Hadestown the Musical review praises filmed West End performance
Variety says the 141-minute filmed West End performance brings Anaïs Mitchell’s mythic rock opera to moviegoers with its stage energy.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
A new Hadestown the Musical review from Variety says the filmed version of the stage hit successfully carries the heat of a live West End performance onto the screen.
Chief film critic Owen Gleiberman reviewed the 141-minute movie, which presents a February 2025 performance at London’s Lyric Theatre. According to Variety, the film gives audiences who have not seen the show in person a clear look at why “Hadestown” has built such an intense following.
The movie was directed by Brett Sullivan and features Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel. Variety lists the project as a Crosswalk and LD Entertainment release of an Octoverse Media production, made with Steam Motion and Sound.
What is Hadestown: The Musical about?
“Hadestown” retells the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice while folding in the story of Hades and Persephone. Anaïs Mitchell wrote the book, music and lyrics, and Variety describes the show as a mix of love story, faith test and mythic underworld journey.
In the filmed production, Carney plays Orpheus, a poor poet and songwriter who falls for Eurydice, played by Noblezada. Page plays Hades, who rules over an underworld factory and persuades Eurydice to follow him to Hadestown after she and Orpheus struggle to survive.
De Shields appears as Hermes, the divine messenger who also guides the audience through the story. Variety singles out the 80-year-old Broadway veteran’s performance, noting his silver suit, ghostly hair and commanding stage presence.
How does the movie capture the stage show?
Variety compares the film’s function to the 2020 screen version of “Hamilton,” which preserved a live production for movie audiences. Gleiberman writes that the onscreen audience at the Lyric Theatre appears fully devoted to the show, giving the film the feel of a live event rather than a flat recording.
The review describes the production as built around one main set, with the look of an aging grand interior and a strong New Orleans flavor. Its songs, according to Variety, pull from brass band music, rock musical force, gospel and broader Americana, creating the feeling of a sung-through folk opera.
Variety also points to the show’s performers and musicians as central to its charge. The three Fates, played by Brown, Charlemagne and Daniel, are described as circling the action, while the musicians are part of the stage life rather than hidden away.
Gleiberman praises Carney’s high tenor and likens his look and vocal style to Jeff Buckley. He also writes that Noblezada brings intensity to Eurydice and that Page gives Hades the dramatic weight required by the story.
The review notes that the filmed version is expected to make $10 million at the box office over its opening weekend. For Variety, that projected haul reflects the loyalty around “Hadestown,” a stage musical whose screen version aims to turn theater electricity into a moviegoing experience.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.