Hadestown: The Train to Hell passed through Worcester Sixth Form College
‘The Train to Hell stopped off at Worcester Sixth Form College last week. For three nights, as part of their highly accomplished production of the tear-jerking musical Hadestown by Anais Mitchell, the train whistle blew and cries of “all aboard” were heard, as we were whisked off “to the end of the line where the sun don’t shine”. One of the most admired new musicals of this century, with a professional version currently packing out audiences in London’s West End, Hadestown updates the classical Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to the modern mid-west of the United States.
The demanding role of the narrator Hermes was superbly played by Charlotte Fazey, dressed in a glittering trouser suit with feathers in her hat and at her heels. She held the show together with style, wit and a real sense of tragedy. Antonio Villegas portrayed the dreamy other-worldliness of Orpheus, the local boy who wants to save the world, with great passion. Freyja Oldfield was genuinely moving as Eurydice, the woman Orpheus falls in love with when she passes through town. She sang the plaintive country ballads of this character with a touching blend of strength and vulnerability. The trial given to Orpheus and Eurydice on their journey out of the underworld was memorably staged. Each of us in the audience held our breath, gripped with tension, and a palpable wave of sadness swept through the hall at the tragic ending. Hermes brilliantly caught this emotional response from the audience and led us all into the sadly reassuring final number when we go back to the beginning: “It’s an old tale from way back when, and we’re gonna sing it again.”
Hades, the rich and megalomaniac ruler of the underworld, was superbly performed by Jonathan Turberville-Tully (in a dark suit and smouldering red tie) with dangerous menace. Ky Khan gave his wife Persephone a magical and commanding presence when she arrives for her annual visit to the world above ground, dressed in a splendid floral dress and cloak, bringing Spring and hope in the form of flowers and wine. Her confident vocal style was well suited to her jazzy numbers.
A glorious shiver ran through the audience every time the Fates (played by Charlotte Cramb, Molly Drew and Jess Pickering) swept onto the stage, cutting a dash in striking antique black cocktail dresses, quivering feathered headdresses and extra eyes painted on their faces. They moved and danced with great panache, conveying how our destinies are often out of our control.
Hadestown is one of those musicals where the Chorus is as much the star of the show as any of the named characters, and the Chorus in this WSFC production was superb. Shifting between the joyous wine-fuelled revelries of the Overground world to the oppressive forced labour of the Underground world, their intense focus and disciplined ensemble were the heart of the drama. The band performed the varied genres and moods of the piece – from country and western to jazz, from lyrically mellow to powerfully dramatic – with flair and style, treating the audience to a hugely entertaining flourish of jazz extemporising at the end.
The choreography and direction (by Rachael Alexander, Head of Performing Arts at WSFC) were hugely effective, creating dramatic stage images and enabling the singer-actors to bring out their different roles and emotional journeys to powerful effect. The inventiveness of the choreography gave strong physical expression to the music. Vocal coaching was by Music teacher Rowan Williams, bringing out the best from the performers in some often-demanding singing. The highly effective set and lighting design by Chris Crosswell gave clarity to the different worlds and journeys in the story, and projected video images (by Zara Kelly) often added a contemporary relevance, with images of American presidents and border walls contrasting with images of the blossoming natural world.
It was genuinely moving to be in the audience of this production of an ancient tale powerfully updated to a modern setting. The ancient themes of love versus fear, and destiny versus individual freedom blended well with contemporary concerns of climate change, how industry affects the natural world, political power and control of borders and identity. It is a powerful piece of theatre that speaks to a modern audience – and this production by Worcester Sixth Form College did full justice to it.’
Review by Paul Morris, former Head of English at Worcester Sixth Form College