#anais mitchell

[aquitainequeen]

If Hadestown has a moral, she says, then it’s “you have to try, you have to have hope, not because success is a given – it’s not. Orpheus fails. We heroicise” – here she breaks off to apologise that jet lag has led to her making up words – “we heroicise Orpheus not because he succeeds but because he tries, and that endeavour alone is worthwhile. How to live, and not merely survive, is to believe things could change.”

Anaïs Mitchell on her musical Hadestown: 'I worked on it so long I was afraid I'd never make another record'

[asoftepiloguemylove]

in the crooks of your body, i find my religion

Charles Bukowski Raw With Love / unknown / @ruhlare / unknown / Anaïs Mitchell from Hadestown; Doubt Comes In / @violentfemmme / Florence + the Machine I'm Not Calling You a Liar

[shiningnorthernlights]

about Persephone's cut verse in Chant II.

[ourheartsareoldfriends]

free, florence and the machine / tumblr user @jediheretic / road to hell (reprise), hadestown

[keep-ur-head-low]

All Hadestown West End lyric changes (as of Feb 15 2024)

Many thanks to @ghostlypawn for posting their audio of Hadestown on the West End :) Keep in mind these are from a preview performance and the production wasn't finalized until Feb 21st, so things may have been altered further since then.

Lines in bold indicate changed lyric

Road To Hell

New Hermes line: "You can tip your hats and your wallets / With your pennies and your pearls / To the hardest working chorus / In the gods' almighty world"

Original Bway line: "Brothers and sisters, boys and girls"

If It's True

New Orpheus final verse: "Brother, look around today / Is this how the world was made? / There must be another way / Is it true? Is it true what they say?"

Original Bway verse: "If it's true what they say / I'll be on my way / Tell me what to do / Is it true? Is it true what they say?"

(Note: In the Hadestown development book Working On a Song written in 2016, Anais Mitchell said she felt If It's True as written on Broadway needed to end on more of a political mic drop and commented she may change it someday. Nice to see she got the opportunity.)

Epic III

New Orpheus section: "I know how it is because he is like me / I know how it is to be left all alone / There's a hole in his arms where the world used to be / When Persephone's gone / His work never done, his war never won / Will go on forever whatever the cost / 'Cause the thing that he's building his wall around / Is already lost / Where is the treasure inside of your chest?..."

Original Bway/NYTW section: "What has become of the heart of that man?" up to "What he doesn't know is that what he's defending / Is already gone"

(Note: I think whether you like this change is entirely dependent on your feelings on Broadway's changes to Epic III. In Working On a Song, an early draft of this new verse can be found with Anais' commentary that her intent was to simplify the Epic so that it became a simple gift of empathy as opposed to the intricate poetry and lyricism of NYTW's Epic, something she couldn't quite finish in time for Broadway's opening. It seems like she and Orpheus might have finally finished their song.)

Miscellaneous

All references to Hermes as "mister" or "missus" are altered (ex: "a god with feathers on her feet... Yes it's Hermes, that's me", "excuse me Hermes" from Orpheus instead of "Mister/Missus Hermes")

(Note: May or may not be specific to Melanie La Barrie's portrayal)

[swordplease]

I love you stories that know they are stories, i love you breaking the fourth wall, i love you omniscient narrators, i love you circular storytelling, i love you “maybe it will turn out this time”, i love you stories that end by starting over

[therhythmismyblanket]

As much as I love “to the world we dream about and the one we live in now” I just can’t stop thinking about the fact that it used to be “let the world we dream about be the one we live in now” it’s just ugh

[marybeatriceofmodena]

You know what? It's probably controversial, but I'm fine with Anais Mitchell's next musical happening only decades from now. I'm even fine with Hadestown being her only musical. It's a masterpiece and I hope she and everyone involved in creating it are massively proud of it. It's as good as it is because they spent years and years perfecting it, even right up to the West End revival opening where they changed a few lines in Epic III. Sometimes letting things grow slowly overtime and caring for it with love is fine. I'll take one Hadestown over a slew of musicals that were made on a time crunch and that might end up being disappointments. And I think that goes for art in general - being productive really shouldn't matter. What matters is that you make something you're proud of and that brings joy to others.

[queenhelenblackthorn]

WhatsOnStage dropped a star on their Hadestown review because *checks notes* its a greek tragedy

[gnnosis]

it’s a sad song. but we sing it anyway.

[ the anthropocene reviewed, animated / “permanent,” the milk carton kids / richard siken / the good place 4x12 / the raven king, maggie stiefvater / hadestown (2017) / ted lasso 3x12 / elsa beskow / “no complaints,” noah kahan / angels in america ]

[burnt-squid]

anaïs mitchell as hades! inspired by her countless iterations of his part :)

[ourstaturestouchtheskies]

The Poppies – Lucien Frank // The Thin Red Line – Harold H. Piffard (restored by Adam Cuerden) (detail) // Livin' it Up On Top from Hadestown

for @saircasm 💙

[littlespringsongbird]

‘’With suitcase full of summer time, Persephone by name’’

Ani DiFranco will be making her Broadway debt staring as Persephone from February 💐🌸🥃

2010 original concept album Persephone and Eurydice reunited

📷 from Murphy made instagram

[finleyforevermore]

Poster A:

Poster B:

Please reblog if you vote, and tell me your choice! A "why" would be appreciated but of course isn't necessary! :D

[bestmusicalworldcup]

This is the deciding match that will determine the Champion of the League of Musicals. Choose wisely.