Tag Archives: Patrick Page

Hadestown: The Musical — The Film

Drama, Live Capture, Musical, Theater Event July 23, 2026 Comments: 2

On July 24, Cross Walk (a division of Bleeker Street Films) and LD Entertainment will be releasing their much-anticipated live theater capture of the West End production of Hadestown: The Musical.  The filmed performances took place on February 28 and March 1 of 2025 during the reunion run of the cast that included five of the original principals of the Tony winning Broadway production.  

In the sung-through script, writer Anaïs Mitchell blends two traditional Greek myths — the love story of Orpheus and Eurydice and that of Hades, King of the Underworld, and his bride Persephone — to explore modern themes including class division and climate change.  Along the way she has drastically altered the two heroines and their control over their own fates.  Rather than dying tragically from a snake bite shortly after her marriage, Eurydice willingly chooses to follow Hades to the underworld and signs away her freedom.  And in place of being kidnapped by her uncle Hades and forced into marriage, Mitchell’s Persephone is a boisterous illicit saloon owner who loves her husband enough to feel jealousy towards the younger Eurydice when Hades develops a wandering eye.  

Filmed on location in London’s Lyric Theatre under director Brett Sullivan, there is little attempt to recreate the feeling of sitting in the best seat in the house.  Rather, Sullivan seems to draw from his experience on concert films, attempting to visually bridge the divide between onstage and off.  Opening with glimpses of backstage preparation, Sullivan employs swooping camera work that takes the viewer below, above and beyond the stage. Though the initial descent into hell is dramatic, it is more often quite hard to spot Rachel Chavkin’s Tony winning staging.  David Neumann’s choreography is even harder to detect.  

Eva Noblezada as Eurydice in Hadestown: The Musical; image courtesy of Crosswalk and LD Entertainment

The film’s creative team evidently had Hadestown’s rabid fan base firmly in mind.  Patrick Page tore his achilles tendon shortly before the show’s limited engagement.  In lieu of using Phillip Boykin who performed the role for most of the run in Page’s stead, for the capture, they chose to fit Page with a customized boot and rework the staging to minimize the strain on his injury.  While that choice will certainly thrill anyone who loves his signature combination of menace and seduction, the Lord of the Underworld should not limp.  So while I deeply respect Page as a performer, his inclusion here doesn’t serve the production as fully as a different talented actor with two fully functioning ankles.  

As for the rest of the cast, the legendary André De Shields is our host, sing-talking with emphatic articulation the role of narrator Hermes.  The often drunk and raunchy Persephone is played with verve by Amber Gray who has appeared in every iteration of Hadestown.  Reeve Carney was, by 2025, rather long in the tooth for the Orpheus role, creating an unlikely match for the radiant Eva Noblezada’s Eurydice (The pair are currently appearing on Broadway as Jay and Daisy in The Great Gatsby, so they apparently have great chemistry when experienced in person.)  The Three Fates — Bella Brown, Madeline Charlemagne and Allie Daniel — are full throated and lively.

Recognized by theater critics and ticket holders alike as an enterprising offering in a season of adaptation and revision, Hadestown became a certified hit, recently crossing 2,300 performances.  With its energetic cast and committed live audience, this release of Hadestown: The Musical on film is sure to be a treat for the devotees of the initial concept album through to those who were able to enjoy any one of the many live performances.  It will be in movie theaters for five nights only beginning on Friday, July 24.  Ticketing information available on https://www.amctheatres.com/movies/hadestown-the-musical-83319.  Running time is 141 minutes.  

Titus Andronicus

Drama, Off-Broadway, Shakespeare March 30, 2026 Leave a comment

Titus Andronicus was Shakespeare’s first “stab” at tragedy.  Unlike his soon-to-arrive Romeo and Juliet, it has no characters to fully invest in and bears many of the hallmarks of a brilliant and driven playwright who has not yet grasped the subtle art of developing a tragic hero.  The excitement is derived from the adrenaline of brutality, a device not apparent in the rest of his Folio. In fact scholars now think that Act 1 (maybe more) was written contemporaneously with George Peele.

The title character is a brave General in the Roman Army recently returned victorious over the Goths.  In front of his captives including the Goth’s Queen Tamora and her paramour, the Moor Aaron, he orders the Queen’s eldest son to be butchered as a religious sacrifice to honor those lost in battle.  This act of cruelty immediately earns the military leader two calculating enemies and sets off a cycle of chaotic and bloody revenge.

I have recently taken up needle felting.  It’s wonderfully cathartic to stab something beautiful into being.  I imagine Red Bull Theater’s Artistic Director Jesse Berger must have felt a similar tug towards reshaping Titus Andronicus after absorbing current events.  As director, he has used the flatness of the characters to craft an experience akin to a live video game illustrating the purposeless of vengeance and violence.

The period has been updated to a time of business attire, smooth jazz and neon chandeliers.  The escalating blood lust is reflected in all the creative elements from the bright red accessories of Emily Rebholz’s costumes to the torture instrument design of the bows by Anya Kutner.  Sounds orchestrated by Adam Wernick that could be wind or whispers whisk around the pillar-trees by award winning set designer Beowulf Boritt.  These solid white elements are given eery tone with lighting by Jiyoun Chang.

Adam Langdon, Amy Jo Jackson, Jesse Aaronson in Titus Andronicus; photo by Carol Rosegg

Literally frothing at the mouth as Titus Andronicus is the Shakespeare-fluent and magnetically edgy Patrick Page.  But this has always been an ensemble work and Berger’s entire cast deserves a chef’s kiss for their commitment to his giddy vision.  Many moments are positively hilarious, a word rarely applied to this play.  When Matthew Amendt’s Saturninus accepts the Emperor’s crown with a goody-goody-gumdrops of delight you know this is not your great-great-great-great-grandfather’s production.  Likewise the purring of Francesca Faridany’s Tamora who’s slide into death is perfection. Also of note are the smirking Jesse Aaronson and Adam Langdon who skin-crawlingly out “Bro” each other as Tamora’s sadistic sons Chiron and Demetrius.  McKinley Belcher III portrays Aaron in a more classic style as befits his more traditional path to villainy.  Many actors play multiple parts.  A character map and “about” pages are provided to help you keep track of the relationships along with 430 year old spoilers and trigger warnings.  A more complete content advisory is posted on the Red Bull Theater website.

Popular in its day, Titus Andronicus still appeals today in the lurid vein of tabloids and clips on Musk’s X.  Berger’s interpretation smartly puts what could be melodrama through Martin McDonagh’s black comedy grinder to serve up something rip roaringly entertaining.  Performances continue through May 3 at The Pershing Square Signature Center’s Alice Griffin Jewel Box Theatre (480 West 42nd Street).  Running time is a little over 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission.  There is more legroom though less rake at the entry aisle F.  Aisles are used for entrances, so there are multiple reasons for wanting to keep your arms and legs to yourself.  Tickets start at a welcome $49.  Visit https://www.redbulltheater.com/titus-andronicus-off-broadway to make a purchase or to get more information.

Archduke

Comedy, Drama, Off-Broadway December 1, 2025 Leave a comment

Of all the action leading up to World War I, the chapter most remembered by students of that era is the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the throne of the vast Austro-Hungary empire.  In Archduke, playwright Rajiv Joseph focuses less on explaining the political situation and more on the young, inept members of the assassination team.  Less interested in portraying history than in tinkering with it, Joseph compresses the time frame and leverages the lore surrounding the trio, particularly the role a sandwich played in the mythologizing of the bungled plot.

Set in the days leading up to the murder, there exists in Archduke a backbone of facts, from an overview of essential geography to pairs of uniting black gloves, a nod to the Black Hand nationalist group that aided in the real boys’ training.  Joseph recruits the Serbian Nationalist army officer and likely organizer of the plot, Dragutin Dimitrijević — better known by his nickname Apis — as a main character.  Religion is both a comfort and a tool for manipulation, with dreams, beliefs, and conscience playing roles equal to struggle for state independence.  In concentrating his story on the indoctrination of vulnerable teens, Joseph brings modern depth and understanding to a long-ago event.

Under the direction of Blanka Zizka, the artistic production at Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater in the spring was steeped in Eastern European influence. Serious themes of violence and conflict were mixed with theater of the absurd and old fashioned clowning.  Two middle aged women took on the roles of Gavrilo (Suli Holum) and Nedeljko (Sara Gliko) skillfully infusing their characters with adolescent discomfort.  The third less showy would-be assassin, Trifko, was played with comparable gravitas by Barrymore Award winner Brandon J. Pierce.  Steven Rishard with his Baldwinesque delivery portrayed Apis as a blustering moody fatherly figure.  For the lone female, Apis’s housekeeper  Sladjana, Zizka employed Black company member Melanye Finister, who gave the character a true touch of the Black Arts.

There was heavy emphasis on 3-D imagery designed by Jorge Cousineau to augment Thom Weaver’s traditional lighting that illuminated the vast dark space.  Intense projections reminiscent of the black light shows of the Czech Republic were among the most memorable features. So mesmerizing were the effects and so memorable were Zizka’s choices that the visual impact upstaged whatever was on the page.

I had the opportunity to revisit Archduke as Roundabout’s Off-Broadway fall offering.  Their rendition is directed by Darko Tresnjak who was born in Zemun where much of the action takes place.  As his set designer, he chose to work with frequent collaborator Alexander Dodge who emphasized topographical and language boundaries to set the scene.  More like acrobatics, the fight scenes with movement by Rocío Mendez have dance-like athleticism.  Gavrilo’s haunting visions are given aural presence in Jane Shaw’s sound design, but the images are left to our imagination.  

Patrick Page, Jason Sanchez, Adrien Rolet and Jake Berne in Archduke; photo by Joan Marcus

Tresnjak’s Gavrilo and Nedeljko are Jake Berne and Jason Sanchez, young men making their Off-Broadway debuts.  The third assassin in training is portrayed by Londoner Adrien Rolet in his first professional role.  There is a delightful freshness to all three performances.  As for the calculating Apis, Patrick Page, whose voice has become synonymous with chilly seduction, gives him a lowkey “I’ve got this” vibe.  Another Broadway vet, Kristine Nielsen, gnaws on Sladjana’s lines, coming across like a bewitched herbalist.

That two respected companies in two terrific theater cities — Philly’s Wilma and New York’s Roundabout — chose to include Archduke in their 2025 season is significant.  In a way, the script shares characteristics with the history that inspired its writing.  It isn’t the strongest of Joseph’s work which makes it ripe for differing emphasis and interpretation.  With all the talk of masculine toxicity taking up space in our national conversation, it’s important to be reminded that free will can overcome even the most enticing manipulation.

Archduke continues at the Laura Pels Theatre, 111 West 46th Street, through December 21.  Running time is about 2 hours with one intermission.  Tickets start at $69 and can be purchased at https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2025-2026-season/archduke.

Estella Scrooge – Streaming on Demand

Musical, On Demand November 29, 2021 Leave a comment

A sophisticated entry in the field of holiday offerings, Estella Scrooge: A Christmas Carol With A Twist is a Christmastime musical with plenty of Easter eggs for Dickens fans.  The production was meticulously shot using green screen and video effects to blend a seasoned cast with eye-popping images.  The result combines the best elements of a Broadway show with a movie spectacular.

The story hits all the well-known beats of the classic about a miser who learns a lesson, but frames them in a way that is fresh and original.  In this reimagining, Scrooge is the CEO of Bleak House, a predatory financial company.  Their health insurance policies never pay out and their mortgages are designed for easy foreclosure.  The overworked and underpaid Cratchet makes an appearance in the form of Scrooge’s devoted assistant, Betty, mother to the sickly Tammy.  But in this instance, Estella’s journey to enlightenment begins when she returns to her childhood home of Pickwick.  She arrives unannounced on Christmas Eve in order to foreclose on a hotel that has been serving as housing for those in need.  The current owner is her old flame Philip “Pip” Nickleby.  When a snow storm strands Ms. Scrooge at his establishment, Philip and the other residents — who include the usual ghosts of Christmases Past, Present and Future — seize their opportunity to change “Esty’s” hardened heart.

Lauren Patton as Dawkins in Estella Scrooge

John Caird  and Paul Gordon flesh out the book to reflect the current socio-economic challenges that sadly echo those of Dickens’ time. Rising well above many modern musicals, Gordon’s score contains a wide variety of song styles, each well suited to the person who performs it.  The recurring ballad “Almost a Family” is a captivating earworm that eloquently describes the bonds that can form between people who are not necessarily blood relatives.  In “Trickle Down,” economics are showcased in a jazzy number.  And the Ghost of Christmas Past uses hard rock to hammer home her point.  Many of the lyrics are calls to other Dickens’ classics including Hard Times, Great Expectations, and A Tale of Two Cities. 

The production’s look has been skillfully retooled for the online world.  Caird’s careful direction helps mimic the sense of connection and of space you would get at a live performance.  Fanciful costumes provided by Somie Pak cleverly combine period with high fashion.  Hair and makeup make use of Dena Olivieri’s experience with SFX.  Production design by Zach Wilson fittingly fuses elements of realism and fantasy.  The green screen is high quality and the actors do appear as if on the set.  Some of the special effects add zest, though the work in the ghostly scenes is inferior and distracting. The sound is too low for a laptop and the work as a whole is probably better enjoyed cast onto a larger screen.

The sprawling cast is uniformly terrific.  Betsy Wolfe’s Estella softens in both look and tone as she is confronted with the impact of the life she has chosen.  There is a sweet relationship displayed between Clifton Duncan’s caring Nickleby and his vulnerable residents, including Em Grosland’s delicate Smike and Lauren Patten’s punkish and very artful Dawkins.  The rest of the stand-out line-up includes Patrick Page, Carolee Carmello, Megan McGinnis, Adam Halpin , Sarah Litzsinger, Tom Nelis , Phoenix Best , David Bryant , Gabrielle Reid , Samuel Lee Roberts, Michael Francis McBride , Michele Lee, Kristen Faith Oei , Meg Gibson, William Youmans, Kevyn Morrow, Joziyah Jean-Felix , Brooklyn Shuck, Willow McCarthy and  2020 Tony Award Winner Danny Burstein as Estella’s great great great great grandfather Ebenezer.

The irresistible work of Charles Dickens has long made a good springboard, but not every iteration flies this high.  Estella Scrooge is a captivating family entertainment that couldn’t have returned at a better time. It is available to stream on Broadway on Demand (www.BroadwayOnDemand.com and Streaming Musicals (www.StreamingMusicals.com). A 48 hour rental is $14.99 (a more sensible price than the original $29.99).  The 2 hour runtime flies, though may make it unsuitable for very young children.