Hadestown Movie Review: “Final Breath is Love.”

Hadestown The Musical places us on the stage, taking full advantage of the medium to give us the best possible filmed version of the show we could have hoped for.

Initially created by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell as a community theater project in Vermont (2006), this “old tale from way back when” evolved first into a concept album (2010) and then into a musical production, with an off-Broadway premiere in 2016, a very successful U.K. run at the National Theatre (2017-2018), and a Broadway debut (2019-2022) that would earn it 8 Tony Awards. Today, the musical is running both on Broadway and on the West End, with various U.S., U.K. and Ireland tours underway, and has gained a huge global following.

Hadestown intertwines the ancient Greek myths of star-crossed lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, and Underworld rulers Hades and Persephone. Narrated by Hermes, messenger of the gods, it features irresistible folk, jazz, blues and rock music performed live on stage, which makes you want to get up and dance from the minute it starts. The show mainly focuses on its two central love stories, bound together by a mysterious melody that carries more than one meaning. But it’s also a clever political analysis that takes place in an industrial Underworld where the working class is exploited with the promise of freedom. The urgency of Hadestown‘s performances is reflected in its message, with Hades’s “Why We Build the Wall” chant calling for unmistakable parallels to our current world.

Mitchell’s musical is meant to be experienced live, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should absolutely seek it out. But if you can’t make it to the theatre, Hadestown: The Musical gives us the next best thing: a filmed version of the show – captured during a limited six-week run of the West End production with five of the original Broadway cast members – that feels as if it was unfolding in real time. Shot through multiple angles that acknowledge both the performers and the audience, with creative framing and immersive camera movements that strengthen the storytelling, the movie not only channels the live experience but also places viewers on the stage.

Director Brett Sullivan (Newsies: The Broadway Musical), cinematographer Clayton Jacobsen (Heathers: The Musical) and the film’s creative team combine filmmaking styles – from handheld units to various strategically positioned cameras on and around the stage – to capture the musical in all its raw emotion. The result feels intimate and immediate in a way that reflects the stage production but also works as a cinematic experience: we get a much closer look at facial expressions and movements than the average theatergoer would have from their seat, but we also see and even hear the audience enough to feel like we’re right there with them.

The filming itself is done very creatively. Over-the-shoulder shots heighten the musical’s most affecting moments, tracking shots make even the most elaborate choreographies feel just as spectacular and dynamic, and inventive angles – from a camera on the balcony to one overhead looking down at the stage; there’s even one inside the trapdoor looking up as characters descend into the Underworld! – deliver the ‘wow’ factor just like live theater would.

The performances are phenomenal, starting from the original Broadway cast members: Hadestown: The Musical is worth the watch even if just for the privilege of seeing them inhabit the characters they originated. I’ve seen the musical a few times, both on Broadway and on the West End, and every Hermes stood out to me in completely different ways. André de Shields (Tick, Tick…Boom!) gave me the most compassionate portrayal of the character yet, which made some key story beats in the second act feel even more potent and poignant. De Shields’ Hermes exudes charisma and class, and it’s so easy to “see how the world could be” through his knowing eyes as he accompanies our characters to their fates.

Patrick Page (In the Heights) is flawless as Hades. Since he ruptured his Achilles tendon right before filming began, Page had to wear a leg brace for the entire performance, but it’s barely noticeable because you can’t take your eyes off him. His voice and movements are hypnotic throughout, from the chillingly beguiling “Hey Little Songbird” to the most vulnerably sincere scenes in the second half, where this writer found herself tearing up. Amber Gray (The Underground Railroad) plays Persephone as a force to be reckoned with, but there’s a rawness to her playfulness that lets her loneliness come through too, making us so invested in her story. Gray and Page are electric together, and their dance in Act II is one of Hadestown: The Musical‘s most touching and earnest moments.

Reeve Carney (House of Gucci) and Eva Noblezada (Luck) are superb as Orpheus and Eurydice too. Together and apart, their performances are so empathetic that we care about them immensely, and their vocal range makes their songs all the more memorable. Noblezada and Carney’s duet in “All I’ve Ever Known” will give you goosebumps, and Carney’s rendition of “If It’s True” will turn you into an emotional wreck.

The West End performers excel. Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel play the wonderfully cynical, disquietingly blunt Fates, who demand your attention with gorgeous harmonies and the snappy, chaotic energy that makes their characters such standouts. The workers and swings deliver incredible, tour-de-force performances, and the musicians – who get their time to shine not only when Persephone introduces them in “Our Lady of the Underground”, like in the musical, but also with various close-ups throughout the movie – give it their all to make each song stand out.

Hadestown: The Musical makes it a point to include the audience in the production as much as possible, and we’re always aware that they’re watching with us. But they’re also the first ‘characters’ to be introduced, lining up outside the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End before the performance. As the camera pans on them, they cheer with excitement, and the atmosphere is contagious.

Soon, we’re given a glimpse behind the scenes, where our performers stack hands, right before going on stage, and de Shields leads them into a breathing exercise. “First breath is for community. Second breath is for being in the moment. Final breath is love.” As a musical, “Hadestown” is filled with love: it’s in the two stories at its core, in the care with which they’re told to the audience, and in the profoundly human message of resilience that shines through at the end. Hadestown: The Musical is told with just as much love, and deserves to be experienced, celebrated, and “sung again and again” on the biggest screen possible.

Hadestown: The Musical will be released in select US theaters from July 24, 2026. The film will be released in U.K. and Australian cinemas in the future: keep an eye on Hadestown‘s official site for date announcements.