Q&A: Alastair Parker and Rachel Adedeji on themes of HADESTOWN

Photo credit: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg

Besties, we were recently invited along to the media night to welcome the new cast members of Hadestown, which continues to delight audiences at London’s Lyric Theatre. Before the performance, we met with the new principal cast members to talk about the smash hit musical. First up, we have Alastair Parker and Rachel Adedeji who play Hades and Persephone, respectively.

WEBF: Congratulations on the show, we’re really excited to see it tonight. So we've got a couple of short questions for you - the first one is: Hadestown is based around changing seasons and relationships that change with the seasons. For each of you: are you a summer or a winter person?

Rachel: Ooo... I was born in August so I'm a summer baby, and I do love the heat.

WEBF: True to your roots.

Rachel: Right. But then there is something about being wrapped up in your Canada Goose, with your boots walking in the winter. (Alistair chuckles) So I don't know. I'm kind of torn, you know?

WEBF: Okay, interesting!

Rachel: I would…you know, nah I’ll stick to summer. I do love it.

Alastair: See, I'd love to live somewhere where you have all the seasons, proper seasons. Trouble is, no matter what season, I'm wearing shorts…

WEBF: We were going to say… (gesturing to Alistair’s exposed knees)

Alastair: I really love the winter. I love the winter for some reason. But then again, I love it when it’s really hot sometimes...

WEBF: So you're both kind of based around the extremes. we quite like that.

Rachel: I don’t mind winter in the UK, and I love heat abroad so it kind of depends where I am.

WEBF: Following on from that, there's the cycle of seasons and also a cycle of storytelling in the show. The show's trapped in the cycle of fate - if Persephone and Hades were freed from replaying the same story and the same cycle over and over again, what do you think their relationship would look like, and do you think that they would still be together?

Rachel: Interesting. At some point, I think she would have had enough, there’s already been so much, because…

Alastair: I could change!

(They laugh)

Rachel: As she says, every year it gets worse, and it's kind of like - yes, she's masking and she's coping, but then she’s also deteriorating on the inside and she's broken, you know? And I feel like if there was that consistent rollercoaster, that it would just…

Alastair: It would implode, wouldn’t it? He'd build more and more stuff.

Rachel: Exactly, more and more, and she would just continue to lose it really. So, yeah, there’s only so much of it I feel like she would have been able to take.

WEBF: (to Alistair) Sounds like you've got some work to do.

Alastair: (sighs exasperatedly) Yes.

WEBF: Every night!

Alastair: (chuckling) God!

WEBF: And one last quick question. Would either of you have looked back?

Alastair: Ooo…

Rachel: I don't think I would, you know? My willpower... I like to like play these games with myself, because my brain can sometimes have that doubt, like “You think you can't do it? Oh, no, you can – watch.” I feel like just to prove a point to myself, I would face the front.

Alastair: Yeah, I think I'd be the same.

WEBF: Okay, so there's no twisting of the story. You guys are just resolutely: “I’ve been given a mission, I'm going to do it.”

Rachel: Find your way!

Alastair: If you make it out, good luck!

Hadestown is currently booking at the Lyric Theatre until 13 December, with tickets available here.