Review: Raising my cup to HADESTOWN: TEEN EDITION with Junior Players

Hadestown: Teen Edition

By Anais Mitchell

Directed by Sasha Maya Ada

Assistant Directed by Lisette Sandoval Perez

Music Directed by Bryce Biffle

Choreographed by Jeremy Saxton

Produced by Junior Players

Audience Rating: G
Running Time: 2 hours with a 15 minute intermission
Accessible Seating: Available
Hearing Devices: Not Available
Sensory Friendly Showing: Not Available
ASL Showing: Not Available
Sound Level: Loud at times
Noises/Visuals to Prepare For: Flashing Lights (One Scene), Mild Violence

Reviewed by Ellie Nunemaker

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice has stuck with me since I was a 10 year old girl far too obsessed with Greek Mythology, so when it was adapted into a musical I naturally was extremely on board. Hadestown went through many phases, from a concept album all the way to Broadway, then to tours and now it has made its home in the Moody Performance Hall in the heart of Dallas, Texas with Junior Players

Directed masterfully by Sasha Maya Ada, Assisted by Lisette Sandoval Perez; Hadestown tells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, guided by our favorite wing-shoed friend Hermes (Mitchell Walker). Through the story we see Orpheus (at this performance played by Maxwell Berner) and Eurydice (at this performance played by Itzel Ramirez) fall in love, and we as an audience witness Orpheus’ loss of his love surrounded by his own musical obsession. Along the way, we are introduced to Hades (Josh Schnitzer), the powerful ruler of the underworld, and Persephone (Amelia Racca), his wife who moves between the world above and below, as well as the Fates (Gabriella Noris, Anthony Bedolla and Kailyn White), who weave doubt and sing of the characters fate throughout the story. 

Ada’s vision is so tangible and unique during this show, perfectly telling the story of Orpheus and Eurydice while guiding every moment with intention and care. Ada creates clear contrasts between the mortal world and Hadestown, using movement, blocking, and focus to emphasize the story’s stakes. Ada’s direction allows each performer to shine while keeping the ensemble cohesive, making the world feel lived-in. This masterful storytelling seamlessly weaves in Jeremy Saxton’s breathtaking choreography and is tied together with a bow by Bryce Biffle’s extremely applaudable musical direction. I loved that while movement and musical choices felt free above ground, in Hadestown both vocals and movements became mechanical and calculated, perfectly showing the shift from the mortal world to the underworld. Everything in this show felt so loved and lived-in, making it chill-inducing from the first moments.

From Broadway to many productions now, we are not seeing very much change in the costuming for this show, but Martin Sanchez’s costuming completely blows that idea out of the water. Each costume is unique to the character and has a certain intentional difference, but still a grounding idea that did not mimic the original costuming but pays a beautiful homage to it. Beautifully complimenting the costuming and actors behind them was Phil Vilar’s lighting design. The lights in this show built completely different environments and gave the effect of deep cold versus burning hot, while also finding moments to brilliantly utilize more colorful lights and highlight what was happening above ground. Scott Kirkham’s set is minimal but very beautifully utilized with moving set pieces to add to the movement of the piece itself is very intentional and well thought out. Kirkham builds an atmosphere that can be changed easily and made every single set piece complement the different parts of this world. Claudia Martinez’s sound design is the cherry on top of this beautiful piece, every single aspect of this show has seamlessly fit into each other, and it is simply breathtaking to see all aspects of theatre work out like this.

The Workers of Hadestown are magnificent; they truly live in their music and choreography and elevate the story to the next level. Every single time there is something happening onstage it is beautifully supported by the amazing cast of young performers. They truly are “the hardest working chorus in the gods’ almighty world.”

As the Fates, Gabriella Noris, Anthony Bedolla and Kailyn White are some of our main (in my opinion) antagonists, beautifully harmonizing and commanding the stage from the very first note. These young and stunning actors work as one voice and one body that hypnotize you so quickly you forget where you are. 

As Hermes, Walker has an immediate bright and wonderful stage presence with a dollop of electricity that I have not seen from many Hermes’. From beginning to end Walker plays the perfect friend to Orpheus and many others, as well as the main storyteller. He has a palpable amount of charisma and has a certain magnetic draw to him, from his smooth and chilling vocals to his trained bodily control to his commanding acting; I could not keep my eyes off of Hermes, beginning, middle and end.

As Hades, Josh Schnitzer brings a scar-like, intimidating aura to the character. Throughout the story, we see Hades first as the cold man who runs the electric city, rigid and cold, before slowly revealing the softer side of a man who is still deeply in love with Persephone. Schnitzer allows beautiful moments of warmth to slip through without ever losing sight of who Hades is at his core, grounding the character in power and control. Schnitzer creates a Hades who is both human and terrifying, doing an excellent job of making the audience, and Orpheus, truly fear the king of the underworld.

As Persephone, Amelia Racca immediately captured my attention. From Racca’s first moment onstage you could see that Persephone is so beautifully lived in. Every thought and action is perfectly portrayed through her onstage actions and voice. “Our Lady of the Underground” in the beginning of Act Two sent chills down my spine with her soft vibrato and powerhouse vocals. Racca and Schnitzer as Persephone and Hades, play the perfect lost lovers, as watching them reconnect toward the end of the show almost made my heart beat out of my chest and soar right out of the theatre.

As Eurydice, Itzel Ramirez brings a tragic and so very truthful side to Eurydice. Ramirez, not only a brilliant actress but a very talented vocalist has the power to capture an audience just with a glance. Ramirez i

s very dynamic and stunning onstage, giving her trust and love to Orpheus after being so hesitant and scared, just pulled me in and completely charmed me. Even now, as I sit here and reflect on her performance, I cannot get her performance of “Flowers” out of my head. From the beginning, Ramirez has very palpable chemistry with Berner's Orpheus. From the first moment they saw one another you could almost see a string between them, never breaking but stretching and grabbing at each other, almost yearning just to be near one another. 

As Orpheus, Maxwell Berner gives us a masterful performance. Berner’s voice is spectacular, from his vibrato to his falsetto he is just simply perfect as Orpheus. He shows us every single side of Orpheus and stays so grounded and lives through Orpheus throughout the entire show, his eyes almost begging us to change the story. He has all of the heart in his performance that you would see in a young Gavin Creel. He takes the somewhat underwhelming source material of Orpheus and transforms him into a full blown truly loveable person; Someone who is kind, loving and just wants to help. Berner is very charming onstage and I could not get enough of him. His “If It’s True” sent chills down my spine and is still echoing in my head. 

Hadestown: Teen Edition is spectacular, this show truly exemplifies what a non-tuition, inexpensive program can do for young artists. There is not a single weak moment in this show. If you can, please go out and donate to Junior Players so they can continue to wow audiences beyond the very last curtain. This team has made a beautiful story and has made it so tempting to go back and watch again.

Catch the magic while it’s live!!

Ellie