Hadestown (Broadway)

I was very impressed by Hadestown. It's a beautiful production. I love Orpheus and Eurydice and it's a pretty straight retelling. But the Tonys performance didn't really inspire me to want to buy tickets. I think it was a poor representation of the show. They probably sang the most hummable number, but it's far from the best, as I'm sure Sondheim could tell you. Great music doesn't have to be memorable; it is incredibly moving nonetheless. I loved the 7-piece orchestra on stage including fiddle, cello, bass, drums, trombone/glockenspiel, piano/accordion, and guitar. They play jazz, New Orleans style. There is a funny equating of the underworld and New Orleans and hell and jazz. Persephone is dressed in her best Mardi Gras outfit. I don't love the coal mining costumes, but they work in context. And at the end of Act I when the set transforms, I was blown away.

The cast was phenomenal. Eva Noblezada as Eurydice and Patrick Page as the deep-bass-voiced Hades stand out. Page's voice is hypnotically good. Unfortunately, Andre de Shields was not performing so we had an understudy who made the character of Hermes his own. He's not as old, maybe saunters a little less. I thought Jewelle Blackman as Persephone was also fantastic. I don't know how she compares to Amber Gray, but I'm very happy for her getting the promotion from Fate to Persephone. She knocks it out of the park. I'm not really a fan of Reeve Carney (but I also feel kind of bad that he's the only one that didn't get a Tony nomination). His singing is fine, but he plays a very awkward Orpheus. It's definitely a choice. He plays guitar, not exactly a lyre.

The first act felt really long. I think it's because there were several songs that felt like Act I finales. The actual Act I finale was actually not that climactic. And for much of the first act, probably the first forty minutes or so, everyone is on stage, perpetually acting, never exiting. Even Hades, sits on the balcony, back facing the audience. The play actually starts without warning when everyone rushes onto the stage to take their places. The second act is stronger in my opinion. It's just breathtaking. There are some plot points that are a little vague. It's not really clear what choice Eurydice has to make, because we're not familiar with what happens when you die. You "take a train" (the horn is a recurring motif, I guess the River Styx isn't as sonic) to the Underworld, but what if she didn't sign the contract, then what? What is the benefit of working for Hades? And what work are they doing exactly? And what is this Wall they keep singing about? Does Hell have Walls? The Wall as a metaphor for the Southern border works presciently though. It is a hellscape delusion that walls make us free.

Cymbeline (The Public Theater) (2015)

Cymbeline is a very strange play--must be why no one ever reads it at school or produces it.  It certainly is not one of Shakespeare's best.  Is it a comedy, a tragedy, a history?  It defies proper categorization.  It is a romance that doesn't end in marriage, a tragedy that ends happily, a history that depends on legend. It seems the director wasn't sure what to do about this.  There are lots of comedic moments that are refreshing and much needed in a three-hour play.  But it has just as many dramatic moments.  And it isn't until the end until the director makes a firm decision.  Because the play ends with a jig, complete with a fiddle and synchronized dancing.  It is seemingly out of place, but then you realize it's actually a perfectly fitting ending to a bizarre piece of theater.

The play is redeemed by good actors.  They interact with the first few rows of the audience and have a jolly good time on stage.  There are a few songs--the best sung by Tony nominee Raul Esparza.  He has a smooth voice that totally destroyed the admittedly out-of-place Vegas-y number.  Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe have a great chemistry as the two leads that has been proven several times.   Linklater pulls double weight, playing two polar opposite characters.  He puts on silly wig and leaves on just one button of his shirt and puts on a ridiculous voice to play Cloten.  And Cloten is the easiest name to pronounce among the plethora of impossible names.

The plot is also pretty unbelievable.  There is a lot going on and it is all sort of convoluted.  A couple of the characters change clothes and suddenly they are unrecognizable to the other characters.  It is almost comically ridiculous.  The ending is a big reveal where everything magically turns out right and they live happily ever after.  It's a strange ending to a bizarre play.