Hadestown Lands at Benedum Through Nov. 1 After Record Stage-to-Screen Run

The national tour of "Hadestown" opened at the Benedum Center in Downtown Pittsburgh on Tuesday, Oct. 27 and runs through Sunday, Nov. 1. It arrives on the heels of a filmed version of the stage musical that became the highest-grossing pro shot of a stage musical in cinemas, an engagement that was extended because of demand. The tour is presented by the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust as part of its PNC Broadway in Pittsburgh Series.

The production draws on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. In this telling, the god Hades has become an industrialist, building factories and walls in the underworld while pulling Persephone down earlier each year and stretching the cold season above ground. Orpheus, played by Jose Contreras, sets out to write a song that will set the seasons right. When winter arrives and he is absorbed in the work, Eurydice (Hawa Kamara) takes Hades' offer to descend to Hadestown, where she forgets who she is and works under his control.

Rudy Foster plays Hermes, who narrates and opens the show. He was the strongest performer on Tuesday, moving between the story's darkest beats and its lighter moments with range and command. Nickolaus Colon's Hades sings with a deep, resonant voice, and his three-word lines carried across the theater. Persephone was played by Namisa Mdlalose Bizana in Act I, with an announcement at intermission that Miriam Navarrete would take over the role for Act II. Navarrete's second-act turn in "Our Lady of the Underground" drew particular notice.

"Hadestown" was written by Anais Mitchell. It earned 13 Tony nominations in 2019 and won eight awards. The show's book and score trace Orpheus' descent and the strained marriage between Hades and Persephone, whose disagreements about the calendar shape the fate of people living above the underworld.

Keenan Tyler Oliphant directs the tour, working from a concept by Broadway director Rachel Chavkin. The scenic design is by David L. Arsenault, costumes by Michael Krass, lighting by Aja M. Jackson, and choreography by T. Oliver Reid, based on the Broadway choreography by David Neumann. The score includes "Road to Hell," "Way Down Hadestown," and "Why We Build the Wall," a number written before Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

Tickets for the Benedum Center run are available at trustarts.org. The production continues through Sunday, Nov. 1.

Note: the original source contains a factual inconsistency regarding the timeline of a song's composition that was not carried into this article.