Hadestown: The Musical: The Smash-Hit Show Comes Home (Blu-ray)

The Film:

When "Hadestown" first premiered on Broadway in 2019, it immediately caused a massive amount of buzz that not only brought about critical acclaim, but subsequently led to an incredible 14 Tony Award nominations that resulted in eight wins, including Best Musical, Direction, and Original Score. Just a couple years later, the show began to tour, allowing more and more people to experience what others had been praising since it first opened, with a production also eventually opening in the West End in 2024.

It is here where, over the course of three performances in 2025, a proshot taping of the musical was made and released into theaters to even more acclaim, a limited run that ended up being extended due to popular demand. Now that it's making its Blu-ray debut this week, it's time for us to take a look at this juggernaut to see if it can possibly live up to the incredible hype that's been surrounding it for the last seven years. Is this intriguing adaptation of Greek myth everything that it's cracked up to be, or have audiences perhaps been a little too loose with their extreme praise?

"Hadestown" brings to the stage the stories of Orpheus (Reeve Carney) & Eurydice (Eva Noblezada) and Hades (Patrick Page) & Persephone (Amber Gray), with Hermes (André De Shields) acting as a kind of narrator throughout. Orpheus meets Eurydice and immediately falls in love, asking her to marry him even though they both live in poverty. Eurydice is rather cynical of the way things are, including the weather, though Orpheus reveals that he is writing a song to bring spring back. He also tells her the tale of Hades & Persephone, and how the latter's arrival in the overworld brings summertime and her return below brings winter.

This particular time, Hades arrives to collect Persephone early, once again bringing the harsher season to the surface. Eurydice struggles to find food while Orpheus works on his song, but she soon becomes tempted by the Fates' praise of Hadestown and the protection it offers, leading her to venture there with an invitation from Hades himself. As soon as Orpheus learns of what she's done, he takes it upon himself to try and reunite with her, leading him to embark on a desperate journey to the underworld to save his beloved.

So, does "Hadestown" live up to its grand reputation? For the most part, the answer would lean towards "yes," though it would perhaps be fair to say that it's just a little over-exaggerated. It is indeed a fine musical overall, though it's not without a couple of issues that hold it back a bit from being the grand experience it could be, but then again, it was always going to be quite an incredible challenge to turn these classic myths into something that would work well in such a medium, so even from the get-go, you have to admire the gall in even attempting something like this in the first place.

Looking at the material itself, the stories that creator Anaïs Mitchell has chosen to tell are rather simple ones that would obviously require a bit of reworking and stretching-out to turn them into a full-length musical that runs over two hours, so right off the bat, you know that there's going to have to be a fair amount of what could be deemed filler material & songs. As the show goes on, you do start to feel it a bit in instances where it's taking a little while to advance the tales being adapted, but luckily the music is mostly fantastic regardless, so even while development is a bit sluggish, you can still enjoy the remarkable songs & score that Mitchell has written.

The other somewhat over-arching issue really only pertains to this particular production, and it has to do with Reeve Carney's ability. In all honesty, he simply wasn't the best fit to portray Orpheus given how distracting and "off" his singing voice is, which makes him sound like he's a much better fit for a boy band than for a Broadway or West End stage. It could also simply be that this role wasn't for him, but whatever the reason, it's not surprising to find that he was the only big cast member that didn't receive a Tony nod.

That said, he's the only weak link in what is an otherwise phenomenal cast. It has to be said that enough praise cannot be heaped upon Eva Noblezada for her marvelous portrayal of Eurydice, with special mention also going to André De Shields' spectacular, Tony-winning turn as Hermes. They are both particularly bright stars in this stunning ensemble, bringing all the energy & emotion required to grab your attention and keep it locked as the tales unfold.

Overall, as mentioned, "Hadestown" balances out to become a fine telling of these classic stories, beautifully realized by Anaïs Mitchell. It may have a couple of things that prevent it from being the full-on powerhouse that it could've been, but it's still a spectacular accomplishment that is worthy of the accolades it's been receiving for these last seven years, and now that it's getting its stunning physical release, millions more will be able to get a front row seat to the show and finally be able to see what all the fuss is about.

Video/Audio:

"Hadestown: The Musical" comes to Blu-ray in a 1.85:1, 1080p High Definition transfer of excellent quality. The picture is beautifully sharp throughout the entire 141-minute performance, perfectly highlighting the many details of the beloved stage show. Likewise, the 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track is spectacular, giving you all of the lyrics & music in outstanding quality. Overall, Bleecker Street has done a wonderful job in both areas for the proshot musical's physical debut.

Special Features:

None.

Conclusion:

"Hadestown: The Musical" may get held back a bit by a somewhat weak Orpheus in Reeve Carney and the simplistic nature of the myths being adapted for the stage, but it remains a rather impressive achievement that features wonderful music & songs, as well as a mostly-spectacular ensemble in which Eva Noblezada & André De Shields are the true standouts, ultimately making this proshot edition of the show a fine way for viewers to experience the phenomenon at home.

Score: 3.5/5

Available on Blu-ray starting tomorrow.

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