Winter Musical: Hadestown

By: Candice Hong ‘28 and Chloe Zhao ‘28
On the 20th of February, 2026, Westy’s very own rendition of the musical Hadestown, by Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Chavkin, smoothly unfolded. 
At the end of the night of the premier, it was commented by Mr. Charlie Griffith as, quote, “...simply and astonishingly amazing! Mrs. Griffith and I were both blown away. Completely. Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.” 
Students of Mr. Chrzanowski’s Third Form Global History and AP Music Theory Class provided numerous reviews on the piece as well, stating, 
“As someone deeply familiar with Greek mythology, I approached the show already knowing the tragic arcs of Orpheus and Eurydice, as well as Hades and Persephone. Even so, this production felt fresh and immersive. Rather than simply retelling a well-known myth, the performers infused it with emotional urgency and nuance that made the story feel immediate and alive.”
“I went to the Sunday performance and thought it was awesome. I have loved live action and musicals since I was a kid because my grandmother would take me to them. I like to see the emotion, and it's even cooler when you know the people up on stage.”
“...Act 2 is such an emotionally-intricate fraction of the show, and many of my favorite songs are from it. But, this song (“We Raise Our Cups”) creates a specific type of appeal towards me because of the sensations it brings me: initial sorrow that transitions to uplifting hope. I get goosebumps every time I hear the instrumental beginning. “Hadestown” was meant to be a tragedy, but this encore allows me to believe in a happier, more complete ending.” 
The endeavors of the directors, cast, and crew are what make the show what it is. Let's hear about our Director and Music Director's experiences creating the production!
Q: People consider Hadestown to be a tragedy, and often look forward to fuller, more optimistic “happy endings”. If you had the power to change something about the plot, what would it be? Would you even change the plot at all?
A: Rasheed: I don’t think I would change the plot because the show itself had a wide range of emotional experiences for a human being. There was a lot of joy, some sadness, some hope, and in the end, it ultimately ended in heartbreak. But when you think about the last scene, everyone comes together and they’re singing that song again: hope comes back. There’s always hope, and I think that’s the overall message of the story. Life goes on, and it’s not always the end of the world. There’s always a new beginning. 
A: Chrzanowski: No, I would not change the plot at all because that's the story. And the story, the ancient story, is only told well when it's told the way it was originally written, which is that Orpheus loves Eurydice so much that he has to turn around. So there's nothing I would change. 
Q: There is a spectrum of well-rounded characters throughout Hadestown. If you had the opportunity to become one of the characters in the show, who would you choose to be and why?
A: Rasheed: For me, it would be both Hermes and Hades because they’re the ones who drive the story. They give characters, like Orpheus, choices, so I like being in that seat. And they sort of play the antithesis. As for Hades, I don’t necessarily see Hades as evil in the show. Just a different perspective and outlook on life. And so being both Hermes and Hades offer those two distinct yet interesting perspectives. 
A: Chrzanowski: Such a good question. If I were to be one of those characters, I think Hermes. Oh, I would want to be the storyteller. Or also the instigator in some ways, you can look at it that way. But the person who knows what's gonna happen and who's really the person telling the story, I like that aspect of that character. I think that's, and that's why I would like that, that kind of role would appeal to me.
Q: Hadestown has received high praise since the premiere of the show. During the production process, what was one moment that struck you as your favorite and why? 
A: Rasheed: I don’t know that there was one moment. The one moment was the whole process, you know, the journey that we all went on together. It was fraught with the very things that we experienced in the show. There was high emotion, there was a lot of joy, there was confusion, there was loss, and there was even fear. There have been times where I have gone through these processes and felt like I can’t wait until this is done so I can move on to the next. With this one, I enjoyed that process so much. Even through some of the frustrating moments, it was okay, because in the end, everybody gained and learned something about these experiences in a way that I have not experienced before. So, in my time here at the school, when I say this was the best theatrical experience that I’ve ever encountered through my journey of theater arts, I mean that. The whole process was very special, and I’ll never forget this one.
A: Chrzanowski: Probably one of the first times we started running through a complete act, everyone. Every person, ensemble, and lead was able to kind of sense how the story was being told. And I could sense it because people were like, wow, this is really cool. We're having fun doing it, and it's a really awesome story. So, I would say, you know, I don't know when exactly that was, one of those rehearsals, like maybe a week or two before the show, when we were putting it all together.