To Hades and back
4/2/2025
Megan Colton (Eurydice), Namisa Mdlalose Bizana (Persephone), and Hadestown North American Touring Company, 2024. Photo by Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade.
“Hadestown” anchors a stellar lineup of April stage offerings for theatre patrons looking to experience locally sourced stage work to an eight-time Tony Award-winning Broadway national touring production. Feast time for live performing arts.
“Hadestown,” with music, lyrics and book by Anaïs Mitchell, tells a version of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice intertwined with the story of Hades and Persephone. This shows origin began with a staged sing-through version in Barre, Vermont, in 2006, followed by a regional tour in Vermont and Massachusetts in 2007. Feeling uncertain about its future, Mitchell decided to create a concept album in 2010. In addition to featuring Mitchell, it featured other artists, including Ani DiFranco (who would eventually reprise her concept album “Persephone on Broadway”) and Iowa’s own Greg Brown (as Hades). The album was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2011.
Molly Goodwin, the “Hadestown” production stage manager, shared some insights into this eight-time 2019 Tony Award-winning musical (including Best Musical). Goodwin, a Davenport native, describes her role with this show.
“A stage manager serves as a conduit of information. I work with our creative team, as well as our incredible cast and our amazing crew. On a day-to-day basis, I am dealing with scheduling, both for rehearsals and what we need for performances.
“There are so many things that make ‘Hadestown’ stand out in the landscape. The music alone — Anaïs’ score is not of the experience we’re used to with a Broadway show. It has its own sounds. We live in a cool blend of folk and jazz and blues. We have our band featured onstage, which adds an intimate feel to the experience. The show is very diversely cast, and it’s really incredible to experience people who previously didn’t see themselves onstage get to experience that feeling.
More drama on stage
Ankeny Community Theatre (ACT) continues diversifying its shows, recently adding more dramatic work to its season. Expanding from primarily light-hearted fare, ACT has done stellar work in presenting critically acclaimed shows. Last year’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” earned two Cloris Awards (Best Performance in a Lead Role – Becky Scholtec; Best Performance by an Ensemble), showing ACT’s growth in sharing dramatic works with their audiences. That’s why “Witness for the Prosecution” should be on theatre-goers’ radars, especially for the ACT experience of an intimate performing hall and great ticket prices.
Director Lisa Gould shared, “ ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ is such an amazing play. A young man accused of murder — fighting for his life in a British courtroom with the help of his solicitors and his devoted wife. Or is she? This show challenged us with all the details of a period piece — costume, set, props — and the actors had to learn multiple dialects. The characters are polarizing, and the dynamics between them have been so fun to explore.”
Under the artistic direction, and sometimes show direction, of Tom Perrine, Tallgrass Theatre Company brings a seasoned acumen into its thought-provoking dramas. “The Emerald Earring” starts with a simple discovery — an earring in the back of a husband’s car.
“(This) leads to suspicion, accusation, coverup and challenges in a couple’s marriage,” Director Jennifer Nostrala said. “At the center of it all, Claire is forced to confront the contrast between her belief in her marriage and her feelings on the current state of reproductive rights in the United States.”
Nostrala brings a veteran’s insight into this production, giving audiences a masterfully paced production that will challenge people to think well beyond the final curtain.
Musically cleanse your soul
The Des Moines Symphony quickens the tempo as it races toward the end of its season with two concerts. This august assemblage of professional musicians delivers rich, soul-filling works, and their April 5-6 concerts are proof. “O Fortuna – Carmina Burana” adds a 100-voice choir to the program, resonating the rafters in their Civic Center performing hall. Their season-closing concert is “Music from Final Fantasy” and will take symphonic music lovers and cultural adventurers on a marvelous orchestral journey. ♦
John Busbee is a creative project developer, critic, playwright, author, producer and media professional. He has produced his weekly show, The Culture Buzz, on KFMG since 2007.
