A Mythological Renaissance
If Anaïs Mitchell's folk musical had instead begun as a movie musical in the late 90s---primarily because I kept coming back to Andráe Crouch as Yertle the Turtle when I thought of Hades--where Orpheus and Eurydice came of age in the Harlem Renaissance. I imagine the world of the living as a vibrant, thriving underground jazz club in Harlem, where a musician like Orpheus could be looking for a break, with Eurydice being more from a Hooverville, suffering from the turmoil of The Great Depression and hoping to find kinder, more generous souls among the creatives. I see Perspeohone running a gorgeous Art Deco speakeasy in both worlds, and Hadestown reflecting the Rust Belt future of automobile cities. Everything in Hadestown looks like Depression-era Detroit, but with 50 years' coating of coal dust and crude oil. (Everything outside of Hades's plush, old men's club vibe office, that is.) His office is located skybox style over Hadestown, where he often watches the workers as a factory manager might, from behind a clean, safe wall of windows.
Story added by uncleawesome on March 3, 2026
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