Hadestown – Georgia Haze

It’s time for May’s top tunes. These are the MT songs have I been enjoying this month…

Livin’ It Up on Top – Hadestown

Well it’s like he said, I’m an outdoor girl.
Livin’ it, livin’ it up.
Married to the king of the Underworld.
Livin’ it up on top.
Trying to enjoy myself.
Livin’ it, livin’ it up.
Six months out of every twelve.
Livin’ it up on top.

I’m keeping this to one song per musical so this is the only Hadestown track to appear in May’s top five. But, seriously I’ve listened to so much Hadestown this month, I’m one step away from booking flights to New York. Livin’ It Up on Top is probably the song I’ve listened to the most from the original live cast recording. It’s fun, jazzy, funny and it’s got Amber Gray in it. What’s not to love? I just can’t wait for the new cast album to come out next week, I need it now (even though I think this song is really different in the Broadway version!). Check out my blog post on the Hadestown Live Cast Recording to read more about my love for this show.

I Don’t Need Your Love – Six

So I sent that letter to my love,
Got married to the king,
Became the one who survived.
I’ve told you about my life, the final wife.
But, why should that story be the one I have to sing about,
Just to win? I’m out.
That’s not my story.
There’s s much more, remember that I was a writer.
I wrote book and psalms and meditations.
Fought for female education,
So all my women could independently study scripture.
I even got a woman to paint my picture.
Why can’t I tell that story?
‘Cause in history, I’m fixed as one of six.
And without him I disappear.
We all disappear.

Just like Hadestown, I could probably put any Six song on this list since I’ve been loving them all lately but I said one song per show so I’m going with I Don’t Need Your Love. Not only is this a sad and powerful break-up song for Catherine Parr and her one true love (not Henry, obvs), it’s also a ode to the idea that women are way more than what the men in their lives have made them. Cathy P was basically a proto-feminist and this song has probably one of my favourite verses of any song ever. It’s strong, sassy and shows just how amazing and inspiring Parr was and how much of a shame it is that she’s been reduced to just the “one who survived” in history. Thank God Six is changing that. Thank you to our current English history Lord and saviours, Marlowe and Moss.

Somewhere That’s Green – Little Shop of Horrors

I’m his December bride.
His father, he knows best.
Our kids watch Howdy Doody
As the sun sets in the west.
A picture out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.
Far from Skid Row,
I dream we’ll go
Somewhere that’s green.

I feel like I’ve been rediscovering Little Shop of Horrors lately. I completely forgot how funny this show is. I really need to rewatch the film. I’ve been listening to Somewhere That’s Green a lot because it’s one of those songs that combines comedy with sincerity in a genuinely quite moving way. Poor Audrey, she just dreams of the simple things in life and a sweet little guy… like Seymour.

We See the Light – Something Rotten

We see the light.
You’ve changed how we’re thinking,
‘Cause we were blind but you showed us the way.
We’re wrong, you’re right.
Salvation is yours if you do what is true to you
And you do it with Luh-uh-uh-uh-ove.

Goddam is this a jam. Portia loves Nigel, Nigel loves Portia but her preacher dad is stopping them from running off into the sunset together so they imagine what it would be like if their families (and her dad’s whole congregation!) approved of their love and damn is it a tune. There are several real jams in Something Rotten but this has to be my absolute fave.

The Wizard and I – Wicked

Unlimited. My future is unlimited.
And I’ve just had a vision almost like a prophecy.
I know, it sounds truly crazy
And true the vision’s hazy.
But, I swear someday there’ll be
A celebration throughout Oz
That’s all to do with me!

I saw Wicked for the first time in years back in April and of all the songs in the show, this is the one that I left the theatre thinking “I need to listen to that one again”. It’s such a big song for Elphaba but it comes so early in the show that it almost gets forgotten about once the show gets to Defying Gravity but it really is quite a show-stopping moment when this song gets belted out. I won’t be skipping this song when I listen to Wicked ever again!

So there you have it, my favourite musical theatre jams from May. Check out my top April jams as well and thanks for reading!

I don’t know where Hadestown came from but it seems like suddenly it’s everywhere. And everyone loves it. So, I did a bit of Googling to figure out the background of the show before going into my first listen of the 2017 cast recording. Turns out it’s a musical based on a concept album by Anaïs Mitchell from 2010 that has since had a few small runs and a live cast recording and was even on at the National Theatre recently (I’m so mad I didn’t go and see it because, spoiler, I’m now obsessed with Hadestown) before making its way to Broadway with an amazing cast.

But, what’s the story? Hadestown is a modern/modern-feeling retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. If you don’t want anymore Hadestown spoilers, I’d stop here because I’m about to have a natter about Greek mythology and the show itself now so will probably spoil the ending for you.

Are you ready for a slightly-random-and-kind-of-unrelated-but-actually-kind-of-is-related anecdote? I sure do hope so, because you’re getting one. About two weeks ago I knew very little about Greek mythology. That was before I stumbled upon a copy of Mythos. Mythos is essentially a book of Greek myths retold in a comedic style by Stephen Fry. It’s great, I’d definitely recommend it and I’ve already started his second book on Greek mythology, Heroes. But, honestly, I have no idea why I bought Mythos. It’s not the kind of thing I’d normally pick up. It’s not a novel and I don’t really read short story collections or anything similar but something made me really want to read it. As I said, I’m glad I did because I loved it and now have a new-found love and appreciation for Greek mythology.

Naturally then, when I found out Hadestown, as the title suggests, had a link to Greek mythology, I was keen to start listening. So I did. I listened to the first song of the live recording and… I didn’t really like it.

Here’s the issue I had. I’m not a big fan of jazz, it’s just not my thing and that first number (Road to Hell) is very jazzy and bluesy. I really wanted to like it but it just didn’t click with me on first listen so I stopped and that was it for a couple of days. But, then I saw Amy Lovatt (a theatre YouTuber who makes brilliant videos so if you don’t watch her, you should!) did a cover of All I’ve Ever Known and it didn’t sound jazzy at all. It just sounded nice. So I decided to give it another try.

Livin’ It Up on Top was more fun to me and I love Amber Gray from the Great Comet cast album so I enjoyed that song but it wasn’t until I listened to All I’ve Ever Known that I fell properly head-over-heels-and-walk-right-into-the-Underworld-just-to-get-tickets in love with a Hadestown song. It’s just beautiful. I have nothing else to say. I just love it and have listened to it on repeat several times.

I’m not going to go over every song in this live recording especially since it’s so fresh in my mind but here are a few further initial thoughts:

Amber Gray is amazing and I love her voice so much, please God may I see her live one day?!
I love chantey numbers in musicals and there’s literally a song called “Chant” so of course it’s one of ,my faves!
Damn Patrick Page’s voice goes low in Songbird, I hope he has some throat sweets back stage with him on Broadway.
Wait For Me is beautiful ahhhhhh and I can’t wait for the new cast recording so I can listen to the new lyrics ahhhhhh
Ow my heart hurts. Orpheus, why? You literally had one job. Even if she didn’t follow you out you were getting out of Hades anyway, why did you turn around?!
Hermes getting sad at having to sing the tragedy over again in Road to Hell II is almost more painful than when Orpheus looks back.
Maybe I do like a bit of jazz and blues after all…

I just want to go way down way down to Hadestown (not literally, I think I learnt the lesson) and see this show. Why I didn’t go and see it at the National Theatre I don’t know but maybe the Broadway hype will bring it back over here soon. I did look into the cost of tickets to see it on Broadway and they were literally the same price as the flight to New York so might just park that idea for now.

ANYWAYS, the moral is listen to Hadestown. And read Mythos. Bye for now!

Tag: Hadestown

May 2019: Current Musical Theatre Jams

Hadestown First Listen & Reaction