London’s Lyric Theatre Welcomes Star-Studded Cast for ‘Hadestown’
The Lyric Theatre in London is set to host the multi-award-winning musical ‘Hadestown’, opening on Saturday, 10 February 2024. This highly acclaimed production, a recipient of 8 Tony® Awards including ‘Best Musical’ and a Grammy® Award for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’, makes its triumphant return to London following a sold-out run at the National Theatre in 2018.
‘Hadestown’ combines modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz. The Original Broadway Cast Recording has become a streaming sensation, amassing over 340 million streams to date. This recording not only won a Grammy Award® for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’ but also topped Billboard’s Broadway Cast Recording chart and made an impressive debut at #8 on the Top Album chart.
The West End production boasts an impressive cast. Dónal Finn, known for his role in Prime’s ‘The Wheel of Time’, takes on the role of Orpheus. Grace Hodgett Young, currently starring in ‘Sunset Boulevard’ at the Savoy Theatre, will play Eurydice. Grammy® Award-winner Zachary James, recognized for his roles in ‘The Addams Family’ on Broadway and Philip Glass’s opera ‘The Perfect American’, will portray Hades. Melanie La Barrie, a seasoned musical theatre actress, will step into the shoes of Hermes. Gloria Onitiri, who has a rich history of roles including in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s ‘Cinderella’, will take on the role of Persephone.
Supporting roles include Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne, and Allie Daniel as the Fates, and Lauren Azania, Tiago Dhondt Bamberger, Beth Hinton-Lever, Waylon Jacobs, and Christopher Short as the Workers. Lucinda Buckley, Ryesha Higgs, Miriam Nyarko, and Simon Oskarsson will serve as Swings.
The musical is the brainchild of Grammy®-winning singer-songwriter and BBC Radio 2 Folk Award-winner Anaïs Mitchell, who initially developed ‘Hadestown’ as an indie theatre project and album. Mitchell transformed the show into a genre-defying musical in collaboration with Tony® Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin.
‘Hadestown’ intertwines two mythic love stories – those of Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and his wife Persephone – taking audiences on a captivating journey to the underworld and back. The production is celebrated for its deep resonance and hopeful narrative, inviting audiences to envisage a better world.
The creative team behind ‘Hadestown’ includes Obie Award® winner David Neumann (choreography), Tony Award® winner Rachel Hauck (scenic design), Michael Krass (costume design), Bradley King (lighting design), Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz (sound design), Liam Robinson (music supervision and vocal arrangements), Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose (arrangements and orchestrations), and Ken Cerniglia (dramaturgy). The casting for the London production is managed by Jacob Sparrow, ensuring a top-tier ensemble for this anticipated run.
