‘Hadestown’ Proves Some Musicals Only Get More Powerful With Time

The movie version of Hadestown doesn’t just impress with its creative filming choices, it proves how well this show’s songs and staging can transfer to an entirely new setting without losing an ounce of power.

I recently had the chance to view an early screening, and I’m still not sure I can fully explain how grateful I am for it. I’ll absolutely be rewatching once it hits theaters starting July 24, more than once if I can help it, but getting this early look reminded me exactly why this musical has never let go of me. As Hadestown’s story and message only grow more relevant with each passing year, the timing of this release couldn’t be more perfect.

Filmed in 2025 when the original Broadway cast joined the West End company in London for a limited five-week run, the new film brings Brett Sullivan’s cinematic camera work to Anaïs Mitchell’s Tony- and Grammy-winning musical, which blends folk and New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice alongside Hades and Persephone. These may be old tales from way back when, but they are still relevant today.

It isn’t hard to see how political Hadestown is, weaving together warnings about climate change, the desperation of poverty, the struggle between hope vs. cynicism, and the strength of the bonds we build with each other. These timeless themes are also what makes the show so timely.

Reeve Carney and Eva Noblezada give an even more powerful rendition of their mythic characters here than the original cast recording captures — more powerful, even, than what I saw when I first caught the show at the Walter Kerr in 2019. That performance is backed by uniformly incredible work from Amber Gray, Patrick Page, and André De Shields.

Watching the differences between the Broadway originators and the West End ensemble that took over as the Fates and Workers — distracting at moments, sure — mostly made for a richer, more engaging watch. “If It’s True” and “We Raise Our Cups” never fail to bring me to tears, and this pro shot is no exception. I was crying along with the show, watching my favorite Broadway musical finally make it to the screen.

There’s a deliberately chaotic, almost frantic energy to how the high-conflict songs are filmed, one that pulls you straight into the characters’ heads. The sweeping camera work gives you a much closer look at the staging and at every actor’s facial expressions than you’d ever get seeing it live. One angle in particular caught me completely off guard, in the best way. (You’ll know it when you see it). But my favorite moment by far is how “Epic III” zooms in on Patrick Page’s face as Hades, capturing with perfect clarity the exact moment his love for Persephone comes back to the forefront.

I genuinely don’t think there will ever be a better Persephone or Hades than Amber Gray and Patrick Page. Considering we almost didn’t get the original Hades in the movie — Page injured his Achilles (wrong Greek myth) during rehearsals — this could have been a completely different experience. His voice is simply irreplaceable, and you can feel every ounce of anger and hurt he pours into the role — injury and all.

Page’s Hades loses none of its menace, and his trembling admission of love hits just as hard on screen as it did live. Gray brings a restless, magnetic energy to Persephone, with expressions so precise they read from the back of the house, and only sharpen further in close-up. And De Shields remains a commanding Hermes throughout, narrating the show with the same effortless charisma and impeccable timing that won him a Tony for the role.

Together with Carney and Noblezada’s Orpheus and Eurydice, this cast makes as strong a case as any for why Hadestown remains one of the most essential musicals of the last decade. And now you can experience it for yourself on the big screen.

Go see it, then go see it again. I know I will.