PHOTOS BY Lindsay Lehmann 

---

New York. London. Sydney. Amsterdam. And for three unforgettable nights — Pomfret. Hadestown, the Tony and Grammy Award–winning musical that has captivated audiences around the world, came to the Hilltop in a production that blended professional ambition with student passion.

Gen X had Rent. Millennials had Wicked. Gen Z has Hadestown. Members of Pomfret School Theater have been enamored with the musical since they saw the show at The Walter Kerr Theater in March 2022. They wanted their shot to stage the production on the Hilltop, but the rights were unavailable to professional theaters, let alone high schools — until they were. 

It felt like fate when, in April 2024, Concord Theatricals announced that Hadestown: Teen Edition was available for licensing. The full-length adaptation of the Tony Award–winning musical had been modified for performance by teen actors for family audiences, with vocal arrangements adjusted to accommodate teen voices and a flexible, expandable chorus. 

“This show is extremely popular with young people, and the producers did a clever thing by releasing the rights to high schools,” said Theater Director Chip Lamb. “They are cultivating an audience.” 

Nathan Kikonyogo ’25 was overjoyed when he heard the announcement. Soon after, he and other members of Pomfret School Theater started petitioning Lamb to perform Hadestown on the Hilltop. 

“The story of Hadestown is something that young people need to hear right now,” said Nathan. The show explores the tension between nature and industry, using themes of climate change to mirror today’s environmental challenges. “Telling the story of how the world could be as opposed to how it is will hopefully have the audience thinking inward. 

They need to understand that the world is changing really quickly,” said Nathan. 

A modern retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, Hadestown reimagines the story through the lens of American folk music and Depression-era industrialism. In the musical, Eurydice descends into Hadestown, the industrial underworld ruled by Hades, the god of the dead, in search of an escape from poverty and the cold. She becomes one of the countless workers trapped in relentless labor, toiling under Hades’s rule in a mechanized, factory-like world. Determined to save her, Orpheus journeys to Hadestown, but Hades refuses to let her go. Moved by Orpheus’s song and the pleas of his wife, Persephone, Hades offers them a chance to leave, under one heartbreaking condition: Orpheus must lead Eurydice out without ever looking back. 

Originally conceived as a concept album by singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown evolved into a Broadway phenomenon, winning eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Its music, infused with New Orleans jazz, folk, and blues, forms a nearly continuous score of more than thirty songs that push performers to think like musicians and storytellers. 

Lamb agreed that Hadestown is something young audiences should see and selected the show as his final winter musical before his retirement. “The story of Hadestown deals with big questions, and kids want to grapple with those questions,’’ said Lamb. “They want to ask them, think about them, and tell a story that explores them. It’s how we, as human beings, find community.” 

In early December, the cast got to work learning more than thirty-five musical numbers. Nearly the entire production is sung. It was challenging for some who enjoy performing in plays, but the story began to resonate with them once they approached the lyrics as poetry. Once they mastered the lyrics, they made the show their own. 

Nathan played Hermes, the messenger of the gods and narrator of the tale, seamlessly guiding the audience between worlds. Kylie Corrigan ’25 starred as the vulnerable and independent Eurydice. Aiden Blow ’25 played an idealistic and courageous Orpheus. Lars Han ’27 was a cold and commanding Hades. Wulf Gooding ’25 played a strong and independent Persephone. Rowan Lehmann ’27, Ming McCarter ’25, and Sabrina Salazar ’28, who played The Fates, were omnipresent forces that shaped the characters’ destinies and offered cryptic wisdom to both the audience and the gods.

Behind the scenes, the crew worked to recreate the show’s iconic world. On Broadway, scenic designer Rachel Hauck used a rotating stage to symbolize the endless cycle of life and death. Lacking Broadway mechanics, Pomfret’s team leaned into choreography. Director of Dance Nina Joly designed circular movements into the staging, while Lamb and Artist-in-Residence JP Jacquet constructed a dynamic set that echoed the show’s industrial edge. 

The three-night run of Hadestown in February generated buzz across the Hilltop and drew guests from the surrounding community. The sixteen-member ensemble delivered a compelling visual and musical journey — one that felt both ancient and urgently relevant. “It may be the best high school musical I have ever seen,” said Head of School Tim Richards. 

For the cast and crew, the experience transcended their performance. “It was life-changing,” said Kylie. Nathan agreed. From backstage, he watched as the audience leaned in, fully immersed in the show. “It was my favorite show that I have performed at Pomfret.” 

As the lights dimmed on the final night, the audience remained still for a moment longer — a breath held between worlds — before erupting into applause. Hadestown had come to Pomfret, and for a few magical nights, the Hilltop became a place where myths were sung, hearts were broken, and stories were reborn. 

 

This story appeared in the Summer 2025 issue of Pomfret Magazine.

 

See More Stories