The hums of the railroad line buzzed through the Mountain View High School Spartan Theater as the audience was transported to “Hadestown.” A burning red oculus beckoned from the back of the set, jazz musicians played in full view and an onstage bar offered Hadestown-themed drinks to the audience before the show.
Mountain View High sold out all three performances of the spring musical, “Hadestown,” last week. The rights to the teen version of the musical were released last spring, making it the most in-demand musical at high schools, according to Mountain View High Theater teacher Pancho Morris.
Gunn High School and Menlo-Atherton High School are also performing “Hadestown” this spring.
Although the show’s budget for the set was reduced slightly, the school’s Parent Teacher Student Association granted the Mountain View High Spartan Theater department $60,000 towards new microphones. Last year, the spring musical was nearly canceled due to negotiations over teacher compensation.
The musical reimagines the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, setting the scene in a post-depression era. Eurydice, an independent young woman, and Orpheus, a struggling artist, fall in love. However, when Eurydice unknowingly sells her soul to Hades and is forced into labor at Hadestown, Orpheus’s trust and love for Eurydice are tested.
The cast also features Hades’s rebellious and vibrant wife, Persephone, a chorus of Greek “Fates,” an ensemble of Hadestown workers, and Hermes, the narrator.
Senior Elizabeth Wheeler, who played Hermes, said she hopes that beyond enjoying the show, the audience understood the metaphors in “Hadestown.” She described that the workers in “Hadestown” were imprisoned by a capitalistic society, consumed by wealth and labor instead of love.
Additionally, Wheeler said Persephone symbolizes equilibrium in the face of climate change — she comes into the world when she can, but when she leaves, the whole world is in turmoil. As her relationship with Hades — or capitalism — deteriorates, so does the condition of the world, Wheeler said.
“I hope that they [the audience] specifically got the message that hope and a bright future only prevail if you hold on to it, if you don’t doubt, if you don’t turn back,” Wheeler said.
The show was received with enthusiastic praise from students, teachers and families. Senior Ulysses Penn said he regretted that he had never gone to a Mountain View High show before “Hadestown.”
“I was blown away by the singing and cohesiveness of the production,” Mountain View High sophomore Rohan Jobanputra said.
Junior Karen Chien, who played Persephone, said she was grateful to play a major role in her first musical at Mountain View High. Due to a dance-related injury, she decided to try out musical theater and enjoyed playing a “chaotic” role similar to her own personality, she said.
Many veteran Mountain View High teachers — some who have been working at the school for around 20 to 30 years — agreed it was one of the best shows yet, Morris said.
Based on the overwhelming response from the community, the theater department hopes to add a second weekend of performances to their next spring musical, according to Morris.
“I can’t wait to see what happens next year,” Morris said. “We have some serious momentum and the most talented kids in the world.”
