0
0
A song that has been sung again and again is coming to NS. On Jan. 14-19, the NS drama department will be performing their rendition of “Hadestown.” The musical follows the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and their story about love and loss.
The cast consists of sophomore Aiden Lewis as Orpheus, senior Lin Anderson as Eurydice, senior Ethan Mendicino as Hermes, senior Beau Johnson as Hades and senior Emma Wallace as Persephone. With the main cast as well as the ensemble and crew, this year’s production will have over 50 NS students working on it.
NS drama director Alex Barlow has been anticipating this musical not only for the story but because it is a personal favorite of his.
“[The licensing company] decided to release a teen edition, and it kind of came out of nowhere,” Barlow said. “I always had the opinion that as soon as the rights came out for that show, we would be doing it as soon as we could.”
After holding auditions and callbacks, the cast list was released, which is when Lewis found out he would be playing the male lead, Orpheus.
“I had my mom look at it because I really didn’t want to open it because I’ve been working since January to get that part,” Lewis said. “When I finally did look at it, I was like ‘Oh my gosh, there’s no way!’ and it was the most relief I’ve ever had in my life.”
He and other cast members are not only excited about their roles, but also about the music from the show.
“This show’s music is my favorite music out of any music I’ve ever heard,” Johnson said.
The cast is currently working with Brian Stucki, a music professor at Snow College, on the musical aspects of the show before adding the choreography and the finer elements.
“We can work really hard on it for these months at a time and then have it all culminate in a final performance, and I think that’s super cool,” Mendicino said.
This year’s performance will also be unique in the fact that there are understudies for most of the lead roles. After last year’s performance of “The Music Man,” where a majority of the cast was seriously sick for the week of the show dates, Barlow felt it was necessary to have a plan B.
“We have kind of tried to do understudies in the way that they still will get a performance,” Barlow said. “We’ll figure out a specific understudy performance if they’re ready. So they do put in a lot of work, but hopefully they’ll still be able to get some type of payoff out of it as well. And who knows? Maybe it will happen, and they’ll have to fill in.”
This show is also unique in the fact that it is going to be performed later than usual. The musical normally has performance dates in the fall but because of construction on the auditorium and main entrance and scheduling conflicts with Stucki, the performances have been pushed to January. This doesn’t stop preparations from starting now, with rehearsals and conditioning almost daily.
“We have the time,” Barlow said. “Since we’re starting so early, we’re trying to get them used to running around and singing at the same time, and climbing on stuff and steps while they’re singing.”
With the large cast, months to prepare and the addition of understudies, this show will be full of new experiences and challenges for the NS drama department. One thing they feel will not change is the sense of connection that comes from students working together.
“At the end of the day, I think the musical is a fantastic way to connect with other people,” Mendicino said.
The feeling of connection and belonging doesn’t come without work. The cast, and specifically the seniors, are working hard to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone involved.
“Because people can be nice, but without being kind,” Anderson said. “I really just want everybody to feel like they have a place and they are welcomed into anything that they do. And I’m a strong believer that kindness is what drives everything.”
