The folk opera “Hadestown,” written by popular singer/songwriter Anais Mitchell, a native Vermonter, was performed on Dec. 6 here at JSC on the Dibden stage.

The musical is a contemporary version of the classic Greek tragedy of Orpheus, played by Ben Campbell, and Eurydice, played by Mitchell herself. Mitchell’s adaptation of the story is unique in that it portrays Eurydice and Orpheus as two down-trodden hobos who start the play by warming themselves by a barrel fire with little hope that Hades, ruler of the underworld, will lift his grip upon Persephone, his wife, in order to bring back the warmth of spring. Persephone, played by the fantastic vocalist Miriam Bernardo is, according to Greek mythology, the source of the changing seasons. Hades, played brilliantly sinister by David Symons, wants Persephone to remain in the underworld for not only half of the year but the whole year, meaning she would be unable to bring spring. Thus, people on the Earth are forced to roam and seek shelter in eternal winter.

The band is the first to enter the bleak landscape of the stage, which consisted of several faux but almost-to -scale telephone poles with smaller ones in the background to create an exaggerated sense of depth. Besides the poles there were some raised platforms, wires, moveable ground lights and smoke from a fog machine to give the stage a dusty, underground, coal-mine-like atmosphere. The music, orchestrated by Bristol-based composer and musical genius Michael Chorney, and performed by six well-seasoned musicians, was not just any stage music or pit accompaniment. It was finely composed and luminously played, the compositions worthy of their own album. If all of the actors suddenly lost their voices, the music would have been sufficient to convey the message.

The story begins almost out of nowhere. Orpheus and company set the scene and give us a little background information about the story of Hades and Persephone. Hermes, the Greek god of boundaries and those who cross them, played by director Ben T. Matchstick, enters the stage on a large-wheeled contraption that looks like it’s from the 19th century, wearing a long grey overcoat and goggles. He carries a cane-like stick with a microphone attached and begins to sing to us about Hadestown. He asks, “Tired of walking in your worn out shoes…Tired of losing? / Give me a call, we’ll go way down,” to Hadestown where everybody’s pockets are weighted down and they sip ambrosia wine. Hermes is tempting the poor souls who wander the cold crust of the Earth, Eurydice in particular, who complains of hunger in her ballad with the three Fates, played by Lisa Raatikainen, Nessa Rabin and Sarah-Dawn Albani, called “When the Chips Are Down.” They mention in this one that “there is no telling what you’re gonna do when the chips are down.” In the original story, Eurydice is bitten by a venomous serpent and descends into Hades but here it is starvation and temptation that eventually bring her to Hades.

Distraught and brokenhearted, Orpheus belts out with rage and sadness the simple line to the song “Wait for Me,” which is, to this day, stuck in my head because it is so catchy and heart wrenching. This part stirred-up some complaints about Orpheus’ seemingly over-sensitiveness, which some thought to be a bit on the cheesy side. But then again, Orpheus is supposed to be that almost cheesy love guy, and seems especially so when paired with the seductive gloom and doom of the god of the underworld. However, Orpheus’ overly-sensitive character aided in making the contrast between him and Hades overtly clear.
Though we aren’t explicitly let in on the details, we figure that Orpheus had made some sort of deal with the gods to let him enter Hadestown and attempt to free Eurydice from the grips of death, or, in this case, a life of service to Hades, the work boss of the underworld.

The costumes are not to be overlooked in the performance. They were well chosen, eclectic, and daring, not to mention well-crafted. From Orpheus and Eurydice’s warm-toned, bohemian chic look to Hades and Persephone’s dark and devilish suit-and-tie combination with top hat, gleaming corset and billowing skirts, they were nothing short of original.