Hadestown: My Favorite Piece of Art EVER I Video Essay

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Күн бұрын

Hadestown: The Tony Award-winning show that got everyone excited when it first came out. What about it made people so excited to see it? How relevant is it to the America we find ourselves in today? Let's answer that in this episode of Enter/Spection!
And yes, I use clips from the slime tutorial, don't judge me. ; )
#broadway #commentary #musical

Пікірлер: 41

@soccerwizard975 Жыл бұрын

As much as "Why we build the wall" feels so on the nose, it was written before the Trump candidacy...and I think that's scarier.

@DaniFewell Жыл бұрын

It was written in 2006

@juliasings6131 11 ай бұрын

That's what I was thinking the whole time he talked about it. Yeah, that's such a powerful piece when it's considered to be commentary on the Trump presidency. But it's so much more terrifying that she could predict something like that based on how politicians and tycoons acted already. It feels on the nose if it were written recently. It's a terrifying worst case scenario prediction come true in reality

@XanderHarris1023 6 ай бұрын

Even though it was before 2016 it was still written about a wall meant to keep out refugees. I think the specific inspiration was Hurricane Katrina.

@purplesingercats8937 Жыл бұрын

I see the ending of Hadestown as a call to action. If a story ends on a good note, it leaves the audience feeling good too. It seems to me, that by keeping the original ending, Anais is saying “No, everything is not okay. Eurydice is condemned forever. The workers are not free. Hades and capitalism and exploitation still exist.” And she calls on the audience to try to make a difference, to see if it will turn out this time

@juliasings6131 11 ай бұрын

I completely agree about this! If it ended happily, everyone goes home feeling good, which is nice and all, but then no one remembers how bad things got before. By tearing that good away from you, it reminds you that things aren't all perfect, and can't all be fixed by one little thing, but they can get better if we keep trying. Spring came again It also, in my opinion, reminds us that the ending of hadestown is not an ending. It's a beginning for so many people. Hades and persephone are going to try again. That's not a fix, that's a newfound hope that it could be fixed. It's said that they don't know what happened to Orpheus. And even the workers and eurydice. We don't know if the other workers got to leave hadestown, or if maybe things got better in hadestown as hades began to have his change of heart. We don't really know anything, even if it feels like we do. If Orpheus and eurydice made it out, then it's just a happy ending. And it feels like everything ended happily. But life doesn't end. The world doesn't end. It just keeps going, and we keep singing the song again, and by reminding us of that by taking away that pure Disney happy ending, it stays with you longer Hadestown had to be a tragedy because if it wasn't, it makes everyone feel like everything is fixed, and everything is better, so we can go home and feel good about the world. But we can't. We go home feeling like everything needs a change so that things like that stop happening. And that's how we really make a change It pissed me off that one of the reviews of hadestown in London criticized it for feeling like it was setting up for a happy ending and then taking that away, because the emotional payoff just wasn't there. I'm sorry, have they never seen a tragedy before? And also, that's the whole point. If the show ends on a positive note, then we do get that emotional payoff, and everything is wrapped up nicely and it's all over and everything, but that's not life Anyway, I'm going in circles. But I fully agree

@ChitenBugMan Жыл бұрын

I can't lie im a massive musical theatre geek considering im practically tone deaf, but anyone who says the Jazzy riffs and blues vocals dont absolutely SLAP is lying. Our lady of the underground, Chant, Any way the wind blows.. all are modern classics and i bump them nearly every day

@jrgrimm6091 Жыл бұрын

5:25 Interesting. The first time Orpheus loses Eurydice, it's through inaction. But the second time he loses her, it's through a direct action

@DreadestPersephone 8 ай бұрын

When you think about it. Orpheus didn’t fail. He did what he was always set out to do. He brought the world back into tune, but at the cost of his own love and faith in the world. He became a martyr and sacrifice for the greater good.

@keona5560 4 ай бұрын

Oh! Terrible thing for you to bring to my attention! I'm gonna cry!!!

@merrybright5732 2 ай бұрын

I semi-disagree with this take. Orpheus definitely didn’t just fail but he didn’t finish what he set out to do. And not just in the sense of his love. He brought the world back into tune for a moment when he finished his song, but it was not a permanent remedy. Much like tuning the strings of his lyre, he made everything come into place for a moment but it takes action and constant work to keep it from going flat again. He opened Hades’ heart to see what was wrong, but that doesn’t mean we know he’s still going to take the action to fix it. The audience is led to believe the state of the world itself is dependent on the state of their love the same way the survival of it is dependent on that of Hades and Persephone. For all we know the workers were not set free since Orpheus didn’t lead them to the finish (“if he can do it so can she\if she can do it so can we\show the way”). There’s still hope, still that promise that the underground lovers will try again next fall and that the ‘dead’ have truly looked their brothers in the eye and can’t unsee them. But I think the story is very clear that while a single person can rally the masses and inspire change, it’s up to all of us to band together to actually do the work to create it. The world isn’t fixed, the story we’re telling is a tragedy and not just a victory with consequences. The hope that comes from singing the sad song again and again is that eventually everyone will work to change it.

@MarkSentesy 11 ай бұрын

Brilliant insight into the way Orpheus and Hades have the same fear and move closer to each other through the musical. Really brilliant.

@august1837 Жыл бұрын

I feel the need to mention that hadestown wasn’t at all inspired by the US political climate over the past few years. Why we build the wall was written in 2006, and Mitchel has been working on the musical even before then. 2016 was when the show started off broadway, but it existed way before then. There’s a concept album that came out in 2010. A lot of the parallels to our current politics are purely coincidental, which makes the show seem more political than it was intended. But that being said I can’t deny that it’s insanely impactful especially in our current times. I just feel the need to clarify because people seem to think that the show was specifically inspired by political events and it was written as commentary, which is understandable given why we build the wall. But truth is more along of the lines that Mitchel predicted the future lol. But great essay. I adore this show. And it seems like everytime I listen to it I unearth new details and connections.

@gabimartinez8862 Жыл бұрын

I mean…the political climate of today owes a lot to the political climate of 2006 anyways. Just because it wasn’t written today doesn’t mean it isn’t political. Especially given the explicitly pro-worker overtones of songs like “If It’s True”, I don’t think that it’s precluded from being able to comment on current political trends just because it wasn’t written contemporarily. And the songs have gone through many, MANY revisions since its conception so, while perhaps it wasn’t conceived to comment on 2016 politics, it could have very well been deliberately shaped that way throughout its many incarnations.

@laracosta1236 Жыл бұрын

@@gabimartinez8862 "while perhaps it wasn’t conceived to comment on 2016 politics, it could have very well been deliberately shaped that way throughout its many incarnations." Nope. The song has the same lyrics since the concept album in 2010. Yes, the song is political, just as the choice of making Hades an industrial billionare and their love messing with climate change was, but it isn't about U.S.A political climate especifically , and obviously not about Trump. These are world wide issues, not everything is about America. And yes, its obviously able to comment on current political trends, it's just not *about* those trends

@gabimartinez8862 Жыл бұрын

@@laracosta1236 I have listened to every publicly available incarnation of this song, actually. While I get your point, and I think it’s a testament to the writing that it can withstand the test of time, there’s more to a song than just the lyrics. Theatre is a visual medium. There’s staging, and context, and also taking into consideration the cultural knowledge of the audience watching. I’m not saying it was WRITTEN to comment on Trump, that would make it weaker. But it’s certainly not discouraging that reading. They could have changed the “build the wall” metaphor if they wanted to deliberately avoid being contemporary. But they didn’t, and I want to believe that decision included the consideration of how a post-Trump audience would inevitably interpret it.

@laracosta1236 Жыл бұрын

@@gabimartinez8862 I get your point. Agree

@gabimartinez8862 Жыл бұрын

@@laracosta1236 Glad I could clarify! Love well-thought our discourse about art :) Especially art this good

@alicialudden9994 2 жыл бұрын

Love this musical and always eager to discuss! So many themes in HadesTown to unpack. One theme is like to explore is the theme of work: “Introducing the hardest working chorus” “Poor boy, working on a song” “We have work and they have none, and the work is never done” I love how the musical elevates the importance of creative work, both within the world of the story (Orpheus as a musician and songwriter) and when it breaks the fourth wall to acknowledge the chorus dancers and the call outs to the musicians in the band. Contrast that with the soulless work of building the wall and maintaining the factories in the underworld. The people lose all sense of self and compassion for others (till Orpheus reminds them with his songs) We could definitely explore how this applies to modern capitalism , and how meta it is for a broadway musical to broadcast this issue so explicitly to its audience ❤

@plasticcoyote Жыл бұрын

in ancient greece, hades was also the god of wealth.

@sarahpatterson7458 2 жыл бұрын

This was such a brilliant beautiful video essay!! You broke down EXACTLY why I love Hadestown so much into twenty minutes!! Please feel free to do more about the Hadestown motifs and music and- Oh god, you could make five videos about Chant I and Chant II. Favorite songs from the whole musical. Thank you!! This was so fun to listen to!

@thesmellofadventure5370 9 ай бұрын

33: Papers (Hades lets Eurydice leave)(I don’t hate any of the songs, but this one is mostly instrumental, so…) 32: Come Home With Me (Reprise)(Orpheus finds Orpheus)(Way too short to be any higher) 31: A Gathering Storm (During a storm, the character’s priorities are set)(I love the train, but that’s about it) 30: Come Home With Me (Orpheus confesses his love to Eurydice)(Starts off very strong, but doesn’t keep my interest) 29: Gone, I’m Gone (Eurydice loses faith in Orpheus)(Fits very well with When the Chips Are Down) 28: Way Down Hadestown (Reprise)(Eurydice faces the consequences of signing off with Hades)(A forgettable reprise of a memorable song) 27: Word for the Wise (The Fates speak to Hades)(The Fates interacting is always cool) 26: Nothing Changes (The Fates speak to Orpheus)(Word for the Wise, but better imo) 25: Road to Hell (Reprise)(Hermes summarizes the tragedy)(Gives a different tone to the fun opening) 24: Livin’ It Up On Top (Persephone arrives and brings spring with her)(Amber Gray is the heart and soul of this show) 23: Flowers (Eurydice forgets her love and life)(A brilliant song, but not one of my favs) 22: Wedding Song (Orpheus and Eurydice get married)(This song has such a cute melody) 21: All I’ve Ever Known (Eurydice and Orpheus sing about their love)(One of Broadway’s best love ballads) 20: Epic I (Orpheus writes his song)(A good first draft, but very much a draft) 19: When the Chips Are Down (Eurydice dies and goes to the underworld)(Surprisingly fun for such a dark concept) 18: Any Way the Wind Blows (The Fates and Hermes introduce Eurydice)(The lyrics and details are brilliant) 17: Epic II (Orpheus rehearses his song again)(The transition to Chant is flawless!) 16: Promises (Eurydice and Orpheus prepare to walk home)(Feels like a better version of Flowers) 15: Our Lady of the Underground (A drunk Persephone sings a solo)(I’m OBSESSED with Amber Gray’s performance) 14: We Raise Our Cups (Persephone honors the characters)(A super emotional and satisfying finale) 13: His Kiss, the Riot (Hades lets the lovers leave)(The definition of eerie) 12: Hey, Little Songbird (Hades lures Eurydice into Hadestown)(Top tier villain song!) 11: Chant (Reprise)(Orpheus breaks through Hades’s wall)(An awesome reprise of an awesome song) 10: Doubt Comes In (Orpheus looks back)(The ending always shocks me) 9: Why We Build the Wall (Hades sings with his “children”)(Hades at his best) 8: Way Down Hadestown (Hermes and Persephone sing about Hades)(An absolute banger through and through!) 7: If It’s True (Orpheus becomes corrupted by his own song)(Powerful! Powerful! Powerful number!) 6: Road to Hell (Hermes teases the tragedy)(My favorite opener to any musical ever) 5: How Long? (Persephone tries to changes Hades’s POV)(A beautiful, powerful duet) 4: Wait For Me (Reprise)(Eurydice and Orpheus walk home)(THAT part carries the whole song) 3: Wait For Me (Orpheus begins to walk to Hadestown to find Eurydice)(This shows magnum opus) 2: Epic III (Orpheus finally sings to Hades)(Hades singing drives me to tears) 1: Chant (The worlds begin to merge)(Greatest song is Broadway history)

@LaurenceLionKing 4 ай бұрын

I know it's 4 months later, but what did you mean with "if it's true: orpheus becomes corrupted by hos own song"? In what sense did he get corrupted?

@isabellp.5730 2 жыл бұрын

I just found this video on my recs (yay! that's gotta be a good sign for channel growth!), and I just relate so hard to your personal note. I too found Hadestown in 2020 after my graduation (also high school) and everything I had worked for seemed to have vanished out of my hands, three seconds to the finish line. I took it super, super hard. But I honestly think being faced with losing "everything" (friendships, the death of family members, losing my family's home bc of rent costs, etc) has made me into the person I'm becoming now. I was terrified to exist in high school because I was afraid to be heard and judged. Fast forward three years, and I'm submitting my poetry to campus literary journals, have a very visible job on campus where I am the "expert" helping others, and regularly pour out the contents of my soul to twenty people in creative writing workshops for my major. I'm not perfect, at ALL. But there's something about losing the closure to the shell of existence I thought I'd made that has made me finally brave enough to start living. The song I was always too afraid to sing out loud is being sung to others now, and its a beautiful feeling. I am now subscribed ("ex" theatre kid-band kid solidarity).

@isabellp.5730 2 жыл бұрын

Side note: I could talk for an hour about the symbolism and layered meanings and implications in "Flowers" alone... this whole show hurts my soul in the most beautiful way, if that makes sense. Ughhhhh so beautiful.

@itscosmicnerd Жыл бұрын

Fell back in love with this musical for the hundredth time and I absolutely love this video on it! Hearing your thoughts along with your editing made this such a delight to watch.

@AshArtzMusic 6 ай бұрын

Interesting interpretation of hades, but I never perceived that his trial was one meant to break Orpheus, he wants Orpheus to get Eurydice but he fears that no one will ever listen to him again if he simply gives her away so he gives the appearance of a trial to everyone else. I always felt like he wanted Orpheus to succeed and take his love home, since Orpheus had given hades his own love back

@merrybright5732 2 ай бұрын

I’ve gone back and forth on this, and maybe the conclusion I’ve come to is a bit of a cop out, but I think I’ve landed on the opinion that ultimately his test was 100% genuine. As in, I think he was using it as a test of his own potential. The connection had already been made to him that Orpheus is the parallel to his own younger, more optimistic self. The fates, who are used as a physical manifestation of doubt, specifically present the test as a demonstration of the folly of *men* (give them the rope and they’ll hang themselves). When he tells Persephone he doesn’t know if they’ll make it, I believe him. And that’s when they make the suggestion of trying again themselves as a parallel. I think he’s pinning his hope of whether he has the ability to make things right on whether Orpheus can do the same. He has doubts as to whether men in love are doomed to follow the path of insecurity down to ruin, and is hoping Orpheus can show him another way just as much as the workers following the couple out of the underworld.

@laibaabid727 Ай бұрын

I agree. I feel like all that change for Hades as a character would just have been useless. He said sadly "doubt. Doubt comes in" like he KNOWS whats definetly gonna happen but he really NEEDED to do the test. But he didn't want to originally