Some of it was astoundingly and wonderfully familiar. Rick Miramontez and Frank DiLella were there at the bar at Joe Allen; the fries were back too, and the burger, as good as ever. I was almost late to the show because I wanted to keep gossiping. I bemoaned the state of Times Square. For a second, I couldn’t find my tickets. And then there we were, almost as if we never left.
Hadestown was opening again after an unprecedented pause. Emilio Madrid was outside taking pictures. Most of the original cast was back. Andre De Shields took the stage. Amber Gray watched from the balcony. The candle was lit on the table where Eurydice sat. Orpheus stood in the corner waiting. The lamps that swung during “Wait For Me” were still mesmerizing. And the "tall hot guy" (Timothy Hughes) was too.
What was different: the applause. It almost never stopped. Waves of it began as soon as the announcement was heard to turn off our phones. Then again when the cast appeared on stage. Then again when De Shields said his first line: "Aight?" Then again when the lamps swung. And again and again and again. The elusive mid-show standing ovation? There were several.
Hadestown’s return to Broadway on September 2 signaled something bigger. It was back. And maybe we all were too? It felt that way. There were vaccination card checks and a masked audience, but there was joy. So much so that it spilled out into the street as the cast assembled on the balconies of the Walter Kerr and sang from them to the crowds below. They threw red roses. They sang “Lean on Me.” We all sang too.
Hadestown, written by Anais Mitchell and directed by Rachel Cavkin, is about why we tell stories, specifically why we tell the same ones over and over again. "It’s a sad song," Hermes sings at the end. "It’s a sad tale. It’s a tragedy. But we sing it anyway. Cause here's the thing: To know how it ends and still begin to sing it again as if it might turn out this time." It's why audience members continue to audibly gasp when Orpheus turns to see Eurydice. It's why we sing it again. And see it again. And we should.
As Broadway returns, exciting new plays will be performed, and many old favorites too. See them all, see everything. The performances that are happening right now are moments in our history. You feel it as you are watching and applauding. And you will be so happy to be back you might not even mind trying to get a taxi on Eighth Avenue after. But now that Bar Centrale is open again maybe should we get a drink instead?
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Opening Night Diary: The Return of Hadestown - TownandCountrymag.com
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