ARTS&LIFE THEATER
PHOTO BY T CHARLES ERICKSON
From the Underworld and Back Hadestown comes to Michigan for two stops. JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER
O
n March 12, 2020, the day that Broadway shut down, Bex Odorisio was in final rehearsals for the world premiere opening of The Visitor at the Public Theater in New York City. She also had a callback for the North American tour of Hadestown. One year later, Odorisio got an email that Hadestown was going to be the first musical to resume on Broadway on Sept. 2, and begin its tour on Oct. 13, and would she audition again.
“That was quite a surprise; I didn’t expect shows to be up and running yet. So I did a video audition from my living room. It was very surreal,” says Odorisio, who is now on her first Broadway tour featured as a Fate in Hadestown. Hadestown comes to Detroit’s Fisher Theatre Nov. 23-Dec. 5 followed by performances at the Wharton Center in East Lansing from Dec. 7-12. Hadestown is the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for
Best Musical Theater Album. It was also honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical. Hadestown is helmed by a dynamic female production team spearheaded by music, lyrics and book writer Anaïs Mitchell; and Jewish director Rachel Chavkin. “Rachel Chavkin describes the Fates as a ‘supergroup’ where we have standout solo
moments, but we also meet in harmony on the same level,” says Odorisio, who’s onstage with two other Fates for the majority of the show. “We are pulled straight from Greek mythology as the controllers of the lives of mortals and sometimes gods,” she adds. “We embody the fears and impulses. If we’re not actively meddling, we’re actively observing so that we can meddle later.” Hadestown weaves together two love stories — of the young Orpheus and Eurydice — with King Hades and his
“WE EMBODY THE FEARS AND IMPULSES. IF WE’RE NOT ACTIVELY MEDDLING, WE’RE ACTIVELY OBSERVING SO THAT WE CAN MEDDLE LATER.” — BEX ODORISIO
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NOVEMBER 18 • 2021
