It’s the tale of a lifetime as students at Fort Frances High School (FFHS) are putting on a show of mythical proportions.
Last night marked the opening of FFHS’ production of Hadestown, a reimagining of two classic storylines from Greek mythology. The musical tells the tale of Hades and his wife Persephone, as well as that of Orpheus and Eurydice, one of the great tragedies of Greek mythology.
The musical puts its own spin on the tales by bringing them into a world molded by the early 20th century, complete with Great Depression-era hardships and New Orleans-inspired jazz music and style. The show splits its time between the upper world, where people suffer and endure as they await the return of spring and its bounty, and the Underworld domain of Hadestown, a factory where the lord of the dead rules with an iron fist.
Revellers gather around Orpheus (Ethan Brown) after he gives an ode to Persephone in Fort Frances High School’s production of Hadestown, which opened last night and will run again tonight, Friday and Saturday evenings. The Tony-winning show is a jazz and Great Depression inspired take on the classic Greek myths of both Orpheus and Eurydice , as well as Hades and Persephone. – Ken Kellar photo
Enter the principal players.
Cassandra Armstrong and Ethan Brown are no strangers to the Townshend Theatre stage, having taken part in numerous productions with both Row i Theatre and previous FFHS musicals, and are playing the roles of Eurydice and Orpheus, respectively. Joining them this year is Alex Bombay-Morrison, a first-time musical performer who is playing the role Hermes, the Greek messenger god who also acts as the show’s narrator.
In this tale, Orpheus is a quiet young man who hears a song in his head that legends say could bring about the return of Spring and give the people of the upper world hope, and Eurydice is a wanderer who faces the struggle of surviving in a broken world where she isn’t sure who to trust.
“She’s kind of like a lost orphan,” Armstrong said.
“She’s going around trying to find ways to live, she’s trying to find food and firewood, and she has had a pretty hard life.”
“Eurydice ends up running into me,” Brown added.
“Then the character basically falls right in love with her: love at first sight, literally. They end up falling in love and Orpheus shares a part of a song he’s been working on to hopefully bring back Spring, because Persephone is always getting taken by Hades far too early.”
Spoilers for those who aren’t fans of ancient Greek mythology: the turning of the seasons was explained by their stories as split between the time when Persephone was among the world of the living (the warmer months of the year) and when she had to return to Hades’ side in the underworld (the colder months). Hades taking his wife back earlier than planned each year has caused unending, destructive winters for those left among the living, and when Eurydice weighs out her options and makes a significant decision, Orpheus is left to decide what he will do, and to what lengths he will go, for love.
Despite the fact that none of the three young performers were very familiar with the show, or the legends upon which it is based, before they started rehearsals, all three said the show has cast its spell on them, praising its storyline, characters, and music, even as it has pushed their skills in terms of difficulty.
“Honestly, it has been pretty hard,” Bombay-Morrison said.
“There are a lot of tempo changes and key changes and all these things, but it’s been really, really fun to work with. There’s a lot of, like, cool instruments and fun parts that we get to sing, shout and dance to, and it’s just, it’s really fun, it’s really jazzy, it’s a party.”
“[My favourite part] is not only getting to learn the musical and the unique music behind it, but getting to learn about this story within Greek mythology,” Brown said.
“Learning about real love within people, what people who are actually in love would do for each other.”
The show is a somewhat unique presentation for Fort Frances High School, with a set that rises over multiple levels and features a motorized turntable to allow for more dynamic movement on the stage, fitting for a musical that features a significant amount of travelling in both plot and theme. The band is also on stage with the cast, rather than buried in the orchestra pit, making them another element of the action. The show is also mostly sung through, with only occasional spoken dialogue given overtop of music in time and rhythm, similar to shows like Les Misérables.
“It all connects perfectly,” Armstrong said.
“It’s constant music. It’s all singing, and it was hard at first, but it also fits together beautifully.”
The actors stressed that you don’t need to be a fan of, or even familiar with, Greek mythology to enjoy the show, and encouraged the public to turn out to a show that will promise to be quite the spectacle.
“It doesn’t only tell the story of Greek mythology, it tells an amazing story that can be put into real perspective of the world we live in now,” Brown said.
“It taught me so much that I had no idea about before. It’s great knowledge to know. The music is amazing, the story is fantastic, it’s just an amazing musical with a great story.”
“It’s such a rollercoaster of a musical,” Armstrong added.
“[In one scene] I am literally crying and then we’re going partying and drinking and having fun. There’s so many different emotions in this, there’s love, hate, greed, power, you can feel everything in this musical. I think anybody who would come to this musical, it makes you feel something.”
“You can expect very great but tragic love stories, really incredible music and actors, a beautiful cast, underlying political tones and how it relates to the world then and now, and irreplaceable ecstasy,” Bombay-Morrison said.
The show had its opening night last night, and tickets are on sale now at ticketscene.ca (search “FFHS Muskie Theatre presents: Hadestown”) for the three remaining shows, including tonight, on Friday, April 17, and Saturday, April 18. Doors open each night at 6:30 p.m. with the show to start at 7:00 p.m.
Tickets are $12 plus applicable fees for General Admission, and $10 plus applicable fees for Students and Seniors.
