i think it's very important to remember that Eurydice is calling out to Orpheus like that because they're lovers, partners, and while yes his song is important, he's not helping her make the life he promised He's not helping her get food, he's concentrating on the song, getting so deep into it he doesn't even notice her calling out, pleading for him to listen, she has to ask Hermes about if it's finished or not He's so absorbed in his song that he doesn't pay any attention to her
Not only is he not paying attention to her he is not working to meet their basic needs for survival. She's doing it all herself. Dude needs to get his priorities sorted. You can work on your song in the evenings by the fire side after you've had dinner. But actual survival has to come first.
He's also breaking the promise he made her just like 2 songs ago. "I'm gonna hold you forever. The wind will never change on us" He _immediately_ abandoned her once the wind changed. YES, it's to finish his important song, but he's not supporting her at all. Its like he can't even see/hear her anymore
It probably goes without saying, but there is more definitive visual cues of what you’re talking about in the actual show. It’s not just that he’s working on the song, it’s that he becomes obsessed with it to the point that he forgets about providing for his own partner
@@kevinwashington8106 yeah. I feel like Mortius isn't doing himself any favors watching animation rather than finding a slime tutorial of the actual show. So much is conveyed in choreography and stage craft in this show in particular.
Yeah and _this_ is where the tragedy really starts. To be clear, you ahve to imagine the following: Euridicy is on her feet all day, trying to find _anything_ for them to not starve or freeze and She is _trying so hard_ to trust that Orpheus sitting at home and working on his song and _not_ actively contributing towartds their survival is the right choice, but you have to imagine it getting harder and harder every day.
SPOILERS And it makes the finale all the more heartbreaking. The reason he can't save Eurydice is because he actually comes to agree with her here. He can't fully believe that she would be following right behind him, because by that point he has completely lost all faith in himself. In his song. In how the world could be, inspite of how it is.
This is basically where Hadestown takes off the safety and really starts making its point. It's like Anais Mitchell did a lot of world building, and Epic II and Chant are when she goes 'okay, now that is established, please fasten your seatbelts' A few of my favourite things: - Hades and Persephone's verses in Chant I being to the same beat as Wedding Song ('lover tell me if you can, who's gonna buy the wedding band' matching up perfectly with 'in the darkest time of year, why is it so hot down here?' and so on and so forth) while having drastically different tones, one being a young couple freshly in love, the other being a very old couple jaded and bitter. - Anyway the Wind Blows coming back as Eurydice always used to run away when the weather changes but now she is trying so hard to stay. - "And drowns out the sound of the song he once heard" and Orpheus going into his melody, while Chant 1 winds up in the background and thus the sound of the river literally drowning out the song of love. - Hades and Persephone both being blind and deaf to each other and the song of theior love, while Orpheus is also blind and deaf to seeing the gathering storm and Eurydice calling his name.
Oh my gosh I never noticed the wedding song parallel! Thanks for pointing that out! Every time I listen to this musical there's always something new to pick up : O
I love the way the themes of 'when the gods fight everyone else suffers' is reflected in Orpheus and Eurydice here. Orpheus is the son of a muse, touched by the gods, and a friend of Hermes. Eurydice... isn't. While Hades and Persephone are having their yearly argument, their wrath stirs up disaster on the surface world. Orpheus still seems protected while throwing himself entirely into his art, but Eurydice is out on her own, bearing the brunt of it. There's such a disconnect between them with Orpheus having one foot in the world of the gods and Eurydice being painfully human. It's hinted at earlier in the show, but the way it all comes to a head here is so beautiful.
Gods, I can't wait for "hey, little songbird"! I feel like Mortius gonna explode (based on his reaction to Hades's voice) Next week video is going to be so good
Honestly, I can't wait to see his face when we get there, because he is going to be so attracted to The voice, but he will be so repelled by what is said.
So many themes to pick apart in "Chant" alone, things you'll hear again through the second act, too. You hearing the contrast between "Look UP!" and "Keep your head low" is good; Orpheus isn't looking up from his work, he's fixated on the work to the exclusion of all else, ignoring the cries of his wife for the sake of his ideals, no idea how close he is to losing her. Just like Hades. Fixated on his work to the exclusion of realizing how that work is driving the other away. As Orpheus points out in "Epic II", Hades has become just as fixated on his work. Both of them are caught in "keep your head low". The interplay between all the characters, parallels and divergence, the promise of what is and what it could be. There's no coincidence that this story revolves around two love stories. "It's a love song, it's a tale of love from long ago" (for whom?) Anyway, just as I predicted, this musical is going to destroy you. :)) Welcome to the club, brother.
I think it's easy as an audience to have that reaction to Eurydices cause we know (or at least assume) that Orpheus will succeed but imagine it from her perspective. Probably weeks, maybe months have passed. Not only has nothing changed, but she's being basically ignored by the first person she ever chose to really trust and believe in. She's spent her whole life alone, and the first time she thinks she found a partner, she's more alone than ever. I think you missed the absolute desperation and pleading in her cries of 'Shelter us, Harbour me' as she's out in the storm trying to provide for them both.
Definitely months, as Orpheus meets Eurydice just before Persephone comes topside (beginning of spring, albeit late) and this part happens just after she leaves (beginning of winter, albeit early). So yeah, it was probably super sweet at first, but after a while, Eurydice's initial anxieties about how they're going to get by are bound to surface, with Orpheus's songwriting effecting no change. Unless he were to go into business as a professional musician (which, in this more modern interpretation, maybe he should have), you can't feed or keep your loved ones warm with a song. U_U
you hit the nail on the head regarding hades trying to make the underworld more like summer for persephone. The issue actually runs deaper than that because it's both sided,' hades is trying to do this for her while ignoring what she actually wants, and persephone keeps completely dismissing his efforts and not communicating what she wants. I don't know if you realized but the back and forth between hades and persephone in chant is meant to be a more sinister version of wedding song. I will let you draw your own conclusions regarding what that might imply I know you were frustrated with eurydice interupting orpheus because he knows what's at stake too, but the truth is he doesn't. This is where the dichotomy between them comes into play again. Orpheus is so focussed on how things could be, on what he can do with his song, that he is failing to see what is happening in the here and now. He is so focussed on how things could be that he couldn't lokk up and see how the world was. And i think it's obvious what the case is with eurydice, she is so focussed on how things are that she goes off to look for food on her own and well... we'll see where that leads. Thanks for listening to my tedtalk. I've been obsessed with this musical for a solid two years. It made me so happy each time you came to a realization. Don't feel bad about not getting something. This is the kind of show that needs a couple listen throughs to be fully appreciated
6:19 Eurydice: Orpheus my husband, my partner in life. We need Firewood and Food. You know in order to live and survive together. Mortius: Go away he's writing a song. I know it's to bring the world back into tune but maybe he can prioritize making sure the person he made his family has food and shelter first. The problems of the world would still be there waiting for his song. The problem of the your next meal needs to be handled now. Orpheus annoys me with that. Don't ask her to be your wife if you're not gonna be there when she's starving to death.😬🤐
My favourite part of Chant is the parallels they draw when Orpheus is singing about Hades and Persephone Hermes: Orpheus! Orpheus: King Hades is deafened by a river of stone ... And Lady Persephone's blinded by a river of wine Hermes: He did not see the storm coming on... Look up! It took me a listen or two (and I think I heard an earlier version that makes that parallel more clear) to catch that but mind blown when I did
Personally Chant 2 (all the chants actually) are my biggest emotional swings so I get it But I got married to "All I've Ever Known" so obviously that's my actual most emotional one nowadays
Something I've always adored about Chant, that I've yet to see anybody bring up, is how much character building Hades' final "...of you" does all on its own. His entire last verse is this claim that he'd give everything he's given to Persephone, do everything he's done for her, for somebody else. It all builds up as if it's some grand claim that he'll find somebody more deserving of his effort and affection. But when it gets to that final line, when he expresses how he'd want that hypothetical person to feel about those "comforts" it's that he wants them to "Think of them as my embrace of 'you'". Not embrace of "them" embrace of "you" [Persephone]. At the end of the day, Hades only cares about Persephone, he doesn't want anyone else in his life. All he really desires is somebody to acknowledge how much he feels he's putting into this relationship. Even through someone else's eyes, he wants all his work to be seen as a monument to his love for Persephone, twisted as it's become.
interesting point! the staging is similar to this animatic, with hades looking at/approaching eurydice when he sings that line, so i always interpret it as addressing her
Chant begins when the low piano beat starts playing, and it is a certified banger!! Since the whole show is a sung-through musical many of the songs are designed to flow one right into another. This is especially prevalent in the second act because the musical does not give you any time to breathe between songs which builds the tension. In the live show some of the songs bleed into the next so quickly that the audience does not even get time to clap, so there is no suspension of disbelief or break in immersion.
I love how Chant is a parallel/twist of Wedding Song, the question and answer format between lovers but one is flirty and cute, while the other is desperate and cold towards each other
Epic II + Chant is phenomenal, one of my favorite segments in the show. The “keep your head low” overlapping with the “La La las” are beautiful, and I love the lyricism where “if you wanna keep your head-” is cut off by the grunting. It’s also the first time you get to see Hadestown and wow does it make an impression, and the first time the whole cast sings together
@@opalo4113 Chant II is my favorite too, at least top 3. That Hades solo at the end genuinely might be the best of the show, it’s up there. Sets up SO much tension for Epic III which is probably my absolute favorite song, literally “sing or die”
18:32 oh my god I never realized that could be what he’s doing, he’s essentially trying to make the whole Underworld a gilded cage just for Persephone, but being an Underworld god he’s going about it all wrong, in the most unnatural ways, and it’s bugging Persephone despite Hades’s effort
Something I always think about with chant is the parallels between Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone. When hades and Persephone sing, it mirrors wedding song, with Persephone bringing up the different topics each verse and hades replying to her thoughts. He also starts each time with lover, the way Orpheus does. The two couples also go opposite ways with Eurydice’s questions bringing them closer and Persephone’s drifting them further apart
23:04 I really do feel for Hades tho. Imagine being told by the person you love most in the world that your home, the home _you share_ is "Hell on earth" "Did you think I'd be impressed?" Like _YEAH_ Persephone! He _really_ did (or at least HOPED) thats the saddest part, he really did He's still going about all this the wrong way tho, Im not excusing his actions
So my interpretation of the Fayes around Eurydice during Anyway the Wind Blows and here again in Chant is in AtWB she was freezing and starving (near d3@th). The Fates were there half ushering her to the Underworld. Orpheus brought some light and warmth into her life and help save her (plus Persephone coming back). But, with Persephone leaving and Orpheus’ attention focused on the song, she was forced into her survival mode again, now trying to keep not just herself but also Orpheus warm and fed and the Fates see her again near d3@th and are starting to lead her back to her (almost inevitable) fate. I love their presence and implementation. So beautifully done.
i feel bad for hades bc hes like... so far down into his head. Hes gone from ACTUALLY caring for persephone to being so hurt by her leaving that hes turned to gross creepiness. Like when you shout stuff you dont mean bc youre angry in an argument. He doesnt WANT her in a cage but he feels he has to resort to it ( still wrong, still gross, but hey greek mythology is NOT a very healthy starting place sksksk). I hope mortius can find more sympathy for him later in the play T.T.
yeah he's still super gross about it but this is the kind of thing that might have started as a small conflict and was just left to fester over centuries. He is actually doing everything out of love for persephone, but his intentions and motivations have gotten so misplaced over the years
@august1837 this exactly! The fact that he even talks about it as building a place where she could be safe and protected shows that it started somewhere that he thought would be GOOD for her. It just got worse and worse and worse as he grappled with his personal loneliness and fear of abandonment. Hades as a character is used to being treated poorly by the other gods, so he tries to give her what HE would want, a safe haven where the world cant hurt her, rather than what she wants, trust that she will return to him if he lets her be free to roam. A great commentary on when defense becomes control and caution turns to paranoia.
Not to mention, persephone says it "takes a lot of medicine to make it through the winter time" while asking for morphine etc. This seems like she spends most if not all her days down there under influence of substances, so even if she's with him she wouldnt be entirely there, Hades doesn't get her entirely, which i think only aggravates the problem
I’m so glad you picked up on the “Hades is industrializing Hadestown to mimic the overworld.” This is kind of a subtle analogy of climate change, with the atmosphere heating up. Persephone mentions “coal cars and oil drums” and Hades specifically calls out that he uses “fossils of the dead”, all references to fossil fuels. Then the changes in the world directly parallel changes we see in real life as a result of climate change. Orpheus states that one of the things that made times hard was the fact that “the seasons are wrong” which we see in real life when fall season is too hot or when winters are too cold and harsh. Then Persephone mentioning “oceans rise and overflow” references the melting ice caps and subsequent rising of the ocean tides.
@@Lulu_o7I mean he kind of is, the entire point of him ensnaring eurydice like this was so that he could replace Persephone because he felt like their marriage wasn't worth saving, it is still creepy, but it's a good song to establish the kind of character Hades is
21:29 You actually missed a really cool lyric there because of the pause: "(And Lady Persephony's blinded by a river of wine,) Livin' in an oblivion" It just sounds so amazing, as if you could play it backwards and it would still be the same somehow? I can't even really describe why I love that lyric so much! (To be clear, not blaming you at all for missing this, you have to pause somewhere obviously to give the commentary we are here for, so I just wanted to tell you what you missed while pausing to make the thing we enjoy). I also wanted to say how much more this musical affected me after these songs because the way it integrates themes of industrialisation, climate change, poverty and capitalism in the story makes it so easy to draw parallels to real world problems and makes you think "well, if in this story the reason for all of the imbalance is the lost love of Hades and Persephone, what are the reasons in our society? What do those two stand for?" It just gets you thinking, and there are so many ways to interpret it. It also makes the story way more tragic, but also comforting at the same time. That aspect of Hadestown got me the most, I think, even more than the music. All this to say that I will very impatiently wait for your other reactions!
I was lucky enough to see this on broadway, and the way the fates rip eurydice’s jacket off her back in chant, and the way she shouts “give that back” so raw and vulnerable made me tear up this show is incredible 😢😢
This brings me a whole new light to the last song. (The same happened to Love in Paradise in Epic). I've loved this musical for YEARS and never picked up on how... inherently unhealthy the relationship between Hades and Perse is. I've always seen him as a bit harsh but not necessarily bad. I saw him as desperate to get Persephone's love again. Like he feels her slipping away and is trying to make her stay. First by making Hadestown feel more like summer (which i still think is sweet), then starting to get scared she'll want to leave, so he threatens that he'll find someone else. (I see where he's coming from though i don't agree with how he decides to word it). I see how that can be manipulative, though i definitely don’t think he'd go through with it in the end, but it's also something that i understand. He loves her and feels like she's slipping away and doesn't know how to make her stay.... so he results to threats. I'm not saying it's okay, just that i understand why. It was interesting to see your reaction to it because it came as a complete shock. I've never seen it that way, and that’s what i love about watching other people's reactions. It brings new perspectives on stuff. I do ultimately thing you were a tad harsh (thought i completely understand why). I also came into this musical with a complete adoration of the mythological Hades and Persephone story and the love of many adaptations of it, so take everything i say with a grain of salt, because I'm quite majorly biased lol. Loved the reaction. Can't wait for the next one. Sending love and hugs to anyone who might need them. ❤
yes hades and persephone's relationship is very toxic here.... i like the conclusion that this musical gives them. *SPOILER* they're not perfect but they're both agreeing to work on it bc they do still love each other ❤
Bonus creeps for Patrick Page, the actor who is the voice of Hades here is also the actor who is the voice of Frollo in the stage production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ✨️
Hermes is so tired of this. Again and again. When he says ”look up!” he doesn’t even expect Orpheus to hear him. He still tries though. “See, someone's got to tell the tale Whether or not it turns out well Maybe it will turn out this time On the road to Hell On the railroad line…”
"Epic II" is my favorite of the 3 broadway Epics (oh course the off-broadway version of Epic III _Absolutely_ takes the cake) Epic II just _hits different_ when you first hear it during the political climate of 2017 How was i supposed to be _normal_ hearing "Hades lays them high & thick, with a million hands that are not his own. With a million hands he builds a wall, around all the riches he digs from the earth" after the turmoil of the 2016 election???
not gonna lie, i was hoping he would watch sealbatross' animatic for chant, hades is just so menacing and powerful in it. also i love how they illustrated the orpheus and euryduce segments, it really shows how he left her all alone and how isolated she feels (this is just personal preference of course! i also love this animatic, i adore the colors in it, i just like sealbatross' a bit more)
OH MY GOSH! Mortius reaction for Hadestown?! I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I can't wait for "How long" and "Chant II", they are my favorites! I really, really recommend "Chant II" animatic by sealbatross, it's the only one that have Persephone part in it!
@@mimistrashcan2927 It was! It gives more of a backstory to why she is so resentful and connects the two women together. Without Persephone’s verse, both Eurydice and Persephone lose their voices a little. Let's hope that Mortius choose it for reaction video!
Another vote for Sealbatross's "Chant II" animatic. Although a somewhat different version than the soundtrack you're using, Hades and Persephone are performed by the same people, so it's not a jarring change at all, and I really do think those extra verses (which were cut in the Broadway performance your soundtrack preserves) add so much to the show!
Yep, alright, yep, that is a twisted Hades villian song if I ever heard one. The justifcation of his resonings as his expressions of love when he is possesive of all he owns and just coveting it all like a dragon. That is just damn twisted!
Chant is one of my favorite songs to song because I can hit everyone’s notes 😂 and then I have to stop singing for like 30 minutes so I don’t destroy my voice
Привет, не знаю переведёшь ты это или нет. Я из России и мне чертовски нравится слушать мюзиклы, бывает такое, что переслушиваю их целиком и полностью десятки раз и всё как в первый. Твои реакции не только вдыхают в них новой жизни, но и приносят невероятные эмоции когда слышишь рассуждения и видишь реакция которые сам когда-то впервые испытывал. Ты прекрасный человек, продолжай в том же духе🤩
Me too. It was only in Chant when I realized the climate change metaphor they were going for, and it dawned on me in perfect sync with Orpheus's own dawning revelation. It was probably the _neatest_ syncronicity of music, character revelation, and reader response that I've ever experienced.
In this play Hades' character is almost like and oil executive or a CEO, which is a really interesting portrayal, especially because he is the god of all the riches underground, including oil and coal
I never noticed that Chant draws a direct parallel to Wedding Song. The back and forth, the lady mentioning an issue and the man explaining how it's right, but in Chant, it's all possessive instead of promising... This is not a well put thought, but I definitely feel like it's more than a small connection.
Ohhhh Mortius, I cannot WAIT until you hear Hades' advice to Orpheus on how to keep a woman. You might actually crawl out of your own skin to escape. I'm so sorry in advance. ALSO: Why We Build The Wall, believe it or not, was written before certain American politicians decided a wall might be a good idea. You're going to love-hate that one too. It only gets more epic from here. Watching your reactions is like seeing it for the first time myself, you're so expressive and I'm appreciating the music even more as you pick up stuff I missed. Sincerely, thank you!
Okay this is not at all a dig on you, I’m someone with adhd and audio processing disorder so I get it, but I think whoever is making you these lists really needs to make sure that captions are on. I feel like a lot of the confusion you’ve experienced (particularly in everything around way down etc) would have at least been helped a bit making both a better experience for you and your audience. If you’re looking for a Patrick Page (the stage actor who plays Hades) in a role where he’s not some brand of bastard (he has a habit of playing the villain) I would check out the audio drama In Strange Woods. It’s a musical podcast around a mystery story with some amazing theatre people in it.
not that i disagree, but i don't know if there are enough animatics that have captions to choose from? definitely agree with making it a priority when possible though
One thing I picked up in Chant (which is a beyond epic song in itself) is that in the middle when Orpheus is trying to figure out what the problem is and the strings’ notes are played with a slide. Then when he starts to figure it out the notes become solid and aren’t sliding anymore (on “And the seasons are wrong” is when the strings’ note style changes, signaling that Orpheus has figured it out. He’s searching for the answers on the sliding part and then the notes become more certain when he comes to the realization of why the seasons are so messed up.)
It's super cool to me how they depict The Fates. I think it would've been very common to attribute random good things happening to a person as one of the Gods smiling down on them; and anything bad that happens for seemingly no reason is attributed to The Fates. Anything we'd call bad luck, a losing streak, falling on hard times and hitting rock bottom; could all just be The Fates deciding misfortune will fall on you. What we'd consider poor happenstance suddenly becomes malicious; like they're being cruel to Eurydice specifically. If this musical weren't embracing the pantheon and story it's based on, Hermes might've narrated that Eurydice was born into nothing and was faced with struggle all her life. But because of the Greek Patheon's inspiration and themes Eurydice was followed by the fates all her life; like it's a curse to be close to fate, like they're mischievous and cruel. Not only that, they appear to create doubt in our protagonists. They urge Eurydice to leave Orpheus and strike out on her own again, they speak to Orpheus and even Hades later (No spoilers, you haven't reacted to that yet.) One would think The Fates can be kind or generous even, for every misfortune there is a miracle; but instead of a Devil and Angel on your Shoulder vibe, they're just three devils talking you into trouble, stealing your shit, and kicking you while you're down.
I interpret Hades as trying to make the Underworld like the Earth, so Persephone will stay with him and not miss the Earth as much, but Persephone just wants to be on the Earth as it is the only time she isn't in the Underworld due to its dark, cold atmosphere and the souls of the dead. In the end, I think its more or less they misunderstand each other's intents, but they are so jaded that they have almost completely fallen out of love due to Hades not wanting to lose his wife and Persephone wanting to be more free.
Love your reactions! Chant is one of my favorites- on top of everything you picked up on, I love that she (Anais Mitchell, writer of the show) included that it's because he's industrializing the 'under'world that our world has fallen into climate chaos.
Semi spoilerish (not much) but with Chant especially, a lot of these themes and leitmotifs come back so hard in later reprises I’m so excited to see the reaction
Ok, i already made a comment on this video but it was a whole rant on Hades and Perse, so something a tad funnier. When i watched this musical for the first time, for some reason my brain latched onto the lyric "way down under the ground", and since then, in my brain, this musical is happening in Australia lol. Another weird connection my mind made was to the Great Depression (probably because i was studying it at the time). See I've always interpreted this musical as being very similar to Percy Jackson or American Gods. In my head the gods aren't *really* gods. At least not anymore. They've become more or less powerless and Hades runs a mining town. The while thing about spring coming later and summers being harsher feels like a huge alegory to climate change. There's also aspects that seem to alude to the industrial revolution, which you know... is a big cause of climate change. It seems like a fitting metaphor. I also have always seen the fates as not actually being there, but representing someone’s subconscious. Like how in Chant they sing about Eurydice' doubts. (Another song towards the end also i think supports this theory). If you think about them like that, it reframes the whole thing. Anyway, that’s all for now. Great video. Can't wait for the next one ❤❤❤
your great depression connection is not weird, that was exactly the intention. It's not the great depression exactly but the setting was made to be great depression esk
@august1837 huh! It feels like such a weird coincidence that I found this musical RIGHT when I was studying the great depression at school. It literally was just a thing that kept coming up in my recommendation for years prior, and that week I just decided to click it. Maybe the fates were singing in the back of MY head 😂
It's only now dawning on me why I haven't fully dove into this show before now; it's because I'd love it too much. To truly love something is to give it the power to break you, and I know this show is going to break me.
Fates: spending the entire song trying to sow seeds of doubt and edging everyone towards the worst possible choices Fates: also stealing Eurydice's bag and cloak Fates: grinning like maniacs the entire time. Mortius 23:37 "That's messed up. That's messed up!" And yet failing to make the last intuitive step and reach the conclusion. Mortius, my distinguished, impeccably dressed friend, please say it with me: *Despite appearances, Hades is NOT the villain of Hadestown.* He is only a minor (tragic) antagonist.
To answer your question about how Chant isn't the finale of act one: It's because it's kind of the opening number. Like, yes, there are several songs before it, but I think that those are kind of the exposition and lead-in, and Chant is where the story really begins.
21:17 IT TOOK ME TILL THIS REACTION THAT I FOUND THE DOUBLE MEANING! MORTIUS SO WHIL ORPHEUS SINGS THIS PART TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY FORGOTTEN THEIR LOVE! THE CHORUS SINGS OVER ORPHEUS SYMBOLIZING WHAT THEY ONLY HEAR VE ORPHEUS BEING THE LOVE THEY ONCE KNEW! NOTICE HOW EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS IN THE SONG THEY GET LOUDER AND LOUDER AND ORPHEUS IS LITTLE BY LITTLE SOUNDING FAINTER INTO THE BACKGROUND UNTIL WHEN EVERYONE COMES TOGETHER IN THE END OF THE SONG
"Eurydice leave the buddy alone." ...ok but we literally need food and heat to survive the winter. Like your song is great but if you don't survive long enough to finish it you're not going to do anyone any good so maybe address the immediate needs first. Just sayin.
Eurydice: *has to singlehandedly provide for both herself and her bohemian husband* Mortius: "stop pushing him he's trying!" Morty, bby, she's not asking Orpheus to put more work into the song, she's asking him to please be a reliable partner and maybe get a day job while they're going through winter.
In future songs, Hermes stops being kind to Orpheus. And i honestly think its because Orpheus says "its because of the gods." More than likelyonly Hades and Persephone but Hermes also being a god, takes it as a slight against him as well. So in future songs he stops being nice to Orpheus.
Don't know if the perspective has changed for you yet, but since he came back to get her early, I would think that the reason she's later and later getting back for springtime is because he's kept her in the underworld ( just based off of how she feels about the underworld it really does seem like she wouldn't willingly stay there longer than she has to, at least not at this point in time where her marriage is literally dying)
i think it's very important to remember that Eurydice is calling out to Orpheus like that because they're lovers, partners, and while yes his song is important, he's not helping her make the life he promised
He's not helping her get food, he's concentrating on the song, getting so deep into it he doesn't even notice her calling out, pleading for him to listen, she has to ask Hermes about if it's finished or not
He's so absorbed in his song that he doesn't pay any attention to her
Not only is he not paying attention to her he is not working to meet their basic needs for survival. She's doing it all herself. Dude needs to get his priorities sorted. You can work on your song in the evenings by the fire side after you've had dinner. But actual survival has to come first.
He's also breaking the promise he made her just like 2 songs ago.
"I'm gonna hold you forever. The wind will never change on us"
He _immediately_ abandoned her once the wind changed. YES, it's to finish his important song, but he's not supporting her at all. Its like he can't even see/hear her anymore
It probably goes without saying, but there is more definitive visual cues of what you’re talking about in the actual show. It’s not just that he’s working on the song, it’s that he becomes obsessed with it to the point that he forgets about providing for his own partner
@@kevinwashington8106 yeah. I feel like Mortius isn't doing himself any favors watching animation rather than finding a slime tutorial of the actual show. So much is conveyed in choreography and stage craft in this show in particular.
Most great artists (and Orpheus is an archetype of one) are that absorbed and married to their works.
Yeah and _this_ is where the tragedy really starts.
To be clear, you ahve to imagine the following: Euridicy is on her feet all day, trying to find _anything_ for them to not starve or freeze and She is _trying so hard_ to trust that Orpheus sitting at home and working on his song and _not_ actively contributing towartds their survival is the right choice, but you have to imagine it getting harder and harder every day.
SPOILERS And it makes the finale all the more heartbreaking. The reason he can't save Eurydice is because he actually comes to agree with her here. He can't fully believe that she would be following right behind him, because by that point he has completely lost all faith in himself. In his song. In how the world could be, inspite of how it is.
This is basically where Hadestown takes off the safety and really starts making its point. It's like Anais Mitchell did a lot of world building, and Epic II and Chant are when she goes 'okay, now that is established, please fasten your seatbelts'
A few of my favourite things:
- Hades and Persephone's verses in Chant I being to the same beat as Wedding Song ('lover tell me if you can, who's gonna buy the wedding band' matching up perfectly with 'in the darkest time of year, why is it so hot down here?' and so on and so forth) while having drastically different tones, one being a young couple freshly in love, the other being a very old couple jaded and bitter.
- Anyway the Wind Blows coming back as Eurydice always used to run away when the weather changes but now she is trying so hard to stay.
- "And drowns out the sound of the song he once heard" and Orpheus going into his melody, while Chant 1 winds up in the background and thus the sound of the river literally drowning out the song of love.
- Hades and Persephone both being blind and deaf to each other and the song of theior love, while Orpheus is also blind and deaf to seeing the gathering storm and Eurydice calling his name.
Oh my gosh I never noticed the wedding song parallel! Thanks for pointing that out! Every time I listen to this musical there's always something new to pick up : O
I love the way the themes of 'when the gods fight everyone else suffers' is reflected in Orpheus and Eurydice here. Orpheus is the son of a muse, touched by the gods, and a friend of Hermes. Eurydice... isn't.
While Hades and Persephone are having their yearly argument, their wrath stirs up disaster on the surface world. Orpheus still seems protected while throwing himself entirely into his art, but Eurydice is out on her own, bearing the brunt of it.
There's such a disconnect between them with Orpheus having one foot in the world of the gods and Eurydice being painfully human. It's hinted at earlier in the show, but the way it all comes to a head here is so beautiful.
Gods, I can't wait for "hey, little songbird"! I feel like Mortius gonna explode (based on his reaction to Hades's voice)
Next week video is going to be so good
Honestly, I can't wait to see his face when we get there, because he is going to be so attracted to The voice, but he will be so repelled by what is said.
@@dragansnyder2786honestly that was my reaction exactly 😭
@@dragansnyder2786I'm so excited to see him spontaneously combust on camera!!
Mortius: I may have a crush on Hades...
Hades: I've got all you could want here, all you could need here...
Mortius: 🤢 Never mind.
Hades: "Oh, my love, I rearranged the garden for you!"
Persephone: "I HATE IT"
😭
Lol that's so true xD
"How is this not act one finale?" Trust me the act one finale is so much better and ill wait for you
i see what you did there
@@hrsmesn heheheheheh
I'm coming!
teeechnically the Act 1 finale would be the song after, which a lot of people do say feels like a weird choice lol
So many themes to pick apart in "Chant" alone, things you'll hear again through the second act, too.
You hearing the contrast between "Look UP!" and "Keep your head low" is good; Orpheus isn't looking up from his work, he's fixated on the work to the exclusion of all else, ignoring the cries of his wife for the sake of his ideals, no idea how close he is to losing her.
Just like Hades. Fixated on his work to the exclusion of realizing how that work is driving the other away. As Orpheus points out in "Epic II", Hades has become just as fixated on his work. Both of them are caught in "keep your head low". The interplay between all the characters, parallels and divergence, the promise of what is and what it could be. There's no coincidence that this story revolves around two love stories. "It's a love song, it's a tale of love from long ago" (for whom?)
Anyway, just as I predicted, this musical is going to destroy you. :)) Welcome to the club, brother.
About the "look up" line. That is Hermes who is telling the story begging for him to look up knowing he can't change the story.
I think it's easy as an audience to have that reaction to Eurydices cause we know (or at least assume) that Orpheus will succeed but imagine it from her perspective. Probably weeks, maybe months have passed. Not only has nothing changed, but she's being basically ignored by the first person she ever chose to really trust and believe in. She's spent her whole life alone, and the first time she thinks she found a partner, she's more alone than ever. I think you missed the absolute desperation and pleading in her cries of 'Shelter us, Harbour me' as she's out in the storm trying to provide for them both.
Definitely months, as Orpheus meets Eurydice just before Persephone comes topside (beginning of spring, albeit late) and this part happens just after she leaves (beginning of winter, albeit early). So yeah, it was probably super sweet at first, but after a while, Eurydice's initial anxieties about how they're going to get by are bound to surface, with Orpheus's songwriting effecting no change. Unless he were to go into business as a professional musician (which, in this more modern interpretation, maybe he should have), you can't feed or keep your loved ones warm with a song. U_U
11:35 😂😂
“He wants to hoard Penelope for himself”
*Odysseus intensifies*
you hit the nail on the head regarding hades trying to make the underworld more like summer for persephone. The issue actually runs deaper than that because it's both sided,' hades is trying to do this for her while ignoring what she actually wants, and persephone keeps completely dismissing his efforts and not communicating what she wants.
I don't know if you realized but the back and forth between hades and persephone in chant is meant to be a more sinister version of wedding song. I will let you draw your own conclusions regarding what that might imply
I know you were frustrated with eurydice interupting orpheus because he knows what's at stake too, but the truth is he doesn't. This is where the dichotomy between them comes into play again. Orpheus is so focussed on how things could be, on what he can do with his song, that he is failing to see what is happening in the here and now. He is so focussed on how things could be that he couldn't lokk up and see how the world was. And i think it's obvious what the case is with eurydice, she is so focussed on how things are that she goes off to look for food on her own and well... we'll see where that leads.
Thanks for listening to my tedtalk. I've been obsessed with this musical for a solid two years. It made me so happy each time you came to a realization. Don't feel bad about not getting something. This is the kind of show that needs a couple listen throughs to be fully appreciated
6:19 Eurydice: Orpheus my husband, my partner in life. We need Firewood and Food. You know in order to live and survive together.
Mortius: Go away he's writing a song.
I know it's to bring the world back into tune but maybe he can prioritize making sure the person he made his family has food and shelter first. The problems of the world would still be there waiting for his song. The problem of the your next meal needs to be handled now. Orpheus annoys me with that. Don't ask her to be your wife if you're not gonna be there when she's starving to death.😬🤐
My favourite part of Chant is the parallels they draw when Orpheus is singing about Hades and Persephone
Hermes: Orpheus!
Orpheus: King Hades is deafened by a river of stone ... And Lady Persephone's blinded by a river of wine
Hermes: He did not see the storm coming on... Look up!
It took me a listen or two (and I think I heard an earlier version that makes that parallel more clear) to catch that but mind blown when I did
Yeah, he was so blind to Eurydice hardship and suffering as well :(
Oh crap, these are not the songs that I expect would pull that much of an emotional reaction, I am very curious about this
I love their reactions
I’m excited to see how he reacts to “Wait for me”
Personally Chant 2 (all the chants actually) are my biggest emotional swings so I get it
But I got married to "All I've Ever Known" so obviously that's my actual most emotional one nowadays
Something I've always adored about Chant, that I've yet to see anybody bring up, is how much character building Hades' final "...of you" does all on its own. His entire last verse is this claim that he'd give everything he's given to Persephone, do everything he's done for her, for somebody else. It all builds up as if it's some grand claim that he'll find somebody more deserving of his effort and affection. But when it gets to that final line, when he expresses how he'd want that hypothetical person to feel about those "comforts" it's that he wants them to "Think of them as my embrace of 'you'". Not embrace of "them" embrace of "you" [Persephone]. At the end of the day, Hades only cares about Persephone, he doesn't want anyone else in his life. All he really desires is somebody to acknowledge how much he feels he's putting into this relationship. Even through someone else's eyes, he wants all his work to be seen as a monument to his love for Persephone, twisted as it's become.
interesting point! the staging is similar to this animatic, with hades looking at/approaching eurydice when he sings that line, so i always interpret it as addressing her
Chant begins when the low piano beat starts playing, and it is a certified banger!! Since the whole show is a sung-through musical many of the songs are designed to flow one right into another. This is especially prevalent in the second act because the musical does not give you any time to breathe between songs which builds the tension. In the live show some of the songs bleed into the next so quickly that the audience does not even get time to clap, so there is no suspension of disbelief or break in immersion.
I love how Chant is a parallel/twist of Wedding Song, the question and answer format between lovers but one is flirty and cute, while the other is desperate and cold towards each other
Hades: "The Comforts of a Gilded Cage-"
Mortius: EWWWW, BROTHER EWWWW!
Epic II + Chant is phenomenal, one of my favorite segments in the show. The “keep your head low” overlapping with the “La La las” are beautiful, and I love the lyricism where “if you wanna keep your head-” is cut off by the grunting. It’s also the first time you get to see Hadestown and wow does it make an impression, and the first time the whole cast sings together
Chant II for me. I first listened to Hadestown and fell in love with it from the original album and Chant II was my favorite song.
@@opalo4113 Chant II is my favorite too, at least top 3. That Hades solo at the end genuinely might be the best of the show, it’s up there. Sets up SO much tension for Epic III which is probably my absolute favorite song, literally “sing or die”
18:32 oh my god I never realized that could be what he’s doing, he’s essentially trying to make the whole Underworld a gilded cage just for Persephone, but being an Underworld god he’s going about it all wrong, in the most unnatural ways, and it’s bugging Persephone despite Hades’s effort
8:34 Dead Hermes
Something I always think about with chant is the parallels between Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone. When hades and Persephone sing, it mirrors wedding song, with Persephone bringing up the different topics each verse and hades replying to her thoughts. He also starts each time with lover, the way Orpheus does. The two couples also go opposite ways with Eurydice’s questions bringing them closer and Persephone’s drifting them further apart
Mortius:What’s this symbolism all mean!?!?
The song not even 30 seconds later: hold on babe we’ll explain just like enjoy the music ok?
23:04 I really do feel for Hades tho. Imagine being told by the person you love most in the world that your home, the home _you share_ is "Hell on earth"
"Did you think I'd be impressed?" Like _YEAH_ Persephone! He _really_ did (or at least HOPED) thats the saddest part, he really did
He's still going about all this the wrong way tho, Im not excusing his actions
So my interpretation of the Fayes around Eurydice during Anyway the Wind Blows and here again in Chant is in AtWB she was freezing and starving (near d3@th). The Fates were there half ushering her to the Underworld. Orpheus brought some light and warmth into her life and help save her (plus Persephone coming back). But, with Persephone leaving and Orpheus’ attention focused on the song, she was forced into her survival mode again, now trying to keep not just herself but also Orpheus warm and fed and the Fates see her again near d3@th and are starting to lead her back to her (almost inevitable) fate. I love their presence and implementation. So beautifully done.
i feel bad for hades bc hes like... so far down into his head. Hes gone from ACTUALLY caring for persephone to being so hurt by her leaving that hes turned to gross creepiness. Like when you shout stuff you dont mean bc youre angry in an argument. He doesnt WANT her in a cage but he feels he has to resort to it ( still wrong, still gross, but hey greek mythology is NOT a very healthy starting place sksksk). I hope mortius can find more sympathy for him later in the play T.T.
Tbh I'm having trouble thinking of a more unhealthy place to start a relationship in than Greek mythology 😂
yeah he's still super gross about it but this is the kind of thing that might have started as a small conflict and was just left to fester over centuries. He is actually doing everything out of love for persephone, but his intentions and motivations have gotten so misplaced over the years
@august1837 this exactly! The fact that he even talks about it as building a place where she could be safe and protected shows that it started somewhere that he thought would be GOOD for her. It just got worse and worse and worse as he grappled with his personal loneliness and fear of abandonment. Hades as a character is used to being treated poorly by the other gods, so he tries to give her what HE would want, a safe haven where the world cant hurt her, rather than what she wants, trust that she will return to him if he lets her be free to roam. A great commentary on when defense becomes control and caution turns to paranoia.
Hades: I invented electricity for you
Persephone: Thanks, I hate it.
😭
Not to mention, persephone says it "takes a lot of medicine to make it through the winter time" while asking for morphine etc.
This seems like she spends most if not all her days down there under influence of substances, so even if she's with him she wouldnt be entirely there, Hades doesn't get her entirely, which i think only aggravates the problem
I’m so glad you picked up on the “Hades is industrializing Hadestown to mimic the overworld.” This is kind of a subtle analogy of climate change, with the atmosphere heating up. Persephone mentions “coal cars and oil drums” and Hades specifically calls out that he uses “fossils of the dead”, all references to fossil fuels. Then the changes in the world directly parallel changes we see in real life as a result of climate change. Orpheus states that one of the things that made times hard was the fact that “the seasons are wrong” which we see in real life when fall season is too hot or when winters are too cold and harsh. Then Persephone mentioning “oceans rise and overflow” references the melting ice caps and subsequent rising of the ocean tides.
You thought the analogy was subtle? 😅 I thought it was quite heavyhanded
Eating before listening to the next 2 songs is actually unintentionally diabolical
😭
I love the transition from Epic to Chant; the move from a 3-count song to a 4- count song is so well done.
Aww man. I have to wait another week for hey little songbird.
Hey little songbird disgusts me its so creepy and icky and ugh- its almost like hes hitting on her its so ew
@@Lulu_o7yes but the vocals are beautiful!! the instrumental is great too... all the strings 🫠 definitely hard to listen to bc of the lyrics tho
@@Lulu_o7I mean he kind of is, the entire point of him ensnaring eurydice like this was so that he could replace Persephone because he felt like their marriage wasn't worth saving, it is still creepy, but it's a good song to establish the kind of character Hades is
21:29 You actually missed a really cool lyric there because of the pause: "(And Lady Persephony's blinded by a river of wine,) Livin' in an oblivion" It just sounds so amazing, as if you could play it backwards and it would still be the same somehow? I can't even really describe why I love that lyric so much!
(To be clear, not blaming you at all for missing this, you have to pause somewhere obviously to give the commentary we are here for, so I just wanted to tell you what you missed while pausing to make the thing we enjoy).
I also wanted to say how much more this musical affected me after these songs because the way it integrates themes of industrialisation, climate change, poverty and capitalism in the story makes it so easy to draw parallels to real world problems and makes you think "well, if in this story the reason for all of the imbalance is the lost love of Hades and Persephone, what are the reasons in our society? What do those two stand for?" It just gets you thinking, and there are so many ways to interpret it. It also makes the story way more tragic, but also comforting at the same time. That aspect of Hadestown got me the most, I think, even more than the music.
All this to say that I will very impatiently wait for your other reactions!
I was lucky enough to see this on broadway, and the way the fates rip eurydice’s jacket off her back in chant, and the way she shouts “give that back” so raw and vulnerable made me tear up this show is incredible 😢😢
This brings me a whole new light to the last song. (The same happened to Love in Paradise in Epic). I've loved this musical for YEARS and never picked up on how... inherently unhealthy the relationship between Hades and Perse is. I've always seen him as a bit harsh but not necessarily bad. I saw him as desperate to get Persephone's love again. Like he feels her slipping away and is trying to make her stay. First by making Hadestown feel more like summer (which i still think is sweet), then starting to get scared she'll want to leave, so he threatens that he'll find someone else. (I see where he's coming from though i don't agree with how he decides to word it).
I see how that can be manipulative, though i definitely don’t think he'd go through with it in the end, but it's also something that i understand. He loves her and feels like she's slipping away and doesn't know how to make her stay.... so he results to threats. I'm not saying it's okay, just that i understand why.
It was interesting to see your reaction to it because it came as a complete shock. I've never seen it that way, and that’s what i love about watching other people's reactions. It brings new perspectives on stuff.
I do ultimately thing you were a tad harsh (thought i completely understand why).
I also came into this musical with a complete adoration of the mythological Hades and Persephone story and the love of many adaptations of it, so take everything i say with a grain of salt, because I'm quite majorly biased lol.
Loved the reaction. Can't wait for the next one. Sending love and hugs to anyone who might need them. ❤
yes hades and persephone's relationship is very toxic here.... i like the conclusion that this musical gives them. *SPOILER* they're not perfect but they're both agreeing to work on it bc they do still love each other ❤
the songs were just as good as i remember and the reactions were SO REAL i love all of their voices
Bonus creeps for Patrick Page, the actor who is the voice of Hades here is also the actor who is the voice of Frollo in the stage production of The Hunchback of Notre Dame. ✨️
Hermes is so tired of this. Again and again. When he says ”look up!” he doesn’t even expect Orpheus to hear him.
He still tries though.
“See, someone's got to tell the tale
Whether or not it turns out well
Maybe it will turn out this time
On the road to Hell
On the railroad line…”
That final “of you” on stage is delivered to Eurydice going straight into Hey Little Songbird
The second of pure silent blinking as you try to process Chant is. So very relatable hgfkdl
"Epic II" is my favorite of the 3 broadway Epics (oh course the off-broadway version of Epic III _Absolutely_ takes the cake)
Epic II just _hits different_ when you first hear it during the political climate of 2017
How was i supposed to be _normal_ hearing "Hades lays them high & thick, with a million hands that are not his own. With a million hands he builds a wall, around all the riches he digs from the earth" after the turmoil of the 2016 election???
can't wait for this, i'm guessing you liked chant, it's when the story really starts going. Most of the songs so far have mostly been set up
not gonna lie, i was hoping he would watch sealbatross' animatic for chant, hades is just so menacing and powerful in it. also i love how they illustrated the orpheus and euryduce segments, it really shows how he left her all alone and how isolated she feels
(this is just personal preference of course! i also love this animatic, i adore the colors in it, i just like sealbatross' a bit more)
OH MY GOSH! Mortius reaction for Hadestown?! I LOVE IT SO MUCH! I can't wait for "How long" and "Chant II", they are my favorites! I really, really recommend "Chant II" animatic by sealbatross, it's the only one that have Persephone part in it!
Those two songs are top tier, honestly underrated. Same with If It’s True imo
I definitely second that! Persephone's part being cut off from the Broadway version was a crime lol
@@mimistrashcan2927 It was! It gives more of a backstory to why she is so resentful and connects the two women together. Without Persephone’s verse, both Eurydice and Persephone lose their voices a little. Let's hope that Mortius choose it for reaction video!
Another vote for Sealbatross's "Chant II" animatic. Although a somewhat different version than the soundtrack you're using, Hades and Persephone are performed by the same people, so it's not a jarring change at all, and I really do think those extra verses (which were cut in the Broadway performance your soundtrack preserves) add so much to the show!
@@elkins4406 Cannot recommend it enough, it is a masterpiece in every way!
Yep, alright, yep, that is a twisted Hades villian song if I ever heard one.
The justifcation of his resonings as his expressions of love when he is possesive of all he owns and just coveting it all like a dragon. That is just damn twisted!
Morts gonna absolutely explode with little songbird holy😭😭😭
I wonder if he picks up on the Wedding Song motif or if he is too distracted by the lyrics? I didn't pick up on it my first time watching/ listening.
Im so hyped.
Its 22 ocklock in Germany right now
And it was a perfect time for a premier. So happy that most of the premiers lately are set around this time so I can watch them immediately
Chant is one of my favorite songs to song because I can hit everyone’s notes 😂 and then I have to stop singing for like 30 minutes so I don’t destroy my voice
Ooooooh I really like how the Fates handed Hades Eurydice’s bag at the end, great choice by the animator
Привет, не знаю переведёшь ты это или нет.
Я из России и мне чертовски нравится слушать мюзиклы, бывает такое, что переслушиваю их целиком и полностью десятки раз и всё как в первый. Твои реакции не только вдыхают в них новой жизни, но и приносят невероятные эмоции когда слышишь рассуждения и видишь реакция которые сам когда-то впервые испытывал.
Ты прекрасный человек, продолжай в том же духе🤩
This is so sweet
Oh yeah, I'm watching the premiere for this. I felt the same way listening to this the first time as how Mortius looks in the title picture.
Me too. It was only in Chant when I realized the climate change metaphor they were going for, and it dawned on me in perfect sync with Orpheus's own dawning revelation. It was probably the _neatest_ syncronicity of music, character revelation, and reader response that I've ever experienced.
In this play Hades' character is almost like and oil executive or a CEO, which is a really interesting portrayal, especially because he is the god of all the riches underground, including oil and coal
CHANT MY FAVOURITE SONG WOO
THE TROMBONE IS SO FIRE
I love this song so much
Def my favorite. And every cast member has an integral part.
@@Katie281fr the whole show shifts up a gear with this number in terms of musical motifs, symbolism and plot
I never noticed that Chant draws a direct parallel to Wedding Song. The back and forth, the lady mentioning an issue and the man explaining how it's right, but in Chant, it's all possessive instead of promising...
This is not a well put thought, but I definitely feel like it's more than a small connection.
I'm not ready for Hey Little Songbird and When the Chips Are Down
Ohhhh Mortius, I cannot WAIT until you hear Hades' advice to Orpheus on how to keep a woman. You might actually crawl out of your own skin to escape. I'm so sorry in advance.
ALSO: Why We Build The Wall, believe it or not, was written before certain American politicians decided a wall might be a good idea. You're going to love-hate that one too. It only gets more epic from here.
Watching your reactions is like seeing it for the first time myself, you're so expressive and I'm appreciating the music even more as you pick up stuff I missed. Sincerely, thank you!
Fossils of the dead = oil and coal.
“And hunger is so heavy”
Experiencing this in a theatre? Fully a whole body experience.
MORTIUS BEING GROSSED OUT AND YELLING EW AT HADES IS SO FUNNY FOR WHAT 😭😭😭
Okay this is not at all a dig on you, I’m someone with adhd and audio processing disorder so I get it, but I think whoever is making you these lists really needs to make sure that captions are on. I feel like a lot of the confusion you’ve experienced (particularly in everything around way down etc) would have at least been helped a bit making both a better experience for you and your audience.
If you’re looking for a Patrick Page (the stage actor who plays Hades) in a role where he’s not some brand of bastard (he has a habit of playing the villain) I would check out the audio drama In Strange Woods. It’s a musical podcast around a mystery story with some amazing theatre people in it.
not that i disagree, but i don't know if there are enough animatics that have captions to choose from? definitely agree with making it a priority when possible though
One thing I picked up in Chant (which is a beyond epic song in itself) is that in the middle when Orpheus is trying to figure out what the problem is and the strings’ notes are played with a slide. Then when he starts to figure it out the notes become solid and aren’t sliding anymore (on “And the seasons are wrong” is when the strings’ note style changes, signaling that Orpheus has figured it out. He’s searching for the answers on the sliding part and then the notes become more certain when he comes to the realization of why the seasons are so messed up.)
The way chant1is is the dark version of wedding song
Mortius is officially hooked. The music has worked it's way under the skin and pulls a man low
Mortius! Aniflamma just released their god games animatic!!
Seeing someone react to Hadestown so viscerally is so awesome, i love this musical so much 😭
It's super cool to me how they depict The Fates. I think it would've been very common to attribute random good things happening to a person as one of the Gods smiling down on them; and anything bad that happens for seemingly no reason is attributed to The Fates.
Anything we'd call bad luck, a losing streak, falling on hard times and hitting rock bottom; could all just be The Fates deciding misfortune will fall on you.
What we'd consider poor happenstance suddenly becomes malicious; like they're being cruel to Eurydice specifically.
If this musical weren't embracing the pantheon and story it's based on, Hermes might've narrated that Eurydice was born into nothing and was faced with struggle all her life. But because of the Greek Patheon's inspiration and themes Eurydice was followed by the fates all her life; like it's a curse to be close to fate, like they're mischievous and cruel.
Not only that, they appear to create doubt in our protagonists. They urge Eurydice to leave Orpheus and strike out on her own again, they speak to Orpheus and even Hades later (No spoilers, you haven't reacted to that yet.)
One would think The Fates can be kind or generous even, for every misfortune there is a miracle; but instead of a Devil and Angel on your Shoulder vibe, they're just three devils talking you into trouble, stealing your shit, and kicking you while you're down.
I interpret Hades as trying to make the Underworld like the Earth, so Persephone will stay with him and not miss the Earth as much, but Persephone just wants to be on the Earth as it is the only time she isn't in the Underworld due to its dark, cold atmosphere and the souls of the dead. In the end, I think its more or less they misunderstand each other's intents, but they are so jaded that they have almost completely fallen out of love due to Hades not wanting to lose his wife and Persephone wanting to be more free.
Hades: the comforts of a golded cage-
Mortius: ewww 🤢 Brotha ewwwwwww 🤮🤮
"My cork board is red stringing!" 🤣❤
congrats, ur first video where u understood everything (said with love lol)
Love your reactions! Chant is one of my favorites- on top of everything you picked up on, I love that she (Anais Mitchell, writer of the show) included that it's because he's industrializing the 'under'world that our world has fallen into climate chaos.
the first "Keep your head low" starts Chant
When people start... Chanting...
XD
Chant is one of the most underrated songs (I think) and it's such a banger for no reason
Semi spoilerish (not much) but with Chant especially, a lot of these themes and leitmotifs come back so hard in later reprises I’m so excited to see the reaction
His face when Hades sang is all of us lol
Chant- Hadestown Animatic by qookh
Chant || Hadestown || Animatic by murky musito
These would be great alternative if you want them.
And "WAIT FOR ME" ANIMATIC by Foolscapper , it's really amazing!
Ok, i already made a comment on this video but it was a whole rant on Hades and Perse, so something a tad funnier.
When i watched this musical for the first time, for some reason my brain latched onto the lyric "way down under the ground", and since then, in my brain, this musical is happening in Australia lol.
Another weird connection my mind made was to the Great Depression (probably because i was studying it at the time).
See I've always interpreted this musical as being very similar to Percy Jackson or American Gods. In my head the gods aren't *really* gods. At least not anymore. They've become more or less powerless and Hades runs a mining town. The while thing about spring coming later and summers being harsher feels like a huge alegory to climate change. There's also aspects that seem to alude to the industrial revolution, which you know... is a big cause of climate change. It seems like a fitting metaphor.
I also have always seen the fates as not actually being there, but representing someone’s subconscious. Like how in Chant they sing about Eurydice' doubts. (Another song towards the end also i think supports this theory). If you think about them like that, it reframes the whole thing.
Anyway, that’s all for now. Great video. Can't wait for the next one ❤❤❤
your great depression connection is not weird, that was exactly the intention. It's not the great depression exactly but the setting was made to be great depression esk
@august1837 huh! It feels like such a weird coincidence that I found this musical RIGHT when I was studying the great depression at school. It literally was just a thing that kept coming up in my recommendation for years prior, and that week I just decided to click it. Maybe the fates were singing in the back of MY head 😂
Unrelated but your background is perfect!
HAZEL MENTION! She is my favorite
It's only now dawning on me why I haven't fully dove into this show before now; it's because I'd love it too much. To truly love something is to give it the power to break you, and I know this show is going to break me.
Fates: spending the entire song trying to sow seeds of doubt and edging everyone towards the worst possible choices
Fates: also stealing Eurydice's bag and cloak
Fates: grinning like maniacs the entire time.
Mortius 23:37 "That's messed up. That's messed up!"
And yet failing to make the last intuitive step and reach the conclusion.
Mortius, my distinguished, impeccably dressed friend, please say it with me: *Despite appearances, Hades is NOT the villain of Hadestown.* He is only a minor (tragic) antagonist.
8:35 gold Hermes
To answer your question about how Chant isn't the finale of act one: It's because it's kind of the opening number. Like, yes, there are several songs before it, but I think that those are kind of the exposition and lead-in, and Chant is where the story really begins.
The lyrics throughout the whole show are just top shelf!!
Yesss, I was so excited for you to get to these songs!
21:17 IT TOOK ME TILL THIS REACTION THAT I FOUND THE DOUBLE MEANING! MORTIUS SO WHIL ORPHEUS SINGS THIS PART TALKING ABOUT HOW THEY FORGOTTEN THEIR LOVE! THE CHORUS SINGS OVER ORPHEUS SYMBOLIZING WHAT THEY ONLY HEAR VE ORPHEUS BEING THE LOVE THEY ONCE KNEW! NOTICE HOW EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS IN THE SONG THEY GET LOUDER AND LOUDER AND ORPHEUS IS LITTLE BY LITTLE SOUNDING FAINTER INTO THE BACKGROUND UNTIL WHEN EVERYONE COMES TOGETHER IN THE END OF THE SONG
For your next few songs I recommend Foolscapper for Wait for me and Sealbatross for How Long
I am so excited to watch this :D
Your thumbnail face is enough to bring me glee 😈
Looking forward to the next Hadestown video. Wait For Me is one of my FAVORITES (And many other people's as well) and for good reason!
"Eurydice leave the buddy alone." ...ok but we literally need food and heat to survive the winter. Like your song is great but if you don't survive long enough to finish it you're not going to do anyone any good so maybe address the immediate needs first. Just sayin.
Eva Noblezada is incredible
I knew it would get its hooks in you. I am both happy and sad for you!
Eurydice: *has to singlehandedly provide for both herself and her bohemian husband*
Mortius: "stop pushing him he's trying!"
Morty, bby, she's not asking Orpheus to put more work into the song, she's asking him to please be a reliable partner and maybe get a day job while they're going through winter.
In future songs, Hermes stops being kind to Orpheus. And i honestly think its because Orpheus says "its because of the gods." More than likelyonly Hades and Persephone but Hermes also being a god, takes it as a slight against him as well. So in future songs he stops being nice to Orpheus.
Hold onto your butt it’s non stop from here on out
I am so ready for him to do If it's True.
Without spoiling, I predict Mortius is both going to love and hate the next song...
Don't know if the perspective has changed for you yet, but since he came back to get her early, I would think that the reason she's later and later getting back for springtime is because he's kept her in the underworld ( just based off of how she feels about the underworld it really does seem like she wouldn't willingly stay there longer than she has to, at least not at this point in time where her marriage is literally dying)
When the rise of factory capitalism hits 🤪