‘Hadestown’ on 2020-21 Broadway lineup in Tulsa

Critics use words like “compelling,” “exuberant,” “exhilarating,” “relevant” and sure to be the next cult classic.

The musical they’re talking about is “Hadestown,” and with a “masterful” production still on Broadway directed by Rachel Chavkin, it will soon hit the road, stopping June 15-20, 2021, at the Tulsa Performing Arts Center. It’s one of six shows announced recently in the 2020-21 Celebrity Attractions Broadway season.

“Hadestown” actually dates back to 2004 in the mind of indie folk singer/songwriter Anais Mitchell. With the help of musician friends, it debuted in 2006 as a song cycle and became a studio recording in 2010, with Ani DiFranco and Bon Iver frontman Justin Vernon in the cast.

“I’d receive mail from people who had a relationship with the songs that I would’ve never expected,” Mitchell told The Los Angeles Times. “More than one person who was dealing with addiction, or working with people dealing with addiction, talked about how the story resonated with them. It’s fascinating.”

Mitchell began working with Chavkin (“Natasha,” “Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812”) in 2012, and after a 2016 production New York Magazine called “more of an illustrated pop concert,” the revamped musical found its way to Broadway in 2019, winning eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album.

“Hadestown” intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone,” according to its Celebrity Attractions spokeswoman Erica Ludwig, “as it invites you on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers and singers, ‘Hadestown’ is a haunting and hopeful theatrical experience that grabs you and never lets go.”

But obviously, that’s not all. The season begins with Jimmy Buffet’s “Escape to Margaritaville” in August; includes the stage version of one of the most beloved romantic comedy films of all time, “Pretty Woman”; and there’s a new, darker version of a familiar classic, “Oklahoma!”

Current season subscribers’ renewal forms went out Feb. 28, and renewals are requested by April 14. New season subscribers will be able to buy packages this summer, and single tickets will follow that. Find out more at tulsapac.com.

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BECCA MARTIN-BROWN

bmartin@nwadg.com

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FYI

Celebrity Attractions

Tulsa 2020-21 Season

“Escape to Margaritaville” — “A little slice of paradise” featuring both original songs and most-loved Jimmy Buffett classics, Aug. 18-23.

“Mean Girls” — The hilarious hit musical from an award-winning creative team, including book writer Tina Fey (“30 Rock”), composer Jeff Richmond (“Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”), lyricist Nell Benjamin (“Legally Blonde”) and director Casey Nicholaw (“The Book of Mormon”), Sept. 15-20.

Disney’s “The Lion King” — Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor brings to life a story filled with hope and adventure set against an amazing backdrop of stunning visuals, Nov. 11-29.

“Oklahoma” — Reimagined for the 21st century and now the Tony Award winner for Best Revival of a Musical, this production of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s classic is funny and sexy, dark and jolting, stripped down to reveal the darker psychological truths at its core, Jan. 5-10, 2021.

“Tootsie” — This laugh-out-loud love letter to the theater tells the story of Michael Dorsey, a talented but difficult actor who struggles to find work until one show-stopping act of desperation lands him the role of a lifetime, Feb. 9-14, 2021.

“Pretty Woman: The Musical” — One of Hollywood’s most beloved stories of all time, “Pretty Woman: The Musical” is brought to life by a powerhouse creative team representing the best of music, Hollywood, and Broadway, April 13-18, 2021.

“Hadestown” — Intertwines two mythic tales, that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone, June 15-20, 2021.

WHERE — Tulsa Performing Arts Center

TICKETS — Season packages start at $180

INFO — 918-596-7111; tulsapac.com

Categories: Theater