As a retired theater kid and fervent lover of musicals, it should come as no surprise that the show “Hadestown” is in my top three favorite musicals. I saw it live at the Orpheum Theater in Minneapolis; I sing the droopy “Flowers” song in the shower and; on the stairmaster at the Drake Rec Center, I often (all the time) blast “Wait for Me (Reprise)” in my earbuds as I pretend I’m following Orpheus out of Hell.

I eat, sleep and definitely drink “Hadestown.” The love story between Orpheus and Eurydice holds a special place in my heart, and I’m not ashamed to admit it.  

Since a production of “Hadestown” will be coming to Des Moines this weekend, and I will once again be thrust into the show’s dark magic as I attempt to grab my tickets in the student rush line, I feel it’s only fair to revisit Hadestown’s bittersweet message in our turbulent political era. 

“Hadestown,” inspired by two tragic myths, follows a young couple, Orpheus and Eurydice, as they fall in love. Meanwhile, Hades comes to bring his wife, Persephone, back to the Underworld, as per their agreement that she shall spend half of each year on land so that spring can return. After a series of setbacks, Eurydice decides to travel to the Underworld to escape from the oncoming cold front, leaving Orpheus no choice but to travel to the Underworld and barter with Hades to try and bring back the woman he loves.

Sadly, as most know (because I prefaced this summary with ‘tragic’), Orpheus is unsuccessful. 

Hades agrees to let them both return to the world above, but there’s a catch: “Orpheus, the undersigned, shall not turn to look behind. She’s out of sight, and he’s out of his mind.” Right when it seems the two of them will reach their perfect happiness, Orpheus looks behind him to ensure Eurydice is following, thus condemning her to the Underworld forever. 

Wow. You may wonder why I listen to this tale as often as I do. Sometimes I do too. 

But its hopeful message comes in its final songs: While the story may be tragic, though the story may not turn out well, it must continue to be told. Because maybe someday, the story will turn out differently. 

To its core, “Hadestown” is a story of hope. Orpheus attempts to bring Eurydice back to the world above every time, and the ensemble always sings, “If they can do it, so can we.”  

It takes a hell of a lot of hope to build something better, or at least try to. To not fall asleep and settle for the safe heat of destruction. It takes hope to navigate this world, especially when times are hard, weather’s not the way it used to be and leaders build a wall but call it freedom.

With grocery and rent prices soaring, a recession closing in and American exceptionalism not anywhere close to the exceptional success achieved when the term was coined, it’s important to remember that, without hope, we don’t have anything else.

If there is even the slightest chance for the story to end differently, to end happily, we must keep singing the song again, and again, and again.  

“It’s a sad song. But we sing it anyway.” 

So, while I, God willing, grab my tickets and wait for the curtain to rise on my favorite show, I will remember, as I enjoy the harmonies from the Fates, that outside the Des Moines Civic Center walls, there is work to be done, hard work, fighting pushback and ignorance. I will remember that the work won’t be for nothing, because maybe someday, it will turn out well.