Customer Reviews for Hadestown
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Dull & underwhelming
I was so bored I nearly left at the interval. The voices were good, hence 2 stars instead of 1, and I really wanted to love it but the storyline and music on the whole, were so morose I felt as though I was at a funeral. I went along with great expectations of lively, memorable songs and came away completely underwhelmed. I'm astonished at all the 5 star reviews. It was clear when the cast were cheered onto the stage at the beginning that it has a cult following particularly among younger members of the audience but honestly, for me, it was like watching paint dry. I really don't get the hype.
Let down by weak casting
I love this show. I've seen it twice before when it was at NT. The current cast are really not up to scratch which is a shame. It felt like everyone on stage was bored with performing. Really disappointed in the current iteration. Honestly, Eurydice and all 3 fates need to be able to sing properly. Two brilliant fates can't carry one who is just there as caricature. Orpheus and Hades great. Everyone else just ok. It currently feels like a 6th form production with average karaoke singers.
Patronising, dull and over-hyped
The only thing this show excels at is being both pretentious and dumbed-down at the same time. If you don't already know the story of Orpheus in the Underworld be prepared to have absolutely no idea what's happening. There’s no time for plot or character motivation here. I never thought I’d say this about anything, but if you want to follow the story, watch the opera. Jazz? The opening number was maybe jazz-esque. Then it was: Narrator gives us a morsel of story, one dimensional characters ballad about it for ten minutes. Finally, the tempo cranks up with THE BIG NUMBER: Why We Build The Wall. In case you’d somehow missed the subtle nuance of this song – possibly because of the coma you’ve blissfully slipped into – don’t worry, the staging is ready to hit you around the head like a rigged voting machine. Showstopper? If only. Three of us left at the interval, so as to the second half I can only quote the one friend who stayed: “It didn't improve. You made the right callâ€.