Alternative folk singer/songwriter
Anais Mitchell
originally presented her epic musical version of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice as a recording in 2010. The album featured
Mitchell
herself as Eurydice,
Bon Iver
's
Justin Vernon
as Orpheus, and
Ani DiFranco
as Persephone, among other role players and a band of over a dozen musicians. After being reworked by
with Broadway in mind,
Hadestown
ran off-Broadway in 2016, then in Edmonton and London before receiving its Broadway premiere in March of 2019. Marked by alternatively soulful and playful acoustic arrangements and rich harmony vocals, the over-two-hour cast album features performances by an ensemble led by singer/songwriter and actor
Reeve Carney
as Orpheus,
Eva Noblezada
(
Miss Saigon
) as Eurydice,
Patrick Page
Beauty and the Beast
,
Spring Awakening
) as Hades, and
Amber Gray
Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812
) as Persephone. Septuagenarian
Andre De Shields
won a Tony Award for his turn as Hermes in the production, which won eight Tonys in total, including Best Musical and Best Original Score of 2019. ~ Marcy Donelson