In August, we bring a set of new full-time writers to the blog. Today, please welcome Jesse Kinyua (’24), who will be writing for us on the 7th of each month. Jesse graduated with a major in Org. Communication (don’t bother asking what it is, he also doesn’t know). Born and raised in Kenya, Jesse is currently working at a non-profit in Grand Rapids, where he gets paid to read as many books as he can in eight hours (not really, but wouldn’t that be awesome!). If he’s not at work, he’s probably listening to trash podcasts, attempting to burn down a kitchen, or engaging in his favorite pass-time, people-watching.
I hadn’t planned on going to the cinema by myself on a Saturday night. I had just come home from a three-day work “retreat” in Detroit. I’m not sure if it still counts as a retreat if I got up at 5am to start prepping for an impromptu training session that I needed to run…but c’est la vie.
After finally getting back late that afternoon, I took a shower, curled up on my couch, and was happily scrolling away on TikTok waiting for my roommate to get back with food he ordered for us (bless him). In between my mindless scrolling, my algorithm slid in a video of someone raving about seeing a recent musical in a cinema. “Hmmn, interesting,” I thought. “I will watch the whole two minutes to do my part in boosting the economy and make sure the creator gets that thirty-five cents.” Cut to me pulling up to my nearest Celebration Cinema later that night to watch Hadestown: The Musical (Proshot).
If you’ve never heard of Hadestown: The Musical, here is a brief synopsis (spoiler alert): Hadestown is a modern retelling of two interconnected Greek myths—the tragic romance of mortals Orpheus and Eurydice and the troubled marriage between the gods Hades and Persephone which directly influence the changing of seasons on earth. Orpheus is a poor, talented musician who uses music to bring warmth and light into the world, and he is seeking to woo Eurydice, who is cold and hungry. Long story short, Eurydice gets lured to Hadestown by Hades and the musical follows Orpheaus’ journey to rescue her, albeit with a tragic twist at the end.
As a self-proclaimed expert on musicals—who has very limited knowledge about said musicals—I think it only fair that I should share my unsolicited thoughts of watching the Proshot version of Hadestown: The Musical.
Starting off strong, I guess I should share that I fell asleep in the cinema. Now, here me out. In my defense, I was exhausted, the leather seat was reclined all the way, and my butt was being nicely toasted by the seat heaters. It was a lovely five minute only nap.
Outside of those five minutes, I absolutely loved the show! There is a reason why it broke box-office records and had extended showings past its originally scheduled five-day release. The music, the visuals, the angles—the production gave what it was supposed to. Add on the fact that there were only three of us in the whole theatre and it basically felt like our very own private showing.
And then there were the actors themselves. I can’t do justice in praising all the characters, so I’ll just focus on the three whose performances I carried with me out of the room.
Amber Gray’s portrayal of Persephone in this retelling was one of the most engaging forms of art I’ve seen. In this role, she is quirky, loud, unhinged, expressive—all best depicted in her now-famous signature dance in the song “Our Lady of the Underground.”
Coming in as a close second is The Fates—Clotho (Bella Brown), Lachesis (Madeline Charlemagne), and Atropos (Allie Daniel). Together, all three were mesmerizing not just in their narration of the internal thoughts of some of the other characters, but especially in how they used dance to portray meaning. Watching The Fates sway, swirl, and even slightly twerk in “When the Chips Are Down” was one of my favorite performances from the show.
Last, but certainly not least, is André De Shield’s stellar performance as Hermes. Throughout the show, Hermes serves as the official narrator of the show, introducing characters and setting up scenes for the audience, as well as being a guide for Orpheus. With André being the star that he is, it is difficult to pick a moment that he shone brightest as Hermes, but allow me to end my musical rant with one of the most gut-wrenching numbers of the show, “Road to Hell” (reprise).
Let me set the scene for you (again, spoilers). Orpheus has gone down to Hadestown to rescue his love Eurydice. After some pleading from Persephone and a song from Orpheus, Hades is willing to let Orpheus and Eurydice leave Hadestown, but under one condition: Orpheus must walk ahead of Eurydice and not turn around to check if Eurydice is following him. If he looks back before both of them have reached the mortal realm, Eurydice will return to Hadestown to remain there forever. Just before the end, Orpheus is overwhelmed with doubt and looks back—just in time to see Eurydice tragically sink back into Hadestown, damned to spend eternity there.
It is at this point that Hermes comes back to the main stage. There is silence in the room, the mood sorrowful and somber. The “Road to Hell” (reprise) takes the audience back to the start of the show, as Hermes speaks on how he is going to sing the song again and tell the story yet again.
“It’s a sad song.
It’s a sad tale.
It’s a tragedy.
It’s a sad song.
But we sing it anyway.
‘Cause here’s the thing:
To know how it ends
And still begin to sing it again,
As if it might turn out this time
I learned that from a friend of mine.”
These lines have remained tattooed in my mind since seeing the show that Saturday evening. There is a profound truth hidden behind these lines and every day, I try to sift through them to find the gems that I know lay beneath the words.
“To know how it ends
And still begin to sing it again,
As if it might turn out this time”
I have a love/hate relationship with these words. I know what they mean and yet, I don’t understand them. Why would Hermes condemn himself to sing the same song over and over again, even though he knew the tragedy awaiting in the end?
Better yet, would I do the same? There are so many stories around me that do not have a “happily ever after” ending. Heck, there are many stories in my own life that did not end the way I had hoped. If I was Hermes, and I knew my story had a tragic ending, would I still sing it? Would I hold onto hope that maybe, just maybe it may turn out different? Or maybe I could see where I messed up. Where I could change the narrative. Maybe, just maybe, I could even see where God was in all of it.
What if Hermes/I gave up and didn’t sing at all? Would that be even more tragic?
I recently wrote a piece called “But we had hoped.” In it, I spoke on the beauty and tragedy of human hope and some of the recent lessons I’ve been learning from it. Maybe I’ll share it here one day. Until then, I leave you with the same question I’m pondering: would you sing your song?
Jesse Kinyua graduated in 2024 with a major in org. communication (don’t bother asking what it is, he also doesn’t know). Born and raised in Kenya, Jesse is currently working at a non-profit in Grand Rapids, where he gets paid to read as many books as he can in eight hours (not really, but wouldn’t that be awesome!). If he’s not at work, he’s probably listening to trash podcasts, attempting to burn down a kitchen, or engaging in his favorite pastime, people-watching.
