[INTERVIEW] 'Hadestown' director hopes for Seoul run to show solidarity amid pandemic

A scene from the musical "Hadestown" / Courtesy of S&Co

By Park Ji-won

The musical "Hadestown," the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, hit the stage in Korea for the first time outside of Broadway last month and will be run at LG Arts Center through Feb. 27 next year.

The sung-through Broadway musical, written by singer-songwriter Anais Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, draws on the Greek myth of "Orpheus and Eurydice" ― and also "Hades and Persephone" ― revolving around a young couple: Orpheus, a musical genius, and his wife Eurydice.

The author adds a modern interpretation and gives voice to female characters, who have remained submissive in the mythical story, by depicting Eurydice as a proactive woman who chose to die and work in the underworld to overcome financial difficulties, while introducing key concepts of the myth such as Orpheus being unable to look back at Eurydice while leaving the underworld.

Needless to say, the show is full of quality and addictively melodic songs created by Anais Mitchell which have been acclaimed by critics and renowned award events. More than anything, the chorus completes the musical along with the skillful performances of the lead actors.

For the Korea performances, actors Zo Hyung-gyun, Park Kang-hyun and EXO's Xiumin will play Orpheus and actresses Kim Hwan-hee and Kim Soo-ha will play Eurydice. Actors Ji Hyun-jun, Yang Joon-mo and Kim Woo-hyung will play Hades while actresses Kim Sun-young and Park Hye-na will play Persephone. Actors Choi Jae-lim and Kang Hong-seok will play Hermes.

Rachel Chavkin photo by Erik Tanner

Upon its first Seoul and overseas run of the musical, The Korea Times held an email interview with its director Rachel Chavkin, who is known for coming up with creative and innovative musical works such as "Natasha" and "Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812."

She directed the staging in Korea via Zoom with Korean staff while she was in the United States. She stressed that while the show is inspired by Greek myths, it is about solidarity, cultural transcendence, being able to resonate with Korean audiences ― especially amid the pandemic ― and aimed to deliver it in a poetic way with quality music inspired by many genres. She added that having a female stage crew created a work more meaningful to many audience members. Teaming up with singer-songwriter and author Anais Mitchell helped the piece to form integrity from both a musical and theatrical standpoint.

Below is the interview with Rachel Chavkin. Some questions and answers were edited for clarity.

A scene from the musical "Hadestown" / Courtesy of S&Co

Q: How did you and Anais Mitchell end up working together? What was the first impression or the key message of the show, and how did it change while directing it over the course of a decade?

A:Anais and I met in 2012 but really started work in 2013, just FYI. I listened to the 2010 studio album, and was blown away by the beauty of her music as well as the incredible intelligence and heart and density of meaning in her lyrics. And in particular I was struck by how Anais takes this ancient mythic image of two lovers walking out of hell and not being able to look at each other, and makes it a metaphor for the theme of solidarity, labor organizing and fellowship with our fellow humans. As we developed the show and added the Workers' Chorus (our ensemble) the themes of solidarity only got stronger, as well as the balance between faith and doubt. It has changed and grown enormously during our development period, as neither Anais nor I are ever quite satisfied until everything feels as aligned and deep as it can possibly be.

So one of our great joys, and one of the reasons "Hadestown" is such a unique piece of musical theater, was the process of creating something that ― hopefully! ― has integrity from both a musical and theatrical standpoint. While the specific myths vary from culture to culture, I do believe there is something culturally transcendent about these ancient stories, and feel confident that it will resonate with Korean audiences. The story is a wildly beautiful tale of a love so strong that it breaks the laws of the space-time continuum. It also tells the story of an old love which has decayed, and finds new life. It's got humor and some of the most beautiful music ever written for the theater.

Q: You said that "Hadestown" is by far the hardest thing you have ever directed. Why is that?

A: The first thing Anais said to me is "This is a poetry piece, not a prose piece." And poetry by its nature is essentialized and metaphoric. So as we began the process of staging it, we had to avoid the temptation to illustrate the metaphors, while still dramatizing the events of the story in a dynamic and satisfying way. Ultimately we developed the production through a LOT of trial and error, and over four full productions and several workshops.

Q: Compared to other musical works you directed and watched, what features make "Hadestown" so special to audiences?

A: "Hadestown" is special in so many ways: it's fully sung through, and even the moments of speaking are highly metered and intricately scored, so the emotion is continuous. It also is a work of poetry vs. prose, so it lives in this uniquely delicate place of metaphor and myth; it's because of this that "Hadestown" is by far the hardest work I've ever directed. And lastly the music is unlike anything I've ever heard in musical theater ― the score blends folk and New Orleans jazz and hyper intricate scoring that is cinematic and wild. The score is profoundly glorious, and that alone makes it so special to audiences. And David Neumann's choreography is both poetic and deeply joyous, and also quite unique from what most audiences will have seen in the musical theater.

A scene from the musical "Hadestown" / Courtesy of S&Co

Q: After watching the show, I was surprised by the fact that the show as well as its stage set are as if reflecting the important concept of rebirth, or Sa?sara, in Sanskirt which is familiar to Koreans and other Asian people. Did you intend it?

A: We certainly thought extensively about the turntables as related to the cycle of life, absolutely. Also, when the central events of your show are an epic journey to and from the underworld, it felt imperative that our actors actually be able to walk in their journey, vs. having to just crisscross the stage.

Q: It appears that diversity is very important to you and in this show. I heard that having a mostly female crew is very rare and difficult on Broadway. Why is that so? How has diversity shaped the theme of the musical and empowered the performance?

A: I believe diversity of perspective, whether it's racial or cultural or economic or physical ability or gender diversity, is integral to excellence because it creates a far more complex and layered creative room. This in turn translates into a work that has exponentially more access points for a wide variety of audiences. And for "Hadestown" specifically, Anais is writing in poetic vernacular, and so it is thrilling to hear her words and music in a variety of bodies and voices. Fundamentally I think it is far more interesting both to make and see work that reflects a wide variety of voices.

Q: What do you think the show will mean for audiences and you amid the COVID-19 pandemic?

A: I think "Hadestown" is particularly meaningful as we emerge slowly from the pandemic, while still dealing with its lasting realities. The show is about the need to gather in fellowship during dark times, in order to tell ― and sing! ― an old story anew. It's about the belief that "spring" ― both literal, and metaphoric resurrection ― will come again.