Hadestown, the folk opera by Vermont’s Anaïs Mitchell, returned home for the first time since its Broadway debut with a sold-out run at Burlington’s Flynn theater in October. Now, the musical that retells the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice is making the rounds in the Green Mountain State — with casts of teens.
It’s a full-circle moment for the tiny Vermont production turned Broadway smash hit as it inspires a new generation of actors.
“Everyone knows [Hadestown], and kids really love it,” said Maren Langdon Spillane, codirector of Montpelier and U-32 high schools’ joint production of the teen version at U-32 in East Montpelier later this month. “There’s so much pride and excitement around the fact that something that started right in Vermont has gone on to be this sensational, famous thing.”
The rights for Hadestown: Teen Edition became available last April, and Vermont thespians jumped at the opportunity to perform the mythic show. In addition to the upcoming U-32 run, teen productions have included the Peoples Academy Stage Company in Morrisville in December and Very Merry Theatre in Burlington in early January.
Hadestown has had many iterations since its 2007 premiere at Old Labor Hall in Barre, where Mitchell herself played Eurydice. After a critically acclaimed off-Broadway production in 2016, the show made its Broadway debut in 2019 and won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It’s still running on Broadway.
The teen version of the musical loosely mirrors the original, but vocal arrangements have been adjusted to suit younger voices and references to sex and substance abuse have been removed.
Hundreds of student groups and youth organizations have licensed Hadestown: Teen Edition, according to Concord Theatricals, which manages rights to the teen version. Productions have spanned from Honolulu to Hamilton, Ontario.
Very Merry Theatre founder Don Wright had seen Hadestown on Broadway before directing the show with a cast of high school students. He said the fact that a Vermonter wrote the captivating script was simply a bonus.
“It’s a wonderfully written and beautifully presented piece of art,” Wright said. “I knew that our kids would love it.”
During a recent rehearsal at U-32, with about a week until opening night, students were busy fine-tuning the details. One group debated whether Hades should stand or sit during one of his lines and how Eurydice and Orpheus’ kiss should sync with the music. Meanwhile, in separate rooms, students playing the Fates rehearsed choreography, while others playing Hades’ workers in the underworld practiced harmonies for the song “If It’s True.”
Several students told Seven Days that they had seen Hadestown on Broadway or at the Flynn. Some said their parents had ties to the original cast and creators.
“It’s really interesting to see all these connections and know that it was based here,” said Elena Guadagno, a ninth grader at Montpelier High School who plays one of the Fates. “It’s so cool to circle back to its home base.”
Updated on January 24, 2025: An earlier version of this story underreported the number of student groups and youth organizations that have performed Hadestown: Teen Edition.Hadestown: Teen Edition, Thursdays and Fridays, January 23 to 31, 7 p.m.; Saturday, January 25, 2 and 7 p.m.; and Saturday, February 1, 2 p.m., at U-32 Middle & High School in East Montpelier. $10-15. theaterengine.com
The original print version of this article was headlined “From Barre to Broadway and Back: Students Stage Hadestown: Teen Edition”
This article appears in Jan 22-28, 2025.
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