When it comes to announcing their spring musical, Hampton High School teachers keep the students guessing by floating different possibilities of what it will be, sophomore Lordyn Schomaeker said.
Schomaeker, 15, was “very, very excited” when the word finally came down that this year’s production would be the teen edition of “Hadestown.”
“I remember me and one of my friends, we were literally screaming and very happy,” she said. “ ‘Hadestown’ is just overall such a fun musical. And since I’ve known it for a pretty long time, it feels like a dream come true.”
Opening night for Hampton’s production of “Hadestown” is scheduled for Friday, April 4, with the lobby opening at 6:30 p.m. and the curtain rising at 7:30. Three more productions are scheduled for the same times on April 5, 11 and 12.
Tickets cost $12 and are available online at hamptoncats.org and at the door.
“Hadestown” tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. Anais Mitchell developed her 2010 album of the same name into the musical, described as a “haunting, jazz-inflected folk opera” following Orpheus’ quest to overcome Hades and regain the favor of his one true love, Eurydice.
Beginning as a community theater project in 2006, Hadestown premiered off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop in 2016, followed by its Canadian premiere at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre in 2017 and London’s National Theatre in 2018. It opened on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre in 2019.
At the 73rd Tony Awards in 2019, the Broadway production received 14 nominations and won eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score.
Hampton fine arts instructor Daniel Franklin, the spring musical director and producer, saw “Hadestown” on Broadway in late 2019.
“I was just blown away. There’s nothing else out there right now that’s like this,” he said. “I fell in love immediately, and it became one of my favorite shows.”
After closing last year’s musical, “Tuck Everlasting,” Franklin said he heard that rights were available to a teen edition of “Hadestown.”
“I thought, now is the time to jump at this,” he said. “We definitely have the talent to pull this off. My team agreed.”
The teen edition of “Hadestown” does not differ much from its original version, Franklin said. Most of the changes are to vocal arrangements to better accommodate teen voices.
“You’re getting 98% identical entertainment as if you’re seeing a touring production of it or the nonteen version,” he said.
The 32-member cast has been rehearsing since shortly before Christmas. Three of the eight named roles are double-cast — Hermes (Logan Brady, Jordan Schafer); Hades (Aidan Casey, Daniel Morgan); and Perspehone (Kaitlin Howe, Clara Mauro). Of those, one group performs Fridays, while the other gets Saturdays over the two weekend run, and they are in the ensemble while not playing their main roles, Franklin said.
“Hadestown” is the third Hampton musical for 17-year-old junior Nathan Connelly and, cast as Orpheus, his first lead role.
“It’s very exciting. It’s also very nerve-wracking,” he said. “There is a lot of material and stuff that I had to learn, which was a challenge for me.”
Connelly said he knew of “Hadestown” and some of the music, but not all of the show. At college, he is considering majoring in biology and pursuing a career in medical research.
“I think it’s a fantastic musical. It’s very well written,” he said. “The music is absolutely astonishing. I love the show. It’s such a brilliant show. The music in it really helps to tell the story in such a beautiful way.”
After portraying Winnie Foster in last spring’s presentation of “Tuck Everlasting,” Schomaeker is in her second lead role as Eurydice in “Hadestown.”
Schomaeker attends theater school outside Hampton and has dreams of pursuing a career on Broadway.
“My family’s been very musical, and it’s been one of my main interests for a long time,” she said.
Like Connelly, Schomaeker was familiar with Hadestown, but also had not seen it performed in its entirety. She calls it “unique.”
“I think the storyline is really amazing. It’s very interesting. It’s very sad, but there’s amazing songs,” she said.
With opening night just days away, Schomaeker said they’re ready.
“We’ve been working on it for a really long time,” she said. “I’m really excited to finally put it on.”
In Allegheny County, Carlynton and Elizabeth-Forward also are staging “Hadestown” this spring.
“If you get a chance to see it, whether it’s with us or the other schools, definitely get out there and check it out,” Franklin said. “It’s a show unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s beautiful, it’s heart wrenching, it’s funny, it’s powerful.”