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The upstairs Studio Theatre at the Long Beach Playhouse has always been a place for theatrically new, edgy or interesting performances. Beginning this weekend, teens will take the stage, performing a version of “Hadestown,” the magically moody 2019 Tony Award winner for Best Musical.
Billed as “Hadestown: Teen Edition,” the musical will feature “older” members, aged 13 to 19 years, of the Long Beach-based Jewel Box Children’s Theater Company. In deference to their youthfulness and perhaps things like homework, performances will be divided between two alternating casts, the first one having its opening night this Saturday, April 26.
Anaïs Mitchell’s music and lyrics are gorgeous and spellbinding (having experienced its non-teen rendition), taking the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and their journey through the underworld and recasting it in New Orleans. Other figures from Greek myth — Hermes, the Fates, Hades, Persephone — also play pivotal roles in this complex tale of loss, memory, identity and faith.
As the Playhouse describes it, “This beautiful and beguiling sung-through show pits industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love, with music inspired by classic American folk music and vintage New Orleans jazz.”
Executive director Madison Mooney said “Hadestown: Teen Edition” is essentially the original musical but with some language adjustments for younger audiences, though the show is intended for all audiences.
“All the songs are there, and the love stories between Orpheus and Eurydice, and Persephone and Hades, remain unchanged, however [spoiler alert] tragic they may be,” Mooney said.
Sean Gray, the Playhouse’s artistic director, said he welcomes collaborating with Jewel Box on this relatively contemporary musical.
“As a community theater, we can be limited sometimes with newer shows as they aren’t available,” Gray said. “With Jewel Box producing this great show, we can let them use our stage for a vibrant, exciting, new show for the Long Beach community.”
This is Jewel Box’s first full-scale production since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, said Jewel Box co-founder and show director Anne Kate Mohler. She and fellow co-founder Andy Zacharias, who directs the show’s music, said they were “overwhelmed” by the huge turnout for auditions.
“Nearly 100 teens came out wanting to be a part of this production,” Mohler said. “Everyone in the cast and crew are big ‘Hadestown’ fans and are passionate about the story and excited to perform it for their community. Many of the local Long Beach kids are especially excited to perform at the Long Beach Playhouse.”
Mooney said the Playhouse has been collaborating with Jewel Box for its youth summer camps since 2020, when the pandemic closed the theater and reduced its staff.
In a way, “Hadestown: Teen Edition” brings that relationship full circle, with Jewel Box’s youth performing its first full musical in five years on a Playhouse stage.
“I’m very much looking forward to our community seeing these incredibly talented teens tell the story of these myths and legends with such awesome and haunting music,” Mooney said.
“Hadestown: Teen Edition” will perform at the Long Beach Playhouse’s Studio Theatre, 5021 E. Anaheim St., from April 26 through May 24, with shows Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-494-1014 or visit LBPlayhouse.org.