Sydney Local Abigail Adriano Joins Cast of Hadestown Australia Cast Alongside Christine Anu

Sydney native Abigail Adriano has just been announced as Eurydice in Australia’s production of Anais Mitchell’s hit play, Hadestown, alongside Christine Anu as Hermes, Noah Mullins as Orpheus, Adrian Tamburini as Hades and Elenoa Rokobaro as Persephone. 

After premiering off-Broadway in New York City in 2016, Hadestown took the world by storm, winning 8 Tony awards, including the award for Best Musical and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album. 

The show has since toured in Edmonton, London, on Broadway, and is now coming to Sydney and Melbourne in 2025. 

The show will premiere in Sydney’s Theatre Royal in February of 2025, while the show will premiere in Melbourne’s Her Majesty’s Theatre in May of 2025. 

The global success of Hadestown

Hadestown is the modern-day retelling of two ancient Greek myths: the romantically tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice and the old story of King Hades and Persephone. With music, lyrics, and writing by Anais Mitchell and direction by Rachel Chavkin, get transported to the underworld and back through the soulful melodies, lilting vocals, and witty repartee brought by the multiple talented casts. 

Members of the original Broadway cast include Andre Leon Talley, who played Hermes, the messenger and narrator from the overworld to the underworld. Now joining the Australian cast is Torres Strait Islander Christine Anu as Hermes, which is a significant casting adaptation to the First Nations and Torres Strait Islander struggle in Australia.

The story of Orpheus and Eurydice is the story of a tragic young love. The young, musically talented Orpheus falls in love with the beautiful Eurydice and begs her to marry him. She agrees, but then she dies (a tale as old as time). 

So Orpheus ventures into the underworld to attempt to retrieve his wife, and manages to convince Hades to let her go with him, who has been overcome with misery after Orpheus plays his lyre. He allows Orpheus to leave on one condition, however. 

Eurydice will follow him and re-enter the overworld as long as Orpheus does not look back at her during their journey. But Orpheus, fearing he’s been tricked by the gods after not hearing Eurydice following him, looks back only a few feet from the exit and Eurydice is returned to the underworld. He then asks the gods to strike him down, and he dies. The end. 

The musical is haunting, chilling, beautifully crafted and performed, and truly shows the dichotomy between both leading couples. Australia’s version should be nothing if not spectacular.