As an NSTA Representative, I was lucky enough to attend one of the UK’s first school performances of Hadestown on Wednesday 19th November 2025. With incredible direction from Jill Haves and wonderful musical direction by Aidan Bradley, this was a fantastic show that kept the audience captivated throughout!
Hadestown is a musical by Anias Mitchell that intertwines the myths of Orpheus and Eurydice with that of Hades and Persephone. It first appeared as a sung-through production in Vermont in 2006, touring the region in 2007. A revised version premiered off-Broadway in 2016, then moved to productions in Canada and London before opening on Broadway in 2019. The Broadway run was critically acclaimed, earning 14 Tony nominations and winning 8, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
Upon entering the auditorium, the school hall had been transformed with a simple set, and jazz music played in the background, setting us up for the opening number. The stage had been set up thrust style with the audience on three sides, allowing us to be close to the story and action, and a minimalistic set of wooden chairs, tables and crates allowed us to use our imagination and immerse ourselves in the storytelling.
The show opened with Hermes entering the stage with zest and enthusiasm to the opening trumpet notes of “Road to Hell”, performed by a live band of pupil and teacher musicians. The ensemble and dancers provided energetic and joyful backing in this strong opening number as Hermes introduced us to the characters in this tale. Each character’s portrayal was strong and confident as they made their first entrance, clearly showing us characterisation and the different dynamics between them. The performances remained strong and consistent throughout from the entire cast, with technically excellent vocals, movement, and acting from everyone involved.
TJ gave a memorable and highly energetic performance as Miss Hermes, with strong gospel style vocals and brilliant movement throughout. She moved effortlessly around the stage and interacted well with the other characters, while holding the challenging role of storyteller confidently and with charisma.
Deryn and Frankie played the lead couple, Orpheus and Eurydice, with authenticity, professionalism and believable chemistry. Deryn’s portrayal of the goofy, lovesick, and passionate songwriter Orpheus was both funny and extremely moving, with a range of emotions portrayed – making the audience chuckle in the opening lines of “Come Home With Me” whilst moving them to near tears with her passionate rendition of “If It’s True”. Meanwhile, Frankie displayed excellent characterisation and emotion, portraying Eurydice’s complex combination of weariness and strength with the skill of an actress beyond her years. Her first solo, “Any Way The Wind Blows”, was a standout moment with vocals (accompanied by beautiful harmonies from The Fates) that gave the audience goosebumps, for the first but not the last time! Both actresses showed excellent vocal ranges and a mixture of folk style and belt singing, and their voices sounded wonderful when singing in harmony together. “Wedding Song” was a particular highlight that showcased the actress’ folk style and harmonies.
Rhiannon gave a strong and engaging performance as Persephone, showing a range of emotions with her giddy, flamboyant musical numbers and, later, dismay at returning to the Underworld. Her chemistry with Ila, playing Hades, was excellent and her ability to move well while keeping strong vocals was notable. She sang beautifully with a range of vocal styles and excellent belt, and “Livin’ It Up On Top” was a standout moment from the show, with excellent performances from Rhiannon, the ensemble, and dancers. Ila, playing Hades, also did a fantastic job. She had a strong presence and was believable as the God of the Underworld and made the audience laugh with her excellent, droll delivery. Her physicality was perfect, never letting her trademark sneer drop and frequently standing in a strong and menacing manner with her hands in her pockets.
The ensemble did a fantastic job in this show, carrying out seamless (and silent!) scene changes and remaining onstage throughout most of the performance without ever upstaging or distracting from the action. The Workers gave a dynamic performance switching between joyous and celebratory when above ground to oppressed and downtrodden when in the Underworld. The eight actresses sang beautifully and helped to move the story and action along. Their movement was seamless – there were two moments where they switched their black fans for black lanterns which were so swift that I didn’t notice the change happen! – and their vocals were strong with wonderful harmonies. Two standout moments for the fates were the performances of “Nothing Changes” – which was performed acapella – and the upbeat “When The Chips Are Down”.
Choreography, by Danielle Robinson, complemented the performances perfectly. The ensemble demonstrated strong cohesion in the group numbers, while an additional team of dancers executed the production’s expanded choreography. This worked well, for example during Eurydice’s solo “Flowers”, when a dancing couple complemented and never distracted from the vocals and storytelling. Movement ranged from joyful and party-like during the above ground scenes, to angular and punchy when in the Underworld. Musically, this show was excellent with brilliant vocals and beautiful orchestration from the live band.
I look forward to seeing what the future brings for these young performers as I am confident it will be bright and successful for everyone involved in this show. Hadestown was an incredibly well-rounded performance of a show that is both musically and lyrically complex. Every pupil and staff member involved should be incredibly proud of what they achieved with this magical, charismatic and enchanting production.
National School Theatre Awards
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