Come and see how the world could be

Audiences are invited to “come and see how the world could be” at Thursday’s performance of Hadestown at the Weidner Center, part of the Broadway in Green Bay series.

Although the story is a familiar one — the tragic tale of Orpheus and Euridice alongside that of Hades and Persephone — actor Nickolaus Colón, who plays Hades in the production, said there’s a glimmer of hope in every show that this time, the story will change.

“We tell you from the very first sentence of the show, it’s a tragedy,” Colón said. “It’s a story that we are telling over and over again. But in that telling over and over again, there’s hope. THere’s hope that this time, something will be different. There’s hope that this time, it works out. Our hope, in this show, is to bring you in and let everyone know that, no matter how bad the world looks, no matter how hard times get, it’s never wrong to hope for something better — to hope for a world the way it could be.”

At the same time as the show instills hope in its audiences, Colón said it also reminds them that no one, not even a god, can escape the hands of fate.

“I think a beautiful thing about the show is that no matter if you are a man, no matter if you are a god, no one can escape fate, but we should try,” Colón said. “When you watch the show, I think a character to focus on are the Fates, because they are twisting the minds of these men, women and gods into following what fate has in store. For me, the true villain of this story is fate. There are moments you’re going to see where Hades does have a moment where he is going to change his mind, and then all of a sudden the Fates come in and make sure that the story continues the way it’s supposed to be.”

For those planning on attending the show, Colón said Hadestown isn’t the type of show where audiences are expected to just settle in and enjoy the show, but rather are invited to react to the show’s twists and turns.

“Don’t sit back and relax,” Colón advised. “You are allowed to be loud. I feel like people have a tendency to be very respectful of these actors on stage, but we literally talk to the audience from the very first sentence of the show and we want them to be loud, rowdy and responsive. And when that little twist at the end happens, that’s always my favorite part… Every single night it is so fun to listen to everyone else’s reaction to what happens… Be loud, have fun and we’ll see you there.”

Inspiring a new generation of actors

“I always talk to people about, ‘What’s your reason? What’s your why for performing?’” Colón said. “There’a s lot of people in our cast who do it for the little girls out there. They do it for the LGBTQ community… For me, I always do it for little Nick Colón, who’s out there and who's going to see this show like I did when I saw my first tour and go, ‘That’s what I want to do.’”

And with the recent release of the teen edition of Hadestown, Colón and the rest of the cast have seen kids come to the show not only inspired to get on the stage, but to get involved with a production of Hadestown.

“A really cool part of this year, for me, doing Hadestown is that last year the teen edition got released…” Colón said. “One of the coolest parts of my job this last year has been going to these stage doors and the kids are all dressed up and they’re like, ‘I was the first Hades in all of Milwaukee.’”

Locally, students in the N.E.W. Theater Collaborative put on a production of Hadestown: Teen Edition in August and Bay Port High School students will stage a production of Hadestown: Teen Edition this spring.

‘The people’s Hadestown’

For many audiences, this touring production of Hadestown is their first exposure to the show which has become a global phenomenon, earning eight Tony Awards, a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, 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.

“It’s something that I do not take lightly and it’s something that means the world to me every single night, every single performance…” Colón said. “I do not take any part of it lightly at all. I always say that the national tour is the people’s Hadestown… We get to bring the show to them and be their first experience of Hadestown. It’s an honor, it’s a privilege, and I’ll keep doing it for as long as I possibly can.”