Introducing Cincinnati to the 'nerdy nirvana' of Broadway's 'Hadestown'

“Hadestown?” What kind of musical is that? With some musicals, you know exactly what you’re getting into. “The Sound of Music,” for instance. Or “Annie.” Or “Jesus Christ Superstar.”

Those all have the advantage of familiarity, of course. They’ve been knocking around for decades. But “Hadestown,” which is running at the Aronoff through April 30, is new to Cincinnati.

Indeed, there was some concern when Broadway in Cincinnati first considered bringing the show to town. It had been a major hit on Broadway when it opened in 2019. It won Tony Awards for Best Musical and Best Original Score and copped a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. But name recognition still seemed elusive.

“We were not sure if anybody would know this outside of New York,” admitted Genevieve Holt last year. She’s the vice president of the Midwest region of Broadway Across America. “But the show is phenomenal, so we decided to do it.”

One thing the show had going for it was that it was written and scored by well-known singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell.

But still ...

You can tell folks that "Hadestown" is a love story. And it has great music and dancing. And that it’s visually stunning.

But inevitably, you also have to tell them that the show recounts the mythological tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Hermes and Persephone are in there, too. And the Fates. Very quickly, it begins to sound like those ponderous tales of Greek mythology that you had to wade through back in eighth grade.

How on earth could anyone possibly think this material would make for a good musical? And why?

Mara Isaacs can tell you exactly why. She's the show’s lead producer and vividly recalls when she encountered the music nearly 10 years ago. After spending many years as the producing director at the McCarter Theatre Center in New Jersey, she had just started out as an independent consultant and producer.

Her first client, California producer Dale Franzen, sent her a CD of the music from a musical she was thinking of getting involved with. She wanted Isaacs’ thoughts on the project. So Isaacs slipped the disc into the CD player of her car and started listening. It was a concept album of “Hadestown.” And Isaacs was bowled over.

“I had one of those moments,” she recalled. “I drove 15 minutes and had to stop and listen to the entire thing. The music was like nothing I had ever heard. It was so compelling. I just knew I was in the presence of something remarkable. From there, it was just a matter of figuring out what it should be.”

Developing Mitchell’s music and story into a full-fledged musical, however, was a long and convoluted process. Various versions of the show were produced off-Broadway, then in Edmonton, Alberta and London. Finally, in April 2019, the show landed on Broadway.

“I think that we had to spend a lot of time ...“ Isaacs paused for a moment, searching for the right word. “Educating people is the wrong word. But it’s true that when people hear ‘Greek myth’ they thought they were in for a lesson. We had to figure out how to get past that. Me? I loved when we studied myths in school. It was like nerdy nirvana for me.”

So rather than talk about myths and ancient Greece, they focused on the story’s underlying themes.

“It’s a love story,” said Isaacs. “It’s about a young couple trying to figure out how to hang onto their world and make it work for them. Myths have lasted thousands of years, so they must have something going for them. So it was up to us to focus on telling a good story – and this is a great story – and not worry too much about it being an ancient myth.”

"Hadestown”

When: through April 30.

Where: Procter & Gamble Hall, Aronoff Center, 650 Walnut St., Downtown.

Tickets: $39-$130.

Information: 513-621-2787; www.cincinnatiarts.org.