repetition of the same story told again) - then the show with Reeve Carney's final performance where they change the ending of the show in celebration where him and eurydice DO get to go home together? That's how it really ends.
@@evonnagale3045 You can look up Reeve Carney's final bow where some of the OG cast, including Eva Noblezada, came to send him off. They even did a bit with the two Hermes (Andre and the Hermes actor at the time) acknowledging how long he played Orpheus (6 years!!) and how much he contributed. Then they say, "There is only one thing left to do... Go on, baby, take her home with you! You blessed us all, you blessed this show. Aight! Time to go!" and Reeve turns to Eva, grabs her hand, and they walk off the stage together with Hermes telling them to not look back.
"Have they [Persephone and Eurydice] ever sang together?" Not in this version, but you should watch the New York Theatre Workshop/live og cast version of Chant II/Chant Reprise, which DOES feature them in a song together. Unlike the Broadway version, the NYTW version was *much* more focused on the dual narrative of Hades-Persephone and Orpheus-Eurydice, and let Persephone give "advice from an old woman" to Eurydice the way Hades "gave advice from an old man" to Orpheus 👀
@@KSmith-kp5jz for real! there's a spotify playlist called 'hadestown but with the chant that slaps' and it's literally just the Broadway cast recording but with the NYTW Chant II/Epic III popped in and it's the only version I ever listen to now lol
Reprise is written to perfectly mimic the opening (aside from, obviously, being a different song) but there are so many changes that are so so important. The way Persephone turns up far earlier in the timeline because she's not late anymore?? Anais you can have my soulllllll
And the final sad thing about this tragedy: after Eurydice went back to underworld, Orpheus never stopped singing sad songs and never was with a woman again. In some versions he was with men, which the wives of those men didn't exactly like. In most versions they were also frustrated at him always singing sad songs and making everyone depressed. So they killed him and dismembered his body, throwing it in the river. Even then his head wouldn't stop singing. In the end, Apollo finally came to put him to rest and raised his lyre to sky, turning it into Lyra constellation
I've never heard a version with wives. In all versions I know it was always Dionysus' mænads who were angry he didn't want to have an orgy with them now that he only sleep with men, weren't making fun songs anymore that he was mourning Eurydice, weren't paying tribute to Dionysus anymore for similar ressons, or some combination thereof.
I’m so glad you did the live version!! Not sure if this is correct, but the way I see the ending with Persephone and Eurydice coming back to redo past lyrics, and the fact Hermes tells us since the beginning of the show that it’s a sad song, it’s because it’s REPEATING. Like each performance is a reincarnated life that Eurydice and Orpheus are living, and Hermes sings it along hoping MAYBE this life will turn out differently! That’s the way I see it anyway, like a repeating cycle!
In Road to Hell (Reprise) they set the stage up exactly like it was in the beginning of the musical during the first Road to Hell. Wich is another nod to the line "We're gonna sing it again".
I am so pumped to see that you reacted to the live version. I noticed that there were no animatics for this one and was disappointed because a lyric video doesn't do this song justice. But elated to discover that you saw the video I go back to whenever I need to cry. Andre de Shields is truly amazing in this!
Bless you, thank you for this. And also so glad that you GOT it at the final song. Orpheus changed the world. He lost his love in the process but he changed the world for the better. The full circle effect of Hadestown strikes again :D After the final 'we're gonna sing it again' all light on stage go out and it's just darkness in the theatre and the single, tiny little candle Eurydice lit being the light of hope for a better future, and that's how the show ends. The bows, then We Raise our Cups (Also, fun fact, it's not a rose. It's a red carnation. Had an interesting conversation about it, and it is commonly a flower symbolizing love, but in different countries it has taken on different meanings. Notably in Germany, it is a flower associated with the labour revolution, and in Italy I think it's a flower for mourning. So EXCELLENT choice of flower for all themes of the show)
The stage for Hadestown is rotating and has the center elevator whia both are used to great effect. In chant the elevator rises above the stage to have Hades above the workers
The meta narrative of Hadestown "It's a sad song but we're going to sing it again" ....hoping begging that this time this show is the one where it all ends differently
I will always recommend people for see this in the theatre. The feeling you get with both these songs live is unreal, especially as the audience tends to stay standing after the bows for We Raise Our Cups, so the whole theatre stands with the cast/characters to toast Orpheus.
20:25 "Spill a drop for Orpheus" In hellenic polytheism, libations (so drink offerings) are important and the nost commen offerings. There are two types depending on if you're offering to ouranic (like Aphrodite, Athena...) beings or chtonic (Hades, Thanatos, Persephone,... Everything under the earth). For chtonic beings you would directly pour your libation onto the ground. So asking people to spill a drop for Orpheus could ask them to give an offering to him. Maybe a thank you for what he has inspired in you. Maybe an offering to hope it'll turn out the next time. Maybe an offering to show your grief to him and Eurydice. Kind of like a "pray for him"
"And we're gonna sing it again" - because they will, the next night. And the night after that, eight times a week on and on, hoping each time that maybe THIS time it will turn out differently. Such a brilliant way to justify a years-running live theater performance, framing it as a desperate hope for change and a chance to change it each time rather than as a replication of the same set-in-stone story over and over again. Anaïs Mitchell, everyone. ✨👌😭 What you may not have caught because you watched animatics for all the other songs was that the choreography from the end of The Road To Hell (Reprise) when Hermes sings the first few lines of the show and Eurydice enters on to the end of We Raise Our Cups was literally the ensemble cast setting up the staging for the opening number with the tables and chairs, and getting in place to where you would have seen them at the top of the show. Literally getting ready to sing it again. Glad you loved it, this is one of my top five musicals of all time. And yes!!! The stage revolves, and it is SUCH an impactful choice. Particularly in the "journey" songs Wait For Me, Chant, Wait for Me (Reprise), and Doubt Comes In. I definitely encourage you to look up clips of those numbers in their original staging, because WOW. (Also just see the show live when you can lol because this show even more than most is DESIGNED to be experienced live.) WAS THAT YOU OR YOUR EDITOR'S CHOICE TO END THIS VIDEO WITH THE BEGINNING OF YOUR HADESTOWN JOURNEY?!?!?! CLEVER AND DIABOLICAL, YOU UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENTTTT 😭😂👍 Thanks as always for your insights!!! 💚💚💚
Now that you are watching this live version, I highly recommend watching the full show like this to get the scope, whether that’s online or finding the touring production. It’s just so cool to get to watch the stage move the way it does, because yes the choreography it’s a more subtle but heartbreaking aspect of the show.
It's a sad song, but we sing it anyway. We acknowledge the tragedy, but we keep hope burning in our hearts and try our best to make the next ending a happy one.
I had the wonderful opportunity to go and see hadestown about a week before eva noblezada left the cast, and it truly was such an incredible experience. I didn't know anything about the show beforehand, not even the original tale. Needless to say I left that small theatre in tears. I also got to meet and talk to some of the cast afterwards, everyone was incredibly nice and down to earth. Ever since then it's been my absolute favorite musical. I'm so glad you decided to react to this entire show and give it the time and respect it truly deserves.
Hey Mortius (and anyone else reading this!), have you ever heard of Starry? It's about the Van Gogh brothers and a very beautiful concept album. At some point, it'll be in the West End and now that one story is finished, this could be a nice little something for anyone looking to fill the hole Hadestown may or may not have left behind
Definitely looking forward to whatever you'll be doing next. But if you're ever craving more Hadestown, I'd highly recommend you check out a few songs from the off-Broadway recording. The original version of Chant 1 has a verse sung by Persephone that was cut from the Broadway version and I'd love to see your reaction to that.
12:51 I saw a preview/dress rehearsal for a production of The Count of Monte Cristo, and there's a scene where a character burns some important documents to begin a song. He had like three or four matches on his desk in case one didn't light, and NONE OF THEM LIT. He had to just start the song anyway with a flourish of his hand to imply fire and an aside glance at the audience as if to say, "Well, what can you do?"
I see your confusion at the end of Road To Hell Reprise when Orpheus and Eurydice see each other at the end so I just wanted to mention, that's how the show "starts". Once all the introductions are done and out of the way, the story and thus the show essentially "begins" the moment Orpheus sees Eurydice and falls in love. That little moment was an exact recreation of the stage during Road to Hell at "And thus begins the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice" and the cycle continues from there.
i saw someone say something once, that really changed my interpretation of this myth, which is that of course orpheus looked back. thats what grief is.
Ironically I am watching a performance of hades town right now. (It’s intermission rn) and I’ll be able to watch this reaction after I see these songs live for the first time.
I don't know if someone else mentionned it already, but if you liked Hadestown, I recommend you check out their holiday album "If the Fates allow", because I really like their songs, especially Twas the Night, Song of the Magi, and Come Healing (which I think you will love because Hades's actor sings in it and you really get to hear all the depth of his voice)
About having a drop on a broadway stage, I really can’t see the issue! I mean, I can’t imagine that any production would be careless enough to let Reeve Carney take a legitimately dangerous fall, right? right?
@@themoonlit-wolf3773 There was a Spiderman musical starring Reeve Carney as Spiderman many years back. It had a lot of dangerous stunts that ended up being a detriment and made the show cease production. Many people got injured, and Carney was a “certified survivor” of the web-slinger’s attempted musical. I personally don’t know much about it, though, so do your own research if you’re interested.
Thanks so much for covering this show. I discovered it during the pandemic and it’s become an absolute favorite of mine.i highly recommend seeing the staged version. The staging and choreography is wonderful and the way they use the turn table and elevator for going to Hades is awesome! I’ve been lucky to see it a few times, including the first show they had when Broadway first reopened-ended and it’s such an emotional experience to have with an audience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this wonderful show!
I kinda wish there was some Hadestown extended universe of some sort, through books, comics, shows, movies, or other musicals that retell other myths in this pseudo-1920s/Great Depression era setting.
The piano notes at the start of Road to Hell Reprise are the same as when Orpheus first meets Eurydice at the end of Any Way the Wind Blows (after "he had a rhythm and a rhyme") and the same notes as the piano motif in All I've Ever Known, even though the melody is different. Even after inevitable tragedy, the piano notes "sing it again".
What a wonderful series! I'd only heard the more viral songs before, and it was so lovely to discover the whole flow of the show with you. Now that you've heard it all, I would love to see you react to some of the live performances and staging, if you ever feel like it. The 'Wait for Me' reprise and 'Doubt Sets In' answer a lot of the questions you had about Orpheus hearing her, the movement of the various parts of the stage etc. Also, the ensemble in those parts add so much emotional depth to it all. Of course for the animatics they focus on the main characters, but seeing the passion and intensity they have for the idea of revolution makes it so much more powerful (for me personally). It gives you a reminder of just how much is at stake. And YES! That was how he brought spring back - I think the implication is that the song he sang was actually a love song that Hades sang to Persephone (or a riff on it). When he first sings it, Hermes recognizes it. And I think that's why Hermes does things that are frustrating sometimes, and not actually helpful to the main characters. For the world to be righted this always had to happen; They had to fall in love (Hermes encouraging them both at their first meeting), Eurydice had to feel abandoned by Orpheus (when Hermes tells her to leave him alone), then he had to be shamed for her death etc He's not just a father figure, he's a god. I think it's really clever that the fates do represent people's doubts and fears, but also...they are Fate. They make it happen because it has to happen that way, and it will always happen that way because of the nature of people. Just my personal head cannon, but I like to image that Persephone and Eurydice singing together means that maybe they work together to make Hadestown a better place. There's no need for it to be a neon city anymore because Hades is more trusting in Persephone, and maybe he doesn't think he needs a wall to keep her in (and the overworld out). And as a couple of people have said, it does really feel like the whole show is almost a recurring time loop, the actors and characters working together to retell the tale over and over. It took me a minute to get it, cause at first I wanted a more definite ending (happy or sad), but the whole point is the hope. Even when you know it's fated to end sadly, you sing it again, because you have hope that eventually, it can change.
With the action with the tables and chairs in Road to Hell Reprise, the actors are resetting the stage back to how it is at the opening of the show - emphasizing that they're gonna sing it again.
There is a musical I feel you would enjoy, it's the "Jekyll & Hyde: The Gothic Musical Thriller", my favorite version is the one that Anthony Warlow's did, it's a pretty good musical, one of my personal favorites! Definitely recommended for you to react to it
hadestown is a retelling that you gain more out of due to knowledge of the source material. There is something so powerful about knowing exactly how this story ends but still hoping that maybe, just maybe it might turn out this time. It encourages us to see the story the way it could be in spite of the way that it is. At the end of road to hell 2 they are not changing the ending, they are going back to the begining of the show to start telling it again. It's a show that relies heavily on the nature of musicals and how they are performed day after day. It gives a reason for why the show is performed repeatedly. It's a sad song and we're going to sing it again. To know how it ends and still begin to sing it again. The Actors aren't actually playing the characters, they're playing performers who are portraying those characters. And why do we still believe that it might turn out this time? Hermes says "i learned that from a friend of mine" refering to orpheus. We just spent two hours watching orpheus singing his song time and time again hoping that it will turn out this time, until it finally did. Hermes is invoking that same hope orpheus has displayed through out the story. Because if this poor boy can bring the world back into tune, is it so impossible that this story could turn out one day? We just need to keep telling it, again and again, with the same hope that orpheus showed throughout the story. I really encourage you to have a second listen through, I'm sure you will catch so many things you missed on first listen. It's a show you gain something new from each time
I just want to say you have the most amazing energy. It's been less than a week since I discovered you and I don't remember the last time I subscribed to someone so quickly. Luckily every video but this one was already uploaded for Hadestown and I binged it straight through, then decided to check out Epic (amazing decision) and then watched all of those. Your content lifted my spirits in such a unique way. I look forward to more musical reactions from you.
i feel like you would enjoy reacting to and analysing Alien Stage - as a vocalist myself, the vocals seriously wowed me. the storyline brought me to tears, and its all on youtube with captions! its korean, but has english subtitles, and based on the things you enjoyed previously, i do think you would like it :)))
And now you should deep dive into "Loop Theory" for Hadestown, in which the theory is that every time the musical is performed it is a different loop in the cycle. The different Hermes are in different states of acceptance or awareness or frustration with the story never changing.
Okay, now you really MUST go see it onstage on Broadway if you can. It’s a breathtaking, heartbreaking piece of art. We just saw it for the 4th time on Saturday and it never ever disappoints.
"that's a crazy drop" someone has probably fallen during a rehearsal. I once saw an Indoor Percussion show with a drop from pretty high up with the person being catched, buuuut i attended a rehearsal where the girl fell and hit the ground on her back. Took her like five minutes to catch her breath and get up, the fall had to have been 6-10 feet high
Well, we're here at the end. I started this reaction only to understand why this musical is so loved, since I was not able to hear more the firsts 4 songs. I was "ok, let's give Hadestown a chance with Mortius reactions". It is one of my favorite musical? Still no, but now I understand more the depth. I will add the songs to my musical Playlist? Well, I have to think, the songs are still growing. Let's see in the near future. But, in any casa, thanks Mortius to keep me company in this journey. Yeah, is a sad song. But it is one of the sad song that was worth listening, after all.
I’ve officially joined your patreon, infact I specifically downloaded patreon to support you because you bring so much joy and love to a world where that’s hard to find at times. Thank you for your amazing content and your welcoming and open arms (pun intended). I look forward to seeing more of the amazing human you are🩵🫶🏻
Highly recommend you to relisten to this musical. What makes it really beautiful is listening to it again and again and understanding it more and more each time
Something you missed about the staging in Road to Hell reprise is that by the end of the song, when they say "We're going to sing it again" the set has been reset to how it looked when the show began, what why Persephone comes up woth the tables and chairs.
Before I saw Hadestown in NYC, I had a hard time picturing how they were gonna portray the image of Eurydice returning to the underworld (i was thinking maybe she'd have a spotlight and then it would grow dim/turn off on her or something) but to actually see it live (the way the center platform just slowly decends when Orpheus turns and they have that painful moment of just seeing each other one last time before bringing her down all at once) gave me chills, I was so speechless on how wonderfully done it was and how hauntingly beautiful it was 😭
You should react to the ending extra when the actor that plays Orpheus (Reeve Carney) retires if you want a happy end. It is so good and almost makes the pain worth it.
The sad part of this that I love is that in mythology, it was said that Hermes was cursed to have to repeat the tale because he had tried to help them cheat Hades. It's a whole thing and oh boy does it hurt.
The end of Road to Hell reprise loops right back into the dialogue from Any Way the Wind Blows. It’s a loop. We will keep retelling the story of Orpheus and Eurydice for the ages and no matter how many changes are made in our adaptations the ending will still be the same. That’s just how it goes.
Striking a match will work every time if you fold the back of the match book to cover the match and strike pad as you drag the match through. It's designed for bonus friction :)
It is easier to see that they're re-setting to the beginning of the show when you've seen the beginning; Eurydice's blocking, the chairs and tables set out, Orpheus in his apron, etc, is all so they can "sing it again" from the beginning. Also! I didn't know there was a pit in the bway production, that's so cool! I've seen two different touring productions, neither had a pit (of course) and only one had a turntable. Sadly the blocking and staging just isn't the same without the turntable... I totally forgot you wouldn't have seen any of the turntable parts, it was used so well in the first tour production I saw, and I'm sure the same for the bway show.
@@rhov-anion Honestly I forgot I did that until Mortius started in on the garbage man about dropping it and I was like... did I do that? It sounds like something I would do. Then the screenshot went up. XD
I will always love the Ukrainian flag on their cups during that final song- they had that the first time I saw the show live about 3 and a half years ago and I burst into tears (I saw it again on Broadway two summers ago and they didn't have those same cups anymore, but it was still very impactful)
When I want to think that Orpheus had a happy ending with Eurydice, I think about Reeve Carney’s Final Bow as Orpheus. When he gets to walk away with Eva Noblezada, his significant other, who played his Eurydice for years.
I believe Amber Gray (Persephone) likened it to the nature of activism. Activists try to make a difference in the world, even when it seems like nothing changes, even if nothing changes in their life time. They work hoping to make it easier for the next Orpheus who tries. At the end, that scene was an exact parallel to the beginning, only there was spring. Orpheus failed in what mattered most, but he made the world that much brighter and gave the next Orpheus that much less work to do.
Now that you're done with the Broadway version, you should react to the cast's Tony Award performance of Wait For me, as well as the cathedral edits for Epic III and Doubt Comes in. (you should definitely react to the NYTW version too lol)
One of my favourite details about Reeve Carney’s final bow involves this… he and the original Eurydice are dating and… ugh… you should look it up and watch it.
@@karlwilker579 That'd be so fun, specially after so many times of it being a tragedy. But can they do that? I don't know much about Broadway to be honest
I can’t take credit for this and I’m paraphrasing but I saw a comment once that SHOOK me.. Orpheus brought back the seasons and put the world back together again, but in the process he lost his whole world(Eurydice)…
you should consider reacting to Reeve Carney’s (OG Orpheus) final bows!! aat the end of them the way they send him off is by giving Eurydice & Orpheus a happy ending and it makes me sob lmao
I highly recommend watching druid for hire's epic iii animatic! the lyrics are a little different as it's an older version of the song, but it's very beautiful and I think you'd enjoy it! th-cam.com/video/AplHHv--2Ck/w-d-xo.html
I want you to react to some of the live performances of the songs - I feel like you missed some of the feeling from the stage, like our lady of the underground, or the chants. The stage itself is almost a character
mortius! if you’re not already familiar with it, you should check out wicked!! in spirit of the movie having just come out of course! (p.s, i love ur content😼)
A fun thing about this musical is that it justifies its own existence with the "and we're gonna sing it again" line. The characters arent actually the characters, theyre the actors, always performing one more time hoping itll turn out differently. It breaks the 4th wall multiple times. One of the biggest examples is early on in the musical where the band is introduced. Theyre not given time-appropriate names and arent playing characters, theyre just straight up introduced as themselves and thats who theyre playing.
10000% couldn’t have put it better. Love this musical sm. Feels like a celebration of story telling itself.
This is especially emphasized by how "We Raise Our Cups" happens _after_ the actors take a bow. The actors bowing *is* part of the musical.
I love the 4th wall break moment where they introduce the band because Persephone starts it by saying “Look a little closer and… there’s a crack in the wall!” While they’re in Hadestown, where the most important thing is building “The Wall”. And Hades later sings in a different song, “Give them a piece, they’ll take it all. Show them a crack, they’ll tear down the wall”. And Persephone explicitly showed them a crack in the wall, but it doubles as a 4th Wall Break to introduce the band, it’s so layered
Something I just noticed is that Orpheus is the bird that sings in the dark night, and Eurydice is the flower that blooms in the bitter snow. So they are toasting to them both i think. Anyone else catch that?
Eurydice's been the bird the whole show. So I'd imagine Orpheus is the flower, considering how he produced the carnation at the beginning
@@QuikVidGuy I think they can kinda sorta each be both. Orpheus the flower and Eurydice the bird for the reasons you mentioned/alluded to, but also Orpheus the bird in the night because of his power of song, and literally singing his way along the dark road to (and then from) Hadestown. And Eurydice the flower in the bitter snow because of how she made it to Hadestown in the first place (more or less froze to death), and also because of her song "Flowers"
i love hadestown's commentary on the cyclical nature of storytelling... i don't think you noticed since you only watched animatics before, but here at the end the stage and costuming is reset to the way it was at the start of the show. when i saw it the first time and eurydice came back in with her old clothes and her bag, i fully burst into ugly sobbing tears.
there's something so magnetic about tragedies, which is exactly why we humans have been telling them for thousands (!!) of years. it's a sad song, and we'll sing it again.
When I first saw Hadestown, I actually didn’t know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, so a lot of the message about “maybe it will turn out this time” was lost on me. Seeing it again through this series made me realize something:
To know a story is going to end badly and yet still sing it anyway, hoping that it will turn out this time in spite of the fact that you know it won’t… that is what it means to see what the world could be, in spite of the way it is… exactly what Orpheus wanted to bring to the world.
Raise our cups always makes me cry- I think it’s cuz I saw a video of the live performance where the original Persephone was singing, but she was crying during her song because it was her last performance
I saw a video of Amber Grays last performance and it was utterly devastating how much emotion she tried to hold onto. I can't watch it without crying.
Fun fact! If you subscribe to the interpretation that it's like a time loop situation, with the "we're gonna sing it again" being the show repeating in the hopes it gets better (and therefore making every single performance of the show canon as a repetition of the same story told again) - then the show with Reeve Carney's final performance where they change the ending of the show in celebration where him and eurydice DO get to go home together? That's how it really ends.
Wait, they did what? How have I not heard of this before?
@@evonnagale3045there’s a clip of his final show having the alternate ending on TikTok (probably here too)
@@evonnagale3045 You can look up Reeve Carney's final bow where some of the OG cast, including Eva Noblezada, came to send him off. They even did a bit with the two Hermes (Andre and the Hermes actor at the time) acknowledging how long he played Orpheus (6 years!!) and how much he contributed.
Then they say, "There is only one thing left to do... Go on, baby, take her home with you! You blessed us all, you blessed this show. Aight! Time to go!" and Reeve turns to Eva, grabs her hand, and they walk off the stage together with Hermes telling them to not look back.
@@KendraShadowholy fjuck im crying.
"Have they [Persephone and Eurydice] ever sang together?" Not in this version, but you should watch the New York Theatre Workshop/live og cast version of Chant II/Chant Reprise, which DOES feature them in a song together. Unlike the Broadway version, the NYTW version was *much* more focused on the dual narrative of Hades-Persephone and Orpheus-Eurydice, and let Persephone give "advice from an old woman" to Eurydice the way Hades "gave advice from an old man" to Orpheus 👀
Chant II being cut is a great tragedy
@@KSmith-kp5jz for real! there's a spotify playlist called 'hadestown but with the chant that slaps' and it's literally just the Broadway cast recording but with the NYTW Chant II/Epic III popped in and it's the only version I ever listen to now lol
@@TenRoseForever That is hilarious and right up my ally. I definitely prefer the off broadway version of Epic III too. Thanks for sharing.
Reprise is written to perfectly mimic the opening (aside from, obviously, being a different song) but there are so many changes that are so so important. The way Persephone turns up far earlier in the timeline because she's not late anymore?? Anais you can have my soulllllll
And the final sad thing about this tragedy: after Eurydice went back to underworld, Orpheus never stopped singing sad songs and never was with a woman again. In some versions he was with men, which the wives of those men didn't exactly like. In most versions they were also frustrated at him always singing sad songs and making everyone depressed. So they killed him and dismembered his body, throwing it in the river. Even then his head wouldn't stop singing. In the end, Apollo finally came to put him to rest and raised his lyre to sky, turning it into Lyra constellation
I've never heard a version with wives. In all versions I know it was always Dionysus' mænads who were angry he didn't want to have an orgy with them now that he only sleep with men, weren't making fun songs anymore that he was mourning Eurydice, weren't paying tribute to Dionysus anymore for similar ressons, or some combination thereof.
Here we go, the songs that made me cry so hard I got a bloody nose when I saw the show on Broadway.
Make sure to bring your tissues everyone!
I’m so glad you did the live version!! Not sure if this is correct, but the way I see the ending with Persephone and Eurydice coming back to redo past lyrics, and the fact Hermes tells us since the beginning of the show that it’s a sad song, it’s because it’s REPEATING. Like each performance is a reincarnated life that Eurydice and Orpheus are living, and Hermes sings it along hoping MAYBE this life will turn out differently! That’s the way I see it anyway, like a repeating cycle!
In Road to Hell (Reprise) they set the stage up exactly like it was in the beginning of the musical during the first Road to Hell. Wich is another nod to the line "We're gonna sing it again".
I am so pumped to see that you reacted to the live version. I noticed that there were no animatics for this one and was disappointed because a lyric video doesn't do this song justice. But elated to discover that you saw the video I go back to whenever I need to cry. Andre de Shields is truly amazing in this!
Bless you, thank you for this. And also so glad that you GOT it at the final song. Orpheus changed the world. He lost his love in the process but he changed the world for the better. The full circle effect of Hadestown strikes again :D After the final 'we're gonna sing it again' all light on stage go out and it's just darkness in the theatre and the single, tiny little candle Eurydice lit being the light of hope for a better future, and that's how the show ends. The bows, then We Raise our Cups (Also, fun fact, it's not a rose. It's a red carnation. Had an interesting conversation about it, and it is commonly a flower symbolizing love, but in different countries it has taken on different meanings. Notably in Germany, it is a flower associated with the labour revolution, and in Italy I think it's a flower for mourning. So EXCELLENT choice of flower for all themes of the show)
YES YOU GOT IT!!!! YOU GOT HOW THE SONG BROUGHT BACK SPRING!!!
The stage for Hadestown is rotating and has the center elevator whia both are used to great effect. In chant the elevator rises above the stage to have Hades above the workers
The meta narrative of Hadestown "It's a sad song but we're going to sing it again" ....hoping begging that this time this show is the one where it all ends differently
I will always recommend people for see this in the theatre. The feeling you get with both these songs live is unreal, especially as the audience tends to stay standing after the bows for We Raise Our Cups, so the whole theatre stands with the cast/characters to toast Orpheus.
Amazing transition from doggo to kittykat
20:25 "Spill a drop for Orpheus" In hellenic polytheism, libations (so drink offerings) are important and the nost commen offerings. There are two types depending on if you're offering to ouranic (like Aphrodite, Athena...) beings or chtonic (Hades, Thanatos, Persephone,... Everything under the earth). For chtonic beings you would directly pour your libation onto the ground. So asking people to spill a drop for Orpheus could ask them to give an offering to him. Maybe a thank you for what he has inspired in you. Maybe an offering to hope it'll turn out the next time. Maybe an offering to show your grief to him and Eurydice. Kind of like a "pray for him"
"And we're gonna sing it again" - because they will, the next night. And the night after that, eight times a week on and on, hoping each time that maybe THIS time it will turn out differently. Such a brilliant way to justify a years-running live theater performance, framing it as a desperate hope for change and a chance to change it each time rather than as a replication of the same set-in-stone story over and over again. Anaïs Mitchell, everyone. ✨👌😭
What you may not have caught because you watched animatics for all the other songs was that the choreography from the end of The Road To Hell (Reprise) when Hermes sings the first few lines of the show and Eurydice enters on to the end of We Raise Our Cups was literally the ensemble cast setting up the staging for the opening number with the tables and chairs, and getting in place to where you would have seen them at the top of the show. Literally getting ready to sing it again.
Glad you loved it, this is one of my top five musicals of all time. And yes!!! The stage revolves, and it is SUCH an impactful choice. Particularly in the "journey" songs Wait For Me, Chant, Wait for Me (Reprise), and Doubt Comes In. I definitely encourage you to look up clips of those numbers in their original staging, because WOW. (Also just see the show live when you can lol because this show even more than most is DESIGNED to be experienced live.)
WAS THAT YOU OR YOUR EDITOR'S CHOICE TO END THIS VIDEO WITH THE BEGINNING OF YOUR HADESTOWN JOURNEY?!?!?! CLEVER AND DIABOLICAL, YOU UNDERSTOOD THE ASSIGNMENTTTT 😭😂👍
Thanks as always for your insights!!! 💚💚💚
Now that you are watching this live version, I highly recommend watching the full show like this to get the scope, whether that’s online or finding the touring production. It’s just so cool to get to watch the stage move the way it does, because yes the choreography it’s a more subtle but heartbreaking aspect of the show.
It's a sad song, but we sing it anyway. We acknowledge the tragedy, but we keep hope burning in our hearts and try our best to make the next ending a happy one.
I had the wonderful opportunity to go and see hadestown about a week before eva noblezada left the cast, and it truly was such an incredible experience. I didn't know anything about the show beforehand, not even the original tale. Needless to say I left that small theatre in tears. I also got to meet and talk to some of the cast afterwards, everyone was incredibly nice and down to earth. Ever since then it's been my absolute favorite musical. I'm so glad you decided to react to this entire show and give it the time and respect it truly deserves.
Love you Andre de Shields appreciation. Truly a theatre legend
Hey Mortius (and anyone else reading this!), have you ever heard of Starry? It's about the Van Gogh brothers and a very beautiful concept album. At some point, it'll be in the West End and now that one story is finished, this could be a nice little something for anyone looking to fill the hole Hadestown may or may not have left behind
It's coming to the big stage!? No kidding!?!?!?
@possiblepuzzles8137 last i heard, yes! They were workshopping it in london a while back, too
Definitely looking forward to whatever you'll be doing next. But if you're ever craving more Hadestown, I'd highly recommend you check out a few songs from the off-Broadway recording. The original version of Chant 1 has a verse sung by Persephone that was cut from the Broadway version and I'd love to see your reaction to that.
Aaaaa and now we've reached the end. Hadestown is my alltime favorite musical ever, it's been lovely seeing your reactions to it
12:51 I saw a preview/dress rehearsal for a production of The Count of Monte Cristo, and there's a scene where a character burns some important documents to begin a song. He had like three or four matches on his desk in case one didn't light, and NONE OF THEM LIT. He had to just start the song anyway with a flourish of his hand to imply fire and an aside glance at the audience as if to say, "Well, what can you do?"
14:43 Oh no Mortius poor sweet Mortius this is my first time listening to this show and I got that on epic 1
I see your confusion at the end of Road To Hell Reprise when Orpheus and Eurydice see each other at the end so I just wanted to mention, that's how the show "starts". Once all the introductions are done and out of the way, the story and thus the show essentially "begins" the moment Orpheus sees Eurydice and falls in love.
That little moment was an exact recreation of the stage during Road to Hell at "And thus begins the tale of Orpheus and Eurydice" and the cycle continues from there.
27:28 Ha! What a fitting easter egg for those who watched all the way to the end! We're going to [react to] it again!
i saw someone say something once, that really changed my interpretation of this myth, which is that of course orpheus looked back. thats what grief is.
Ironically I am watching a performance of hades town right now. (It’s intermission rn) and I’ll be able to watch this reaction after I see these songs live for the first time.
Oh god i hope you have the best time there tonight, genuinely!
I don't know if I'm impressed you're here or disappointed you're here😅 enjoy the show!
I don't know if someone else mentionned it already, but if you liked Hadestown, I recommend you check out their holiday album "If the Fates allow", because I really like their songs, especially Twas the Night, Song of the Magi, and Come Healing (which I think you will love because Hades's actor sings in it and you really get to hear all the depth of his voice)
Anaiis wrote Song of the Magi too!
Oh the kitty!! Glad I watch the patreon and TH-cam versions or I would have missed the kitty
i’m so excited to see you react to this because it has me in tears everytime!!
About having a drop on a broadway stage, I really can’t see the issue! I mean, I can’t imagine that any production would be careless enough to let Reeve Carney take a legitimately dangerous fall, right?
right?
PFFT
Why you say it like that/nm did something happen?
You. Would. Think.
@@themoonlit-wolf3773 There was a Spiderman musical starring Reeve Carney as Spiderman many years back. It had a lot of dangerous stunts that ended up being a detriment and made the show cease production. Many people got injured, and Carney was a “certified survivor” of the web-slinger’s attempted musical. I personally don’t know much about it, though, so do your own research if you’re interested.
It was actually Richard Kobak, a stunt double! Does not change your point tho lol
Thanks so much for covering this show. I discovered it during the pandemic and it’s become an absolute favorite of mine.i highly recommend seeing the staged version. The staging and choreography is wonderful and the way they use the turn table and elevator for going to Hades is awesome! I’ve been lucky to see it a few times, including the first show they had when Broadway first reopened-ended and it’s such an emotional experience to have with an audience. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this wonderful show!
"It's time for spring. We'll try again next fall.
Wait for me.
I will."
Orpheus wins. Fatality.
I kinda wish there was some Hadestown extended universe of some sort, through books, comics, shows, movies, or other musicals that retell other myths in this pseudo-1920s/Great Depression era setting.
The piano notes at the start of Road to Hell Reprise are the same as when Orpheus first meets Eurydice at the end of Any Way the Wind Blows (after "he had a rhythm and a rhyme") and the same notes as the piano motif in All I've Ever Known, even though the melody is different. Even after inevitable tragedy, the piano notes "sing it again".
What a wonderful series! I'd only heard the more viral songs before, and it was so lovely to discover the whole flow of the show with you.
Now that you've heard it all, I would love to see you react to some of the live performances and staging, if you ever feel like it. The 'Wait for Me' reprise and 'Doubt Sets In' answer a lot of the questions you had about Orpheus hearing her, the movement of the various parts of the stage etc. Also, the ensemble in those parts add so much emotional depth to it all. Of course for the animatics they focus on the main characters, but seeing the passion and intensity they have for the idea of revolution makes it so much more powerful (for me personally). It gives you a reminder of just how much is at stake.
And YES! That was how he brought spring back - I think the implication is that the song he sang was actually a love song that Hades sang to Persephone (or a riff on it). When he first sings it, Hermes recognizes it. And I think that's why Hermes does things that are frustrating sometimes, and not actually helpful to the main characters. For the world to be righted this always had to happen; They had to fall in love (Hermes encouraging them both at their first meeting), Eurydice had to feel abandoned by Orpheus (when Hermes tells her to leave him alone), then he had to be shamed for her death etc He's not just a father figure, he's a god. I think it's really clever that the fates do represent people's doubts and fears, but also...they are Fate. They make it happen because it has to happen that way, and it will always happen that way because of the nature of people.
Just my personal head cannon, but I like to image that Persephone and Eurydice singing together means that maybe they work together to make Hadestown a better place. There's no need for it to be a neon city anymore because Hades is more trusting in Persephone, and maybe he doesn't think he needs a wall to keep her in (and the overworld out).
And as a couple of people have said, it does really feel like the whole show is almost a recurring time loop, the actors and characters working together to retell the tale over and over. It took me a minute to get it, cause at first I wanted a more definite ending (happy or sad), but the whole point is the hope. Even when you know it's fated to end sadly, you sing it again, because you have hope that eventually, it can change.
With the action with the tables and chairs in Road to Hell Reprise, the actors are resetting the stage back to how it is at the opening of the show - emphasizing that they're gonna sing it again.
There is a musical I feel you would enjoy, it's the "Jekyll & Hyde: The Gothic Musical Thriller", my favorite version is the one that Anthony Warlow's did, it's a pretty good musical, one of my personal favorites! Definitely recommended for you to react to it
hadestown is a retelling that you gain more out of due to knowledge of the source material. There is something so powerful about knowing exactly how this story ends but still hoping that maybe, just maybe it might turn out this time. It encourages us to see the story the way it could be in spite of the way that it is.
At the end of road to hell 2 they are not changing the ending, they are going back to the begining of the show to start telling it again. It's a show that relies heavily on the nature of musicals and how they are performed day after day. It gives a reason for why the show is performed repeatedly. It's a sad song and we're going to sing it again. To know how it ends and still begin to sing it again. The Actors aren't actually playing the characters, they're playing performers who are portraying those characters.
And why do we still believe that it might turn out this time? Hermes says "i learned that from a friend of mine" refering to orpheus. We just spent two hours watching orpheus singing his song time and time again hoping that it will turn out this time, until it finally did. Hermes is invoking that same hope orpheus has displayed through out the story. Because if this poor boy can bring the world back into tune, is it so impossible that this story could turn out one day? We just need to keep telling it, again and again, with the same hope that orpheus showed throughout the story.
I really encourage you to have a second listen through, I'm sure you will catch so many things you missed on first listen. It's a show you gain something new from each time
14:38 by Jove he got it at last!
I just want to say you have the most amazing energy. It's been less than a week since I discovered you and I don't remember the last time I subscribed to someone so quickly. Luckily every video but this one was already uploaded for Hadestown and I binged it straight through, then decided to check out Epic (amazing decision) and then watched all of those. Your content lifted my spirits in such a unique way. I look forward to more musical reactions from you.
i feel like you would enjoy reacting to and analysing Alien Stage - as a vocalist myself, the vocals seriously wowed me. the storyline brought me to tears, and its all on youtube with captions! its korean, but has english subtitles, and based on the things you enjoyed previously, i do think you would like it :)))
Ik the ending is a joke but my intent was to go watch all of your Hadestown reactions straight thru immediately upon finishing
And now you should deep dive into "Loop Theory" for Hadestown, in which the theory is that every time the musical is performed it is a different loop in the cycle. The different Hermes are in different states of acceptance or awareness or frustration with the story never changing.
Okay, now you really MUST go see it onstage on Broadway if you can. It’s a breathtaking, heartbreaking piece of art. We just saw it for the 4th time on Saturday and it never ever disappoints.
It was INCREDIBLE
"that's a crazy drop" someone has probably fallen during a rehearsal. I once saw an Indoor Percussion show with a drop from pretty high up with the person being catched, buuuut i attended a rehearsal where the girl fell and hit the ground on her back. Took her like five minutes to catch her breath and get up, the fall had to have been 6-10 feet high
This is one of the songs I have a pavlovian response to - i hear the first few notes and my eyes immediately fill.
Well, we're here at the end. I started this reaction only to understand why this musical is so loved, since I was not able to hear more the firsts 4 songs. I was "ok, let's give Hadestown a chance with Mortius reactions". It is one of my favorite musical? Still no, but now I understand more the depth. I will add the songs to my musical Playlist? Well, I have to think, the songs are still growing. Let's see in the near future.
But, in any casa, thanks Mortius to keep me company in this journey. Yeah, is a sad song. But it is one of the sad song that was worth listening, after all.
I’ve officially joined your patreon, infact I specifically downloaded patreon to support you because you bring so much joy and love to a world where that’s hard to find at times. Thank you for your amazing content and your welcoming and open arms (pun intended). I look forward to seeing more of the amazing human you are🩵🫶🏻
On stage you _always_ have an extra match, or a lighter hidden to pre-empt disaster.
Highly recommend you to relisten to this musical. What makes it really beautiful is listening to it again and again and understanding it more and more each time
Something you missed about the staging in Road to Hell reprise is that by the end of the song, when they say "We're going to sing it again" the set has been reset to how it looked when the show began, what why Persephone comes up woth the tables and chairs.
This is the musical that deserves a proshot. I was the touring crew and it is so much more impactful
Before I saw Hadestown in NYC, I had a hard time picturing how they were gonna portray the image of Eurydice returning to the underworld (i was thinking maybe she'd have a spotlight and then it would grow dim/turn off on her or something) but to actually see it live (the way the center platform just slowly decends when Orpheus turns and they have that painful moment of just seeing each other one last time before bringing her down all at once) gave me chills, I was so speechless on how wonderfully done it was and how hauntingly beautiful it was 😭
You should react to the ending extra when the actor that plays Orpheus (Reeve Carney) retires if you want a happy end. It is so good and almost makes the pain worth it.
The sad part of this that I love is that in mythology, it was said that Hermes was cursed to have to repeat the tale because he had tried to help them cheat Hades. It's a whole thing and oh boy does it hurt.
The end of Road to Hell reprise loops right back into the dialogue from Any Way the Wind Blows. It’s a loop. We will keep retelling the story of Orpheus and Eurydice for the ages and no matter how many changes are made in our adaptations the ending will still be the same. That’s just how it goes.
“This performer is amazing”
Andre de Shields won the Tony for this performance, beating among others his co-Star Patrick Page (Hades)
One thing he missed is that in "A Gathering Storm", Hermes tells Orpheus to "look up", he tries to change the story, but it doesn't work.
Striking a match will work every time if you fold the back of the match book to cover the match and strike pad as you drag the match through. It's designed for bonus friction :)
It is easier to see that they're re-setting to the beginning of the show when you've seen the beginning; Eurydice's blocking, the chairs and tables set out, Orpheus in his apron, etc, is all so they can "sing it again" from the beginning.
Also! I didn't know there was a pit in the bway production, that's so cool! I've seen two different touring productions, neither had a pit (of course) and only one had a turntable. Sadly the blocking and staging just isn't the same without the turntable... I totally forgot you wouldn't have seen any of the turntable parts, it was used so well in the first tour production I saw, and I'm sure the same for the bway show.
IT'S ME. I'M THE GARBAGE MAN. XD
I knew it meant nothing to you at that point, but I also didn't expect you to remember the comment. Whoops. ^_^
I remember laughing when you dropped that. A sneaky spoiler.
@@rhov-anion Honestly I forgot I did that until Mortius started in on the garbage man about dropping it and I was like... did I do that? It sounds like something I would do. Then the screenshot went up. XD
Puppy snuggles and kitty snuggles are the perfect medicine for the end of this play.
not me crying over my dinner while watching this🫠
I will always love the Ukrainian flag on their cups during that final song- they had that the first time I saw the show live about 3 and a half years ago and I burst into tears (I saw it again on Broadway two summers ago and they didn't have those same cups anymore, but it was still very impactful)
When I want to think that Orpheus had a happy ending with Eurydice, I think about Reeve Carney’s Final Bow as Orpheus. When he gets to walk away with Eva Noblezada, his significant other, who played his Eurydice for years.
We sing it again because it’s a old song we’ve been telling the tale of orpheus and Eurydice for a very long time💕
I highly recommend watching the final performance of We Raise Our Cups by Amber Gray (the original Persephone actor).
No, they aren’t changing the ending - they’re going to sing it again. That was Orpheus and Eurydice seeing each other for the first time.
I just saw the show tonight live. To Orpheus!
I believe Amber Gray (Persephone) likened it to the nature of activism. Activists try to make a difference in the world, even when it seems like nothing changes, even if nothing changes in their life time. They work hoping to make it easier for the next Orpheus who tries.
At the end, that scene was an exact parallel to the beginning, only there was spring. Orpheus failed in what mattered most, but he made the world that much brighter and gave the next Orpheus that much less work to do.
Now that you're done with the Broadway version, you should react to the cast's Tony Award performance of Wait For me, as well as the cathedral edits for Epic III and Doubt Comes in. (you should definitely react to the NYTW version too lol)
I hope they change the ending on the final performance, whenever that is.
One of my favourite details about Reeve Carney’s final bow involves this… he and the original Eurydice are dating and… ugh… you should look it up and watch it.
Hopefully not for a long time
What do you mean, change the ending? Can they do that?
@@yay29823 I mean make it a happy ending.
@@karlwilker579 That'd be so fun, specially after so many times of it being a tragedy. But can they do that? I don't know much about Broadway to be honest
Clever little loop at the end
I can’t take credit for this and I’m paraphrasing but I saw a comment once that SHOOK me..
Orpheus brought back the seasons and put the world back together again, but in the process he lost his whole world(Eurydice)…
Please watch Reeve Carney's final bow, he does get to take Eurydice home with him 😢
Well... we'll sing it again. Maybe it will be different this time... Maybe he wont turn and they will escape... Lets sing it again and find out.
you need to watch into the woods
you should consider reacting to Reeve Carney’s (OG Orpheus) final bows!! aat the end of them the way they send him off is by giving Eurydice & Orpheus a happy ending and it makes me sob lmao
It's not a rose btw, it's a red carnation.
MORTIUS, PLEASE REACT TO THE SATURDAY SESSIONS OF 'WAIT FOR ME REPRISE' AND MY LIFE IS YOURRRRS
I highly recommend watching druid for hire's epic iii animatic! the lyrics are a little different as it's an older version of the song, but it's very beautiful and I think you'd enjoy it! th-cam.com/video/AplHHv--2Ck/w-d-xo.html
Maybe it will work out this time.
Should someone send him the video where there's a "happy ending" when Reeve Carney has his final show.
14:34 I feel conflicted on your epiphany here.
oh no this is out of order in the playlist! Please fix or else people might get spoiled for a 3 thousand year old story D:
The person in chat who said you should react to the music from the game Hades is so right tbh...
i hope u watch the recording of reeve carney’s final night/bows even if its just on your own time because it really honestly is so beautiful
❤
I want you to react to some of the live performances of the songs - I feel like you missed some of the feeling from the stage, like our lady of the underground, or the chants. The stage itself is almost a character
I hope you will react to the original concept album
Please listen to the live west end cast album its comes out on the 6th of december but on has 15 songs in it
mortius! if you’re not already familiar with it, you should check out wicked!! in spirit of the movie having just come out of course! (p.s, i love ur content😼)
Mortius has said that OAR is going to be reacting to Wicked at some point-they have seen it, but Casper hasn’t.
Speaking of which, I would love to see him reacting to the Movie after a while of it being out