A Pagan's Review of Hadestown

Hadestown is my favorite Greek mythology retelling of all time, but some my thoughts on it have changed since I saw it on Broadway in 2019. It was the Hadestown soundtrack that led me to research Persephone's role in ancient times, and eventually to explore Her modern worship. 

Here's what I love- and don't love- about Hadestown. 

The originality 

I never thought I'd see a Great Depression folk opera set that retells two mythological love stories with New Orleans - style jazz. Yes, take a moment to process that sentence.

Hadestown is the most creative retelling I've ever enjoyed (although the Riordanverse has to be a close second). Most stories with Persephone focus on Her marriage or abduction by Hades, ignoring other myths that feature her, such as Orpheus and Eurydice and the tale of Adonis. 

I never thought I'd see Persephone come to life as a mob boss' wife departing for the Underworld on a luxury train, singing about how she self-medicates to cope with seasonal depression.

Persephone is a mature woman with attitude and sass

Most depictions of Persephone emphasize Her Kore (Maiden) aspect, portraying Her as naive, passive, and foolish. Amber Gray's electrifying performance disrupted all of my preconceptions of Persephone as an insignificant minor Goddess. Anais Mitchell's lyrics for Her are raw, conversational, and human.

When I was a girl like you / Sister, I was hungry too

Hungry for the Underworld- when I was a young girl 

Now you know how it tastes /the fruit of Mr. Hades' ways

Sister, it's a bitter wine / spit it out while you still have time 

Take it from a woman of my age / love is not a gilded cage

All the wealth within these walls / will never buy the thing called love... 

Love was when he came to me, begging on his bended knee

To please have pity on his heart / and let him lay me in the dirt

I felt his arms around me then / we didn't need a wedding bed

Dark seeds scattered on the ground / the wild birds were flying around

That's when I became his wife / but that was in another life

That was in another world / when I was a young girl 

Hadestown's Persephone is a lady of contradictions: compassionate but selfish, in love with Hades but bitter about Her situation, a struggling alcoholic with a manic passion for "livin' it up on top." Some Pagans might be offended by Persephone's flawed humanity in Hadestown, but I personally don't mind some artistic license. Hadestown is a play about Persephone the character, not Persephone the Goddess.

The marriage of Hades and Persephone is realistic and nuanced 

Most people seem to believe that Persephone's marriage is either a) miserable or b) blissfully happy. Hadestown tenderly explores the recurring issues that an immortal couple might face after centuries of staying together. Real marriages take work and come with struggles. The beauty of Hadestown is that Hades and Persephone have forgotten how to love each other but are still trying.

In one argument, Persephone sings:

How long? / Just as long as I am your wife. 

It's true, the earth must die. / And then the earth comes back to life / and the sun must go on rising and rising.

And how does the sun even fit in the sky? / It just burns like a fire in the pit of the sky

And the earth is a bird on a spit in the sky / How long, how long, how long?

The beauty of this song is that it recognizes the cyclical nature of death and rebirth, major themes in Persephone's story. These lyrics remind me of Demeter's grief, so I've played the song before during autumn equinox rituals to the Two Goddesses. Speaking of which... 

...They never mention Demeter?!?

This is my only real issue with Hadestown, and it's more negligible in this musical than it is in other retellings. Since Hadestown focuses on Orpheus and Eurydice, it doesn't have room for an in-depth exploration of Persephone's relationship with Her mother. However, I would've loved to have seen more discussion of Demeter and how She might've influenced Persephone's marriage. Maybe she could've made a one-time appearance. 

There are two minor references to Demeter in Hadestown. In Chant I, Hades accuses Persephone of flying away "the moment Mother Nature calls" and in Livin' It Up On Top, Persephone tells mortals to stop complaning about long winters, singing "Let me tell you something that my mama said to me / You take what you can get / and you make the most of it." That saying captures Demeter's personality to a t, but I still wanted more. 

After a slew of the Hades/Persephone retellings, I think Demeter deserves Her own Broadway musical. If you liked Hadestown: The Myth, The Musical, get ready for Demeter: The Mom, The Myth, The Grain Goddess.

Ok. I'll see myself out of here.

~ Rose Eleusis