Theatre Thurs - May 6th
Our Lady of the Underground is the first song of Act II, and follows Persephone after she invites the workers, and audience alike, into her speakeasy. This is where we meet the other side of Persephone, the Lady of the Underground, who wishes for the freedom of the workers of Hadestown and will always be able to cheer up a crowd with wine enough to share.
I got the wind right here in a jar
I got the rain on tap at the bar
I got sunshine up on the shelf
Allow me to introduce myself:
Brother, what's my name?
My name is-
Our Lady of the Underground!
Way Down Hadestown (Reprise) shows Eurydice coming to the realization that there is more to Hadestown than she thought. She begins to regret her decision to come to the factory town and work there, but no one is allowed to leave without Hades' permission, as the Fates sinisterly reveal. As she has worked and worked on Hades' wall, Eurydice begins to lose herself, just like all of the workers who have kept their heads low and out of sight.
I’m Eurydice
Doesn't anybody hear me?
They can hear
But they don't care
No one has a name down here
Flowers takes place as Eurydice acknowledges and realizes that she has essentially signed her life away by signing Hades’s contract. She deeply regrets the choice that she has made and remembers the world on top, filled with flowers, sunshine, and perhaps most tragically of all, Orpheus.
Flowers, I remember fields of flowers, soft beneath my heels
Walking in the sun, I remember someone
Someone by my side, turned his face to mine
And then I turned away, into the shade
You, the one I left behind
If you ever walk this way
Come and find me lying in the bed I made
Come Home with Me (Reprise) follows Orpheus, who having made his way to Hadestown by following Hermes' directions, finds Eurydice and begs her to come home with him. Eurydice and the Fates tell Orpheus that she legally belongs to Hades and can’t return without his permission.
No, I walked - A long way
How'd you get beyond the wall?
I sang a song so beautiful
Stones wept and they let me in
And I can sing us home again
Papers (”You’re not from around here, son...”) [Intro] shows us Hades finding Orpheus in the underworld trying to bring back Eurydice. He explains to him that she signed her life to him and sends his workers after Orpheus. This song leads into our next “song” of sorts:
Young man, I don't think we’ve met before
You're not from around here, son
Don't know who the hell you are but I can tell you don’t belong
These are workin' people, son, law-abiding citizen
Go back to where you came from
You're on the wrong side of the fence
Papers - Instrumental takes place as the workers beat Orpheus till he’s bloody. Onstage, at the end of the music, the workers hold him down as the fates come out to sing “Nothing Changes.”
Nothing Changes occurs as the Fates appear before an exhausted Orpheus, malevolently taunting him and telling him to give up all hope. His efforts will be all for naught anyway, the Fates reason, as he would have to move heaven and hell to convince Hades to let Eurydice go.
Why the struggle, why the strain?
Why make trouble, why make scenes?
Why go against the grain, why swim upstream?
It ain't, it ain't, it ain't no use
You're bound, you're bound, you're bound to lose
What's done, what's done, what's done is done
That's the way the river runs
If It’s True shows Orpheus in a moment of despair, lamenting his sorry state. Still reeling from his wounds and the revelation that his wife willingly left the above world, he begins to lose hope. Persephone, however, hears the boy’s lament and sympathizes with him. Meanwhile, the workers begin to realize their dire situation and draw inspiration from Orpheus' words and actions. Realizing that there is more to his personal goal of bringing Eurydice home, Orpheus decides to also help the workers of Hadestown.
If it's true what they say, if there's nothing to be done
If it's true that it's too late, and the girl I love is gone
If it's true what they say, is this how the world is?
To be beaten and betrayed and then be told that nothing changes?
It'll always be like this? If it's true what they say, I'll be on my way
How Long? is Persephone’s helpless plea to make her husband undo what she cannot, and Hades in turn stubbornly clinging to his pride as the King of the Underworld. She hopes that Hades will allow change in Hadestown, beginning through people like Orpheus.
What does he care for the logic of kings?
The laws of your underworld?
It is only for love that he sings
He sings for the love of a girl
Chant (Reprise) takes place as Hades hears Orpheus’s song and realizes that he is inciting unrest among the workers. For the second time, he confronts Orpheus directly. At first, Hades attempts to dissuade him by describing his own fruitless efforts to keep Persephone close and mocking how powerless Orpheus is. When Orpheus is undaunted, Hades declares his intent to execute him. However, because Persephone was moved by Orpheus’s music earlier, Hades decides to give him one last chance to perform first.
Young man got to hand it to you
Guess you don't scare easy, do ya?
Are you brave or stupid, son?
Doesn't matter which one
'Cause it seems your song made quite a strong impression on my wife
But it takes more than singin' songs to keep a woman in your arms
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yet another Theatre Thursday is complete! Hopefully I’ll still be motivated to continue writing enough to finish out the Hadestown series at least. Next Week we’ll cover Epic III - We Raise Our Cups.
Stay Sweet!
- Victoria Rodasta
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Next Week:
Miscellaneous Monday - Olivia by One Direction
Theatre Thursday - Hadestown Part Four
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Follow me for more!
Insta: @strawberry.cloud.art - Tumblr: @strawberry-cloud-analyses












