Folk-opera sensation “Hadestown” dragged audiences way down under the ground for the tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice on May 1 and 2 at the Asteria Theatre. The show’s creator, Anaïs Mitchell, started this sad song at a DIY theatre in 2006 before it took over Broadway in 2014.

Blending Great Depression era decor with a rundown saloon, the set remained static throughout the show and the bright sound of live musicians filled the stage. The cast celebrated their skillful playing several times. Goddess of spring Persphone, played by Namisa Mdlalose Bizana, notably broke the fourth wall to praise them in the raucous number of “Our Lady Of The Underground.”

A rustic staircase crawled up the center of the stage, with billowing saloon doors separating Earth from Hadestown. Persephone and God of death Hades, portrayed by Nickolaus Colón, played a card game atop the stairs during the opening number and towered over the ensemble.

The ensemble leapt from their chairs in the opening number of “Road To Hell.” Their spirited choreography supported the transition from mythological exposition into an exploration of Orpheus and Eurydice. The enchanting voice of the story’s narrator, Hermes, played by Rudy Foster, commanded the number as the sound of train whistles soared across the theatre. 

The ensemble consisted of ten performers, who played two sets of characters: saloon patrons and Hades’ workforce. The patrons began the story suffering in the heart of winter, with Persephone visiting Hades and taking all the delights of spring with her. The ensemble’s second role showed off the performers’ defined musculature with sleeveless vests, likely to illustrate the physical effects of their eternal enslavement in Hades’ mines.

After the opening number concluded, three haunting shadows in matching belts and patterned dresses stalked behind Eurydice, played by Hawa Kamara. Their voices clawed away at her, representing the life-long trepidation a “hungry, young girl” like Eurydice carried. Hermes called this fearsome trio the Muses, played by Gia Keddy, Miriam Navarrete and Jayna Wescoatt. 

Eurydice acted standoffish when considering true love throughout “Any Way the Wind Blows,” finding herself and the Muses instead concerned with securing food. Kamara chose to portray Eurydice’s uncertainty in love by deftly dancing between fear and disregard while singing.

Orpheus, a poor musician blessed by the Greek Gods and played by Jose Contreras, sees Eurydice once in the saloon and instantly swoons. Contreras is the first Puerto Rican actor to play Orpheus on Broadway.

His face split into an expression of pure yearning, and Hermes urged Orpheus to not “come on too strongly.” The track quietly transitioned from the somber “Any Way the Wind Blows” into the warmth of “Come Home With Me.” 

Orpheus approached Eurydice meekly and asked her to “Come home with me,” assuring Eurydice he would marry her. Eurydice pointedly asked Hermes “Is he always like this?” before teasing the musician and twisting his lyrics playfully into “player” and “liar.” Eurydice also discovered her pursuer was working on a song.

She asked to hear the song, much to Orpheus’ protest, and Kamara played the request with skepticism and curiosity, leaning back in a chair. Contreras then unveils a trick: a radiant falsetto fitting of a songbird that lifted Eurydice from indifference to curiosity. Contreras raised their hands to the sky, belting the musical’s most iconic melody beautifully.

A bright red carnation bloomed from Orpheus’ hand amidst the hardest winter, much to Eurydice’s delight and the audiences’ applause. Swinging lantern props, ensemble members circling one another and the blinding lights of Hades’ neon acropolis dazzled the audience following Orpheus and Eurydice’s initial encounter.

The performers raised a glass to the crowd, and to Orpheus, as the cast took a bow and the show came to a joyous conclusion. Audience members sang the songs of Orpheus and Eurydice’s love out the door of the theatre. The two nights of “Hadestown” performances concluded the 2025-2026 Broadway Series at the Asteria Theatre.