Hadestown: My Favorite Piece of Art EVER I Video Essay 

As much as "Why we build the wall" feels so on the nose, it was written before the Trump candidacy...and I think that's scarier.

I see the ending of Hadestown as a call to action. If a story ends on a good note, it leaves the audience feeling good too. It seems to me, that by keeping the original ending, Anais is saying “No, everything is not okay. Eurydice is condemned forever. The workers are not free. Hades and capitalism and exploitation still exist.” And she calls on the audience to try to make a difference, to see if it will turn out this time

When you think about it. Orpheus didn’t fail. He did what he was always set out to do. He brought the world back into tune, but at the cost of his own love and faith in the world. He became a martyr and sacrifice for the greater good.

5:25 Interesting. The first time Orpheus loses Eurydice, it's through inaction. But the second time he loses her, it's through a direct action

I can't lie im a massive musical theatre geek considering im practically tone deaf, but anyone who says the Jazzy riffs and blues vocals dont absolutely SLAP is lying. Our lady of the underground, Chant, Any way the wind blows.. all are modern classics and i bump them nearly every day

Brilliant insight into the way Orpheus and Hades have the same fear and move closer to each other through the musical. Really brilliant.

Love this musical and always eager to discuss! So many themes in HadesTown to unpack. One theme is like to explore is the theme of work: “Introducing the hardest working chorus” “Poor boy, working on a song” “We have work and they have none, and the work is never done” I love how the musical elevates the importance of creative work, both within the world of the story (Orpheus as a musician and songwriter) and when it breaks the fourth wall to acknowledge the chorus dancers and the call outs to the musicians in the band. Contrast that with the soulless work of building the wall and maintaining the factories in the underworld. The people lose all sense of self and compassion for others (till Orpheus reminds them with his songs) We could definitely explore how this applies to modern capitalism , and how meta it is for a broadway musical to broadcast this issue so explicitly to its audience ❤

I feel the need to mention that hadestown wasn’t at all inspired by the US political climate over the past few years. Why we build the wall was written in 2006, and Mitchel has been working on the musical even before then. 2016 was when the show started off broadway, but it existed way before then. There’s a concept album that came out in 2010. A lot of the parallels to our current politics are purely coincidental, which makes the show seem more political than it was intended. But that being said I can’t deny that it’s insanely impactful especially in our current times. I just feel the need to clarify because people seem to think that the show was specifically inspired by political events and it was written as commentary, which is understandable given why we build the wall. But truth is more along of the lines that Mitchel predicted the future lol. But great essay. I adore this show. And it seems like everytime I listen to it I unearth new details and connections.

33: Papers (Hades lets Eurydice leave)(I don’t hate any of the songs, but this one is mostly instrumental, so…) 32: Come Home With Me (Reprise)(Orpheus finds Orpheus)(Way too short to be any higher) 31: A Gathering Storm (During a storm, the character’s priorities are set)(I love the train, but that’s about it) 30: Come Home With Me (Orpheus confesses his love to Eurydice)(Starts off very strong, but doesn’t keep my interest) 29: Gone, I’m Gone (Eurydice loses faith in Orpheus)(Fits very well with When the Chips Are Down) 28: Way Down Hadestown (Reprise)(Eurydice faces the consequences of signing off with Hades)(A forgettable reprise of a memorable song) 27: Word for the Wise (The Fates speak to Hades)(The Fates interacting is always cool) 26: Nothing Changes (The Fates speak to Orpheus)(Word for the Wise, but better imo) 25: Road to Hell (Reprise)(Hermes summarizes the tragedy)(Gives a different tone to the fun opening) 24: Livin’ It Up On Top (Persephone arrives and brings spring with her)(Amber Gray is the heart and soul of this show) 23: Flowers (Eurydice forgets her love and life)(A brilliant song, but not one of my favs) 22: Wedding Song (Orpheus and Eurydice get married)(This song has such a cute melody) 21: All I’ve Ever Known (Eurydice and Orpheus sing about their love)(One of Broadway’s best love ballads) 20: Epic I (Orpheus writes his song)(A good first draft, but very much a draft) 19: When the Chips Are Down (Eurydice dies and goes to the underworld)(Surprisingly fun for such a dark concept) 18: Any Way the Wind Blows (The Fates and Hermes introduce Eurydice)(The lyrics and details are brilliant) 17: Epic II (Orpheus rehearses his song again)(The transition to Chant is flawless!) 16: Promises (Eurydice and Orpheus prepare to walk home)(Feels like a better version of Flowers) 15: Our Lady of the Underground (A drunk Persephone sings a solo)(I’m OBSESSED with Amber Gray’s performance) 14: We Raise Our Cups (Persephone honors the characters)(A super emotional and satisfying finale) 13: His Kiss, the Riot (Hades lets the lovers leave)(The definition of eerie) 12: Hey, Little Songbird (Hades lures Eurydice into Hadestown)(Top tier villain song!) 11: Chant (Reprise)(Orpheus breaks through Hades’s wall)(An awesome reprise of an awesome song) 10: Doubt Comes In (Orpheus looks back)(The ending always shocks me) 9: Why We Build the Wall (Hades sings with his “children”)(Hades at his best) 8: Way Down Hadestown (Hermes and Persephone sing about Hades)(An absolute banger through and through!) 7: If It’s True (Orpheus becomes corrupted by his own song)(Powerful! Powerful! Powerful number!) 6: Road to Hell (Hermes teases the tragedy)(My favorite opener to any musical ever) 5: How Long? (Persephone tries to changes Hades’s POV)(A beautiful, powerful duet) 4: Wait For Me (Reprise)(Eurydice and Orpheus walk home)(THAT part carries the whole song) 3: Wait For Me (Orpheus begins to walk to Hadestown to find Eurydice)(This shows magnum opus) 2: Epic III (Orpheus finally sings to Hades)(Hades singing drives me to tears) 1: Chant (The worlds begin to merge)(Greatest song is Broadway history)

in ancient greece, hades was also the god of wealth.

This was such a brilliant beautiful video essay!! You broke down EXACTLY why I love Hadestown so much into twenty minutes!! Please feel free to do more about the Hadestown motifs and music and- Oh god, you could make five videos about Chant I and Chant II. Favorite songs from the whole musical. Thank you!! This was so fun to listen to!

Interesting interpretation of hades, but I never perceived that his trial was one meant to break Orpheus, he wants Orpheus to get Eurydice but he fears that no one will ever listen to him again if he simply gives her away so he gives the appearance of a trial to everyone else. I always felt like he wanted Orpheus to succeed and take his love home, since Orpheus had given hades his own love back

Fell back in love with this musical for the hundredth time and I absolutely love this video on it! Hearing your thoughts along with your editing made this such a delight to watch.

You perfectly put into words why I love this musical so dearly! Great video

I just found this video on my recs (yay! that's gotta be a good sign for channel growth!), and I just relate so hard to your personal note. I too found Hadestown in 2020 after my graduation (also high school) and everything I had worked for seemed to have vanished out of my hands, three seconds to the finish line. I took it super, super hard. But I honestly think being faced with losing "everything" (friendships, the death of family members, losing my family's home bc of rent costs, etc) has made me into the person I'm becoming now. I was terrified to exist in high school because I was afraid to be heard and judged. Fast forward three years, and I'm submitting my poetry to campus literary journals, have a very visible job on campus where I am the "expert" helping others, and regularly pour out the contents of my soul to twenty people in creative writing workshops for my major. I'm not perfect, at ALL. But there's something about losing the closure to the shell of existence I thought I'd made that has made me finally brave enough to start living. The song I was always too afraid to sing out loud is being sung to others now, and its a beautiful feeling. I am now subscribed ("ex" theatre kid-band kid solidarity).

wow i have never put a lot of these things together. i love your take and i think this show is so powerful! great job!!

Beautiful and insightful commentary. Thank you.

Fantastic video. Love your exploration of the idea of hope, for my money, you nailed it. Thank you.

awesome analysis!!

Same

Almost like this guy's a film major or something

Do you like Gilbert and Sullivan? Sublime...

“The entire play is a sung through experience” “the whole play is a song” that’s because it’s a musical not play….🤦🏻‍♀️🙃 14:56

33: Papers (Hades lets Eurydice leave)(I don’t hate any of the songs, but this one is mostly instrumental, so…) 32: Come Home With Me (Reprise)(Orpheus finds Orpheus)(Way too short to be any higher) 31: A Gathering Storm (During a storm, the character’s priorities are set)(I love the train, but that’s about it) 30: Come Home With Me (Orpheus confesses his love to Eurydice)(Starts off very strong, but doesn’t keep my interest) 29: Gone, I’m Gone (Eurydice loses faith in Orpheus)(Fits very well with When the Chips Are Down) 28: Way Down Hadestown (Reprise)(Eurydice faces the consequences of signing off with Hades)(A forgettable reprise of a memorable song) 27: Word for the Wise (The Fates speak to Hades)(The Fates interacting is always cool) 26: Nothing Changes (The Fates speak to Orpheus)(Word for the Wise, but better imo) 25: Road to Hell (Reprise)(Hermes summarizes the tragedy)(Gives a different tone to the fun opening) 24: Livin’ It Up On Top (Persephone arrives and brings spring with her)(Amber Gray is the heart and soul of this show) 23: Flowers (Eurydice forgets her love and life)(A brilliant song, but not one of my favs) 22: Wedding Song (Orpheus and Eurydice get married)(This song has such a cute melody) 21: All I’ve Ever Known (Eurydice and Orpheus sing about their love)(One of Broadway’s best love ballads) 20: Epic I (Orpheus writes his song)(A good first draft, but very much a draft) 19: When the Chips Are Down (Eurydice dies and goes to the underworld)(Surprisingly fun for such a dark concept) 18: Any Way the Wind Blows (The Fates and Hermes introduce Eurydice)(The lyrics and details are brilliant) 17: Epic II (Orpheus rehearses his song again)(The transition to Chant is flawless!) 16: Promises (Eurydice and Orpheus prepare to walk home)(Feels like a better version of Flowers) 15: Our Lady of the Underground (A drunk Persephone sings a solo)(I’m OBSESSED with Amber Gray’s performance) 14: We Raise Our Cups (Persephone honors the characters)(A super emotional and satisfying finale) 13: His Kiss, the Riot (Hades lets the lovers leave)(The definition of eerie) 12: Hey, Little Songbird (Hades lures Eurydice into Hadestown)(Top tier villain song!) 11: Chant (Reprise)(Orpheus breaks through Hades’s wall)(An awesome reprise of an awesome song) 10: Doubt Comes In (Orpheus looks back)(The ending always shocks me) 9: Why We Build the Wall (Hades sings with his “children”)(Hades at his best) 8: Way Down Hadestown (Hermes and Persephone sing about Hades)(An absolute banger through and through!) 7: If It’s True (Orpheus becomes corrupted by his own song)(Powerful! Powerful! Powerful number!) 6: Road to Hell (Hermes teases the tragedy)(My favorite opener to any musical ever) 5: How Long? (Persephone tries to changes Hades’s POV)(A beautiful, powerful duet) 4: Wait For Me (Reprise)(Eurydice and Orpheus walk home)(THAT part carries the whole song) 3: Wait For Me (Orpheus begins to walk to Hadestown to find Eurydice)(This shows magnum opus) 2: Epic III (Orpheus finally sings to Hades)(Hades singing drives me to tears) 1: Chant (The worlds begin to merge)(Greatest song is Broadway history)