When it comes to retelling a classic Greek myth in a fresh way, thinking out of the box is a main requirement, and actors say they are doing just that in their upcoming production of “Hadestown.”
“I think we have a lot of freedom. (Director) “Christina (DeCarlo) is taking ideas from her own brain and not the Broadway musical,” said Alana Allen, a rising John S. Davidson Fine Arts Magnet School senior who plays Persephone in the production which will make its Augusta area debut June 12-13 at Davidson. “She’s using a lot of creative liberty; she’s using the ensemble for sets and for ideas of what’s happening in the characters’ brains. She really wants us to take our own spin on our characters.”
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Based on the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice, “Hadestown” is the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards® including Best Musical and the 2020 Grammy® Award for Best Musical Theater Album.
DeCarlo said the production is a teen edition but not a pared down junior version.
“It’s no different in the story,” she said. “It’s a teen edition, but they do give options to switch out material.”
“Hadestown” is a rigorous musical because there’s no spoken dialogue.
But it works well that way because music is integral to the original tale. Orpheus’s bride Eurydice dies of a snake bite shortly after their wedding. The distraught groom travels to the underworld where he uses his songs to persuade Hades and Persephone, the gods of the underworld, to allow him to bring Eurydice back to the land of the living.
DeCarlo said the play is perfect for her young but seasoned cast.
“We have a great cast, a lot of seniors who are graduating and going on to pursue theater in college. It’s a great show to train them before their next step. It does take a bit of maturity to be in this production because of the themes and the music and the choreography. It’s really hard,” she said.
Andrew Redfearn, a recent Westminster Schools of Augusta graduate, saw “Hadestown” on Broadway and is trying not to allow other performances to cloud his view of the character. He’s balancing the idea of bringing himself into the role with the inherent challenges in portraying Hades.
“It’s vocally and physically extremely hard, but she’s (DeCarlo) been telling us from the beginning it’s about the storytelling,” he said. “We’re not supposed to be mimicking others, but use them to gain ideas, take different pieces and use our own headspace and our own creative freedom to bring these characters to life.”
He can’t wait to bring the show to the stage.
“I’m excited to watch and to engage with the audience,” he said. “There are a lot of good moments to experience.”
Charmain Z. Brackett, the publisher of Augusta Good News and Inspiring: Women of Augusta, has covered Augusta’s news for more than 35 years. She’s won multiple Georgia Press Association awards, is the recipient of the 2018 Greater Augusta Arts Council’s media award and was named Augusta Magazine’s best local writer in 2024 and 2025. Reach her at charmain@augustagoodnews.com. Sign up for the newsletter here.
