NPA Theatreworks’ Hadestown Teen Edition – 19 March 2026, The Forge Theatre
Review by Claire Taranaski.
Last night I witnessed the future of musical theatre in Sheffield and its in exciting, daring, faultless, talented hands. I always get nervous when I see a theatre company for the first time but I had no need to be as the NPA Theatreworks blew me away from the very start tackling Hadestown, a modern folk opera and powerful reimagining of a Greek mythology love story, with energy, passion and creativity making it a production that will stay with me for a long time and made me incredibly nervous about any other company tacking it.
With all performances outstanding it would be impossible to choose a favourite out of the main cast so I will review them in the order they significantly appear, Seb Johnson as Hermes, the show’s narrator and host was flamboyant, confident and had great charisma, stage presence and warmth from the show’s very first number, where he introduces the story and the characters to the very last, and can have a fantastic career in cabaret ahead of him.
Alice Hawes-Johnson brought little song bird Eurydice to life with a warmth and honesty that made her instantly likeable. She possessed a natural folk female vocalist voice that meant many of her numbers you could see her performing at folk festivals across the country, especially “Flowers”, which was beautifully lit so we could focus on her, her voice and emotion. Eben Van Kirk as Orpheus displayed a beautiful sweetness and doll-like innocence, which when his character broke in the second act made it all the more hard to watch and his performance making it feel all the more real. Like all the main characters his character went on a journey and his and Alice’s were the most believable and the two of them had natural and believable first love chemistry. Eben was also a beautiful guitar player and like Alice, his numbers would not be out of place at folk festivals across the country.
Molly Fitzsimmons as Peresphone reminded me of Imelda May with her stage presence, confidence and vocal performances and I wanted immediately to be part of her spring. She also shared a wonderful dance with Nathanial Smith as Hades half way through the second act, where their romantic chemistry and attraction shone through and she gave me serious outfit envy. Nathanial Smith as Hades reminded of David Tennant as the evil Kilgrave in Jessica Jones, performing the role with attitude and presence and his low bass tones in his musical numbers, whether as overseer in “Why We Built The Wall” or his duet with Molly “How Long” was as low as the depths he had plunged the other characters into.
One of my favourite musicals “Little Shop Of Horrors” has it’s own Greek chorus trio of females with attitude but they are nothing on this production’s The Fates (played by Holly Slater, Isla Plant and Issy Thompson) who were like a jazzier version of the Puppini Sisters transported to 1920s New Orleans, with elegant vocals, harmonies and attitudes and who you would not want to get on the wrong side of.
Including the seven performers mentioned above, this production has a cast of 28 across the workers, dancers and ensemble and the show’s directors Alexandra Eastwood (who also choreographed), Nikki Johnson (who also produced) and Yi Hang Yu got faultless performances including harmonies and movement out of all of them and with such a large cast made clever use of both the stage and the entire auditorium. Alexandra’s choreography was a clever mix of contemporary with elements of industrial and “Stomp” thrown in with dancers smoothly working around each other. The cast and all of these elements combined in a musical high for me to bring the haunting beautiful act two number “Doubt Comes In” to the stage.
As I mentioned all of the characters in the show went on a journey and in addition to the cast this was beautifully reflected in both the costumes (all wonderfully and perfectly reflecting their characters and the situation around them including several furness masks) and the set, not only featuring a gothic guided cage but whose background transitioned from newsprint to rusted metal panels. I must also praise the wonderful use of lighting throughout capturing the change in tone and transition including the clever use of the workers lights in the furnace and the use of miners lights to light Orpheus and Eurydice’s path.
After last night, I look forward to seeing more of NPA Theatreworks and it’s cast in future, though I’m nervous of how they will be able to top this musical perfection.
