50 | NOVEMBER 18 • 2021 

ARTS&LIFE
THEATER

O

n March 12, 2020, the 
day that Broadway 
shut down, Bex 
Odorisio was in final rehears-
als for the world premiere 
opening of The Visitor at the 
Public Theater in New York 
City. She also had a callback 
for the North American tour 
of Hadestown.
One year later, Odorisio got 
an email that Hadestown was 
going to be the first musical to 
resume on Broadway on Sept. 
2, and begin its tour on Oct. 
13, and would she audition 
again.

“That was quite a surprise; 
I didn’t expect shows to be up 
and running yet. So I did a 
video audition from my living 
room. It was very surreal,
” says 
Odorisio, who is now on her 
first Broadway tour featured as 
a Fate in Hadestown.
Hadestown comes to Detroit’s 
Fisher Theatre Nov. 23-Dec. 
5 followed by performances 
at the Wharton Center in 
East Lansing from Dec. 7-12. 
Hadestown is the winner 
of eight 2019 Tony Awards, 
including Best New Musical and 
the 2020 Grammy Award for 

Best Musical Theater Album. 
It was also honored with four 
Drama Desk Awards, six Outer 
Critics Circle Awards, including 
Outstanding New Broadway 
Musical, and the Drama 
League Award for Outstanding 
Production of a Musical. 
Hadestown is helmed by a 
dynamic female production 
team spearheaded by music, 
lyrics and book writer Anaïs 
Mitchell; and Jewish director 
Rachel Chavkin.
“Rachel Chavkin describes 
the Fates as a ‘supergroup’ 
where we have standout solo 

moments, but we also meet in 
harmony on the same level,
” 
says Odorisio, who’s onstage 
with two other Fates for the 
majority of the show.
“We are pulled straight from 
Greek mythology as the con-
trollers of the lives of mortals 
and sometimes gods,
” she adds. 
“We embody the fears and 
impulses. If we’re not actively 
meddling, we’re actively observ-
ing so that we can meddle later.
”
Hadestown weaves togeth-
er two love stories — of the 
young Orpheus and Eurydice 
— with King Hades and his 

Hadestown comes to Michigan for two stops.

From the 
Underworld and Back

JULIE SMITH YOLLES CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“WE EMBODY THE FEARS AND IMPULSES. IF WE’RE NOT 
ACTIVELY MEDDLING, WE’RE ACTIVELY OBSERVING 

 SO THAT WE CAN MEDDLE LATER.”

— BEX ODORISIO

PHOTO BY T CHARLES ERICKSON

