I’ve heard a few people say “Persephone isn’t supposed to be like that! She’s the goddess of spring and queen of the underworld!” as if someone whose name literally means bringer of death isn’t going to be an extremely chaotic individual
Technically it's "destruction" not "Death" but you're right. Also Dionysus was originally her son in the older myths, and he got all that chaotic energy from somewhere...
@@kris.5067 I don't think she's meant to be portrayed as a young maiden in Hadestown. She's worldly, she's been around and seen some shit. Her husband, whom she loves dearly, has pushed her away with his obsession with her. He's so in love with her, but his desire to keep her with him-- which grew from a fear that she would never be happy with him because The Underworld can't provide her with the things she loves on the surface, became a paranoia that pushed her away. He built Hadestown in an attempt to artificially recreate the things she loves about the surface world (the sun's warmth and brightness, a star-filled moonlit night, flowers, nature), and erected The Wall to keep her inside. "Why would she want to leave when I can give her everything she wants here?" is his rationalization, but she finds it revolting because it's not real. Artificiality cannot replace nature. This offends Hades, because he sees it as Persephone not being grateful for the safety of what is essentially a prison, but he doesn't understand why his false warmth and sunlight are not the same as the real thing. She resents him for not understanding her wants, and he has come to resent her for not being appreciative. She drinks in order to cope with her unhappiness, and her troubled marriage. Her time away from The Underworld is a temporary escape. She distracts herself with wine, and good times to mask her emotions. And because her trips to the surface grow shorter and shorter, it throws the seasons out of whack, and causes others to suffer. (Which is a great metaphor for how toxicity can negatively affect everyone.) I definitely like this variation of Persephone. It gives her more agency, and doesn't portray her as the innocent victim.
The amount of depth and layers she gives to this character is just unbelievable.....the way she says "when was the last time you saw the sky?". I feel that.
to whomever said ''Ya, let's make Persephone completely off the shits'' - Thank you! It' s what theatre deserves. Amber is wonderful and gives the whole thing strong Eartha Kit vibes, and I hope we see her Tony acceptance speech soon
Even though I like the community of Hadetown fans as is, I would totally be fine with this musical gaining a Hamilton level of popularity IF it means the production can run longer and more people can see wonderful performances by Amber Gray and the rest of (from what I've heard and watched snippets of is) a talented cast and crew of Hadestown.
I’ve been obsessed with this show for a little bit, and I really hope it gets super popular, it is such a great story and a fantastic show with incredible music!
Her voice is so incredible. Its just so unique and different to any other actress I've heard. If I tried to sing like that I would probably end up ruining my vocal chords. Also I really need to start callin' people brother.
I love it so much cause its pretty much in my range, the growls do strain my throat a bit but its easier than hitting the high notes most main characters have.
Katrina Jackson omg yes, aaaaaalll those high notes, I just end up whispering for fear of hurting my chords which have been roughed up from several sore throats and me still singing bc I did know that Ya Shouldn’t DO That!! 😭 now I’m trying to restore them/not damage them further bc I def don’t have the range/strength I used too 😕
SOFIA WESTMORELAND Amber is absolutely amazing but I do think that Ali also put on a really good performance and deserves everything that comes to her.
Any other year she would've won the Tony. But when the competition is a girl in a wheelchair you're s.o.l. Got to have that feel good, inspiring TV moment
Her voice almost has a Bernadette Peters quality in the fact that it is wholly unique and unlike any other voice on the stage atm. Edit: my friend said that if Patrick Page's voice is like molasses, Amber's voice is spiced honey Edit#2: SERIOUS wine aunt energy Edit#3: I want to know what this lady's arm workout is like because her arms are perfect!
absolutely love how Amber Gray sings Our Lady Of The Underground, and more generally how she interprets Persephone! like so many other aspects of Hadestown, she was willing to take a risk to try something bold & unique - and she so completely commits to it - and it adds so much life & depth to the show! absolutely perfect person to originate this role :)
Epic Glitter Persephone actually isn't that weak she's pretty tough so I'd say it's more accurate than unique I think she's one of the few to accurately portray Persephone as more than a little flower
An energy I can only adequately describe as "fun gay auntie having one chardonnay too many and causing absolute chaos at a wedding," extremely powerful, 11/10, the elysian fields are just Amber Gray doing an endless encore
Omg I totally see her Persephone having major Bicon (Bi icon) vibes, fits so great with this interpretation. This headcannon makes me love her even more.
I haven’t seen a lot of people mention this yet, but the music work is amazing! Obviously the singer is also amazing but the instruments also sets the mood of the song. It feel as if the piano itself is drunk
When I saw the show on my birthday I instantly fell in love with Amber, her voice reminds me of one of my favorites, Billie Holiday, Persephone is also my favorite Greek goddess and I love how she’s portrayed in the musical. ❤️
@@sylviab8482 nah, she's talented too, and tearing Ali Stroker's talent down in any way would really go against the themes of Hadestown imo. I seriously doubt the cast, director, etc feel or encourage any resentment towards her. Sometimes you just have a great Breadway season with intense competition for the awards- and that's a wonderful thing!
Am I the only one who fully imagined this song as a burlesque performance? I feel like that would be incredible (I haven’t seen it so like don’t come for me if this is a thing and I just don’t know)
I’ll tell you who’s taking a Tony Award... PERSEPHONE!!! Edit: haha ok even though it didn’t really happen...its still pretty cool!! Thanks for the likes guys!!
I've been saying for months that I think Pippin and Hadestown would be a cool crossover (I know it wouldnt ever work out and no one would ever do that but yeah)
When I saw Hadestown, sitting a couple rows in front of me was Bret Gelman, the guy who played Murray Bauman in Stranger Things. During this song when the cast got to "Our Lady of the Upside Down" they all looked straight at him and sang it at the top of their lungs.
