My Ramblings On My Broadway visit to Hadestown

I did that thing I have been waiting to do for years! I saw a Tony Award-Winning show ON BROADWAY!!!!

Ok, to be fair I would have settled on any show on Broadway but this makes it all the better.

So let’s talk about my entire Broadway-night-with-the-ladies experience, starting with picking a show.

Let me start by saying that for my 40th birthday, my present to myself was to go to NYC and see some Broadway shows with some of my closest friends.

But What Should We See?

Initially, I thought this would be easy peasy. Pick a show, get tickets. Sadly, not so much since my BFF, Pam, and I have had season tickets to the Broadway series at home for about 9 years.

Basically, we had seen about half or so of the shows playing. Of those, only a handful I would watch again with the right circumstances. Then there were several shows we did NOT want to see at all and the rest was, well, meh.

After some debate we choose HADESTOWN.

We purchased tickets to Hadestown a few months prior to the trip. Unfortunately, we purchased them just after it won the Tony for best Musical so tickets were hard to find at a price we could all live with. But my BFF came through big time and found the best price so we jumped on it.

Night of the show!

The plan was to to do a fancy dinner that night and see the show. We were looking for something near the midtown area as we knew with 5 chicas, timing would be an issue so the closer to the theater the better.

Plus we wanted something that had good reviews and that was slightly different than what we normally eat so we made reservations to Taboon, a fancy Mediterranean restaurant.

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We all got something and shared it. I am a cheapo and when it comes to food I am very picky so I would rather be able to share so I am not stuck paying a ton eating something I do not like.

Luckily, I did not have this issue. We were provided some fantastic focaccia bread for the table and ordered Sambusak which may have been my fave part of dinner.

We also tried Shrimp Kadayif, Zucchini Cakes, and Melanzane. The food was really good. I found that it all had a little sweetness to it which added a little lightness.

The most impressive part of dinner was the table maintenance. I have never had such a clean table at dinner! And my water was always full.

Our table of 5 was out of there within less than 1.5 hours so I would call that a win!

On to the theater

We grabbed a Walter Kerr Theater via a LYFT for our big show!

Once we arrived, we went through security. Not just a bag check but through a detector as well. I thought it was a little weird but chalked it up to something that is done for Broadway. I later noted that is not standard.

The only other time I experienced anything similar was during Hamilton when we were told that it was a new procedure at our local theater. But it was not a new procedure. I have never been through security at home again. I mean, don’t lie, just say what it is. But I digress.

As we enter I am in amazement as we enter directly into the theater. I know this may seem silly but I am used to a huge lobby so this is nifty to me.

We are ushered up the stairs to our seats which were very comfortable. I had always heard the seats were smaller and not as comfy at Broadway. I did not find this to be the case.

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Now at home, I usually sit in what I refer to the nose bleed section. I need my cute little theater glasses to see the performer’s faces and other details. What I learned here was even the ‘worst” seats in the theater offer an amazing view. We were up top in the first row which appeared to be the last row sold. The view of the stage was perfect!

So what is this show about?

Well without giving it away completely:

This is the story of Hades and Persephone and Orpheus and Eurydice. Ultimately, the love between Hades and Persephone fades as she begins to feel trapped and depressed in the world Hades is creating “for” her but it appears that greed and industry blind him to what is important.

In the meantime, Eurydice and Orpheus (a simple man with a gift to give and a song to be sung) meet and fall in love. Eurydice is street smart and has learned how to survive and in a moment of weakness to do so she gives over her soul to Hades.

Once Orpheus realizes his love is gone he sets on a journey to find her and set her free. This is pretty much the entire second act. I don’t want to ruin it for you so I will leave you with that.

I must confess upon listening to the soundtrack prior to the show I was a little worried that it was going to be dark, depressing and well kind of boring. Yes, I am aware that it won a Tony but everyone has different tastes so I was preparing myself to be unimpressed.

And it is SHOWTIME!

The lights go down and the show starts with the storyteller, Hermes, setting the stage. The opening number makes me realize right away that I had underestimated the show.

Luckily this show was WAAAYYY better than my initial impression of the soundtrack.

Performances

As far as the performances go, it was amazing! From the leads to the chorus, it was flawless.

Honestly, my favorite person to watch in the first act was a chorus member. I was mesmerized.

Orpheus had such an incredible range! It was gentle and sweet and the transitions of keys were effortless.

Hades had a deep and ominous and at times bone-chilling voice. It was in noted contrast to the other male lead.

Persephone was a full-body performer. Her movement was as important as her voice. Very fluid and her voice could get gritty. She just knew how to get down and dirty.

Eurydice was the only character I really felt kind of blah about in the show. But you couldn’t have the shown without her and the actress did a fantastic job.

The Fates were haunting and taunting. The harmonies were great and along with Hermes often added the comical relief that was needed from time to time.

Now, Hermes, he was one cool dude. And man could he get down! I was very impressed by his whole swagger. He owned the New Orleans vibe.

Music

There were several really incredible songs in the show. Not the type that sticks in your head the way that some do after a show but some very well written songs. I definitely got the goosebumps a few times.

And the opening and closing numbers in the first act were the showstoppers!

The song that sticks with me most is sung by Hades called “Why We Build A Wall”. It was sooo relevant.

Below is the last verse in the song sums it up but you would really want to hear the whole song to see what I am saying.

Lyrics:
What do we have that they should want?
We have a wall to work upon
We have work and they have none
And our work is never done
My children, my children
And the war is never won
The enemy is poverty
And the wall keeps out the enemy
And we build the wall to keep us free
That’s why we build the wall
We build the wall to keep us free
We build the wall to keep us free

I actually thought this song might have been written due to the social-political climate but remembered the show has been around for much longer than that, since 2006!

After thinking more about the ongoing themes in the show and their relevance, I am certain this helped catapult the musical into such great success.

The themes of greed, power, love, isolation, desperation, weakness and capitalism have helped to make this show the hit that it has become.

Brava to this show!

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Post Show Fun!

After the show, we walked around Times Square for a little bit and it was awesome. The lights, the electricity in the street. I loved everything about it.

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We ended up at a rooftop bar on 45th at Hyatt Centric Times Square, Bar 54. It just so happened to be right there and we were done walking for the day. It boasted the highest rooftop so why not!

I won’t lie, the views were amazing. Sadly, the service was not.

Our server was not really anywhere to be seen. The drinks took a long time to come and the “mocktail” that I ordered wasn’t so much a mocktail as a full-on Mojito. I thought it tasted a little too real. But it wasn’t until we received the bill for a $23 cocktail on it that it was not what we were expecting.

Another bright spot is that we were able to meet up with a hysterically outstanding college friend. It is just the best when you can catch up with someone you haven’t seen in 13 years and not skip a beat.

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After taking in the beautiful view and some photos, we headed home. It was a magical evening and one I will never forget!