Hadestown by the Numbers: 7 Years, 33 Songs, 1 Epic Story on Broadway

We’re spotlighting Broadway blockbusters throughout the summer and Hadestown is no exception. The Tony-winning production has been entrancing audiences for over seven years, reimagining the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice into an intricately assembled folk musical. We invite you to go way down under the ground with us as we take stock of goggles, matches, overalls and swinging light fixtures.

Some say the road to hell is paved with good intentions. But what of the road to Hadestown? As it happens, that journey was paved with threadbare stagings, a crowdfunded concept album and a handful of out-of-town engagements. Hadestown was in development for over 13 years ahead of its Broadway triumph.

Anaïs Mitchell first staged Hadestown in Vermont before turning the project into a concept album. Along with Mitchell, who sang the part of Eurydice, the 2010 recording features seven guest vocalists, including Ani DiFranco and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon. DiFranco would go on to make her Broadway debut as Perspehone in 2024.

After director Rachel Chavkin came on board, Hadestown had a trial run in 2016 at New York Theatre Workshop off-Broadway. The show was further tinkered with in Canada and London before landing at the Walter Kerr Theatre in spring of 2019. Hadestown took home a whopping eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. The production’s Tonys sweep made it the most-awarded production of the theater season.

Mitchell is the fourth woman in Broadway history to hold sole credit for the lyrics, music and book of a musical. As it happens, Chavkin is also the fourth woman to win the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Musical.

Hadestown boasts 33 musical numbers.

Eight principal performers have played Hermes, including Stephanie Mills, Lillias White and Kurt Elling. André De Shields originated the role on Broadway and received a Tony Award for his performance. The role is currently being played by Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee.

Three matches are lit per show. More than 7,200 matches have been used throughout Hadestown’s Broadway run.

"La, la, la, la..." There are 404 "las" sung throughout the show.

The train whistle to the underworld can be heard eight times during a performance.

There are five swinging light fixtures and three turntables in Hadestown. The turntables are made up of one center turntable and two outer rings.

KC Dela Cruz, who plays one of the three Fates, has had hands-on experiences with the lights and turntables as an ensemble member. "During the first few weeks, we’re only talked and walked through the staging that involves lamps and the turntable by our dance captains," Cruz says of the rehearsal process. "We mime both during our rehearsal runs until we have an automation day. Typically, we have one to two automation rehearsals to make sure we know what direction the turntables are going (sometimes opposite ways), how fast it will go and how to safely get on and off. It can be intimidating and a little spooky your first time."

Workers chorus member Alex Puette recalls an occasion where the light cables didn't come down during "Wait for Me." "The workers carried our lamps onstage and had nothing to attach them to! We had to quickly figure out what to do with our lamps and then make up new choreography on the spot. It was slightly stressful, but I personally love those moments because it is what makes live theater a special, singular event."

Eighteen cups are handed out during “Livin’ it Up on Top.” Thirteen cups are handed out during “We Raise Our Cups.”

The seasons change three times within the narrative of Hadestown.

There are seven musicians on stage in Hadestown. During “Livin’ it Up on Top,” trombonist Brian Drye joins the performers for a choreographed sequence. “I try to make sure everyone in the audience gets a little blast of the trombone by pointing it in lots of different directions,” shares Drye. “Every trombone player does it differently, but we all tip our hat and give a nod to Persephone at the end.”

Speaking to the experience of being on stage as opposed to in an orchestra pit, Drye says, “There are so many moments throughout the show where I exchange glances organically with an actor, or we each do a small movement to make a connection. Being on stage lets you see the choices each actor is making and it’s fun to see how the story can be told in so many ways. Watching the audience is also a very unique experience as an onstage musician. I get to see them go through a wide range of emotions from joy to sadness and hope.”

There are 10 goggles and 10 to 13 overalls housed backstage, depending on what's in storage. The overalls come with accompanying toolbelts. Referring to the multi-use function of toolbelts, Cruz says, "We keep chapstick, cough drops, candy, tissue, eye drops, whatever we need in those things. And we love it." 

Persephone rides a lift to and from the underworld five times per performance. According to Puette, “The center elevator to ‘hell’ doesn't actually go as far beneath the stage as you would think. When we exit and enter through the lift, we need to crouch down so that the audience members in the balcony and mezzanine don't see us.”

Musing on the dramatic importance of the lift, Cruz says, "A lovely memorable moment for me is during 'Doubt Comes In' when the Fates slowly come up from the center elevator in complete darkness with nothing but light from our lanterns shining on our face. I think it is so chilling for the audience members and an epic entrance for us Fates before we really get into Orpheus’ mind to taunt him."

Hadestown kicked off its first national tour in October 2021 and officially concluded its North American run in May 2024, playing over 980 performances across 85 cities in the U.S. and Canada.

Hadestown: Teen Edition was licensed by Concord Theatricals in April 2024. It has since become the second most-produced musical by high schools and youth theaters.

We’ve heard the train whistle and your fate has been sealed. It’s time to book it to Hadestown! In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for more features throughout the week as we continue to spotlight the mythic musical. 

Get tickets to Hadestown!