Hadestown: A musical that should be a movie

The musical “Hadestown,” based on the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, won eight Tony awards and a Grammy in 2019. Why not see if it could also win an Oscar?

The story goes that Orpheus is writing a song to get the spring to come back, but he isn’t finished yet. His lover, Eurydice, gives her life to Hades to become a worker in Hadestown and get out of the cold and away from poverty before Orpheus can finish his song. Orpheus discovers her absence and decides he must rescue her from Hadestown.

When Orpheus tries to rescue Eurydice, Hades says that she can leave is Orpheus leads them out of the underworld, but he can’t turn around to see if she is following him. When he reaches the end of the journey, he starts to doubt and turns to see if she is there, condemning her to spend eternity in Hadestown.

Screen adaptations of ancient Greek myths, like those of Hercules and Jason and his argonauts, have become very popular. A screen adaptation of this tragic story of love and loss would be no exception. – Izzy Charboneau

Izzy Charboneau is a fourth-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email ijc5186@psu.edu.