Review: HADESTOWN, Lyric Theatre (March 2026)
Photo credit: Brinkhoff-Moegenburg
Exquisitely timed to coincide with the Spring Equinox, the Lyric Theatre has welcomed the arrival of a new cast to the West End production of international smash-hit Hadestown. The new company boasts a balanced mix of new and emerging talent as well as established denizens of the stage. Now emerging into the third year of its West End run, this new cast breathe new life and energy into this production with their own character interpretations. Director Rachel Chavkin has opted to have her actors, for the most part, retain their native accents in their roles, which, although occasionally jarring with the distinctly US cadence of the lyrics, lends a freshness and personality that can lift a long-running show.
Seasoned West End performer Clive Rowe joins the new cast as Hermes, channelling a fond paternal streak that will no doubt remind millennials in the audience of his turn as Duke in Tracy Beaker. Rowe is a natural compere, leaning into the playfulness of his character, but not neglecting the pathos of his position as the one repeatedly guiding Orpheus and Eurydice through this cycle of tragedy.
Marley Fenton is charmingly sincere as Orpheus, playing the muse’s earnest son in his native Mancunian accent. There is a knowing sense of self-deprecation in Fenton’s performance as the naive, starry-eyed lover, teasing out the comedy in the fumbling awkwardness of new young love. Fenton’s unearthly vocals begin crystal clear, but there is a subtle shift towards the end of the show when you can detect a touch more texture and gruffness in his tone when he has journeyed into the depths of hell and finds himself unwittingly at the head of a worker rebellion.
Opposite Fenton, Bethany Antonia shines as Eurydice. Bursting onto stage as a tightly-bound ball of defensiveness, Antonia visibly softens into her relationship with Orpheus with heart-rending tenderness. This Orpheus and Eurydice have sparkling chemistry and are impossible not to fall in love with.
Alistair Parker is a physically and vocally imposing Hades, booming most of his lines in a gruff speak-singing snarl like a gruelling factory foreman in a Victorian period drama. Occasionally some of the diction is lost, but when Parker does sing, his tone is extraordinary.
Rachel Adedeji completes the principal cast as Persephone - the frayed party girl trapped in a torturous relationship with the tyrannical Hades. Aside from some slightly pantomimic arm gestures, Adedeji finds nuance in her role, which is ever in danger of being reduced to the dichotomy of happy drunk/sad drunk. Her star quality is most certainly in her moody and velvety vocals. She brings her own sound and personality to the music, which this reviewer appreciates particularly after previously seeing performers attempt a strained impression of the notoriously husky original Broadway cast member Amber Gray.
Melanie Bright, Spike Maxwell and Lauran Rae bring unprecedented levels of sass to their turns as the Fates, who strut around the stage thworping fans, smacking lips and pointing fingers. They’re a doubtlessly fun trio, but this reviewer can’t help wondering if some of the godly gravitas of these characters, the dread of the inevitable that they represent, has been usurped by a Dalston Superstore Drag Brunch performance.
For the exuberant fans who’ve seen endless iterations of this show, to brand new audience members, Hadestown remains a delight, and the new cast carry that legacy with ease. A perfect show for spring.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: Livvy Perrett
