DULUTH — East High School students are among the first in the U.S. to perform a teen edition of the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical "Hadestown."
As soon as the production rights to the teen edition of the musical became available last spring, guest director Emily Lanik Parr took action.
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"I saw the email come in at 9:02 a.m. and I reached out to Peter (Froelingsdorf) right away because I wasn't in the system to apply yet for East," Parr said, referring to the former theater director. "But by 9:30 he'd applied and we were able to get the rights. I didn't really know what I was signing up for, but it's been a journey to pull the show together."
Inspired by a post-apocalyptic New Orleans French Quarter-style setting and infused with blues, jazz, Dixieland and modern American folk music, the show follows two intertwining love stories.
A poor musician, Orpheus, pursues Eurydice beyond the end of the earth while King Hades tries to rebuild the fire of his relationship with Lady Persephone. The tale, while tragic, is a testament to the power of love and the lengths one would go to for it.
"It's a challenging show for anyone, but I've had some people tell me it's too challenging vocally for high school students," Parr said. "It has pushed them to the extent of their ranges, but I think they've risen to the challenge. We've had good participation at rehearsals and I think it's building to a cohesive show. Everyone's been dedicated."
The show is entirely sung-through with a lot of choreography and ensemble work throughout.
For some students, such as senior Brayden Miller, who plays Orpheus, the show was completely new.
"I recognized it, but I'd never listened to more than one song," Miller said. "But when it was announced, I started listening and never stopped. This is my second musical ever and to jump into a show with such a high difficulty has been crazy but also just so amazing."
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Miller said the show has stretched him vocally and with his dance experience.
"The journey of acting I get to go on is just incredible," he said. "It's been a really fun experience."
For sophomore Odin Robinson, taking on the role of Hades is the role of a lifetime. Robinson has been enmeshed in the world of "Hadestown" for most of his life as his uncle, Liam Robinson, is the musical director for the Broadway show. He's been able to see the show as it was developed first as a workshop in the early 2010s and then again on Broadway a couple times.
"Hades has been my dream role going back to that workshop production," Robinson said. "I have a deep voice that fits his strict and serious personality. He's very passive-aggressive and it's fun to play."
Robinson said he's excited for people to see the show but that they need to come in with the expectation that it doesn't have a happy ending.
"This isn't like Putnam Spelling Bee. Not every show has a happy ending, and I think that's good," Robinson said.
Senior Margaret McMahon echoed Robinson's sentiments and added that audiences should come in with the expectation the show will be different from the Broadway version.
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"If you're going to do the exact same thing that someone else did, you should just go watch them do it," she said. "It takes on a different personality when done by a different cast. And it's a very, very ambitious show, so give us some grace."
McMahon plays Persephone, a character who she said has more depth than her recent roles of Ariel in "The Little Mermaid" and Cady in "Mean Girls." Persephone gets one individual song at the top of the second act, "Our Lady of the Underground," which the publishers allow schools to cut if desired.
Parr originally planned to cut the song, but McMahon continued working on it and hinting about bringing it back.
"I kept making little deals like, 'I can choreograph the whole thing myself,' or 'I've already been learning the music, so it won't need more rehearsal time,'" McMahon said. "And finally, a couple of weeks ago, she was finally like, 'Fine, you can have the song.'"
Senior Sofia Salmela, who plays Eurydice, also likes delving into the depth of her character.
"She's complicated and I like asking why she does everything she does in the show," Salmela said. "It's been one of my favorite musicals and one of my favorite roles since 2019, so it's super exciting."
If you go
- What: "Hadestown"
- When: 7 p.m. Oct. 24-27 (doors 6:30 p.m. for general seating); 1 p.m. Oct. 27
- Where: Duluth East High School, 301 N. 40th Ave. E.
- Tickets: $15 adults, $10 students; cash or check only at door starting at 6 p.m.
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