#me listening to the hadestown obc album

[thebirdandhersong]

it's that time of year lads

#MY BELOVED MYBELVOED DLFKJDSLKFJLK #the first time i listened to hadestown obc i was SO obsessed it listened to it front to back like four times in a row #and then discovered the london one and then the original anais nin concept album #y'all it is the TIME of YEAR #it's always the time of year but you know. anyways. #slings and arrows of outrageous fortune in year 21 #this is especially pertinent because i am working on fleshing out the inklings story (in sporadic bursts) #and petra and galen have VERY strong orpheus/eurydice vibes #also the music is just so good it gives me chills #songbird again #hadestown

[felizusnavidad]

top 5 musical theatre performers?... and you can't choose lin

i love this question so much! & i'm so happy you said no lin because it's a great opportunity for me to talk about the others! this will be probably chaotic (surprise, surprise) & i will drop clips to prove my point:

PHILLIPA SOO

i don't think any words could describe how i feel about her... the most incredible voice i've ever heard. i would literally die for her, i'm being serious right now. she is one of the reasons i think the off broadway cast album of the great comet is better than the obc one (unpopular opinion maybe but oh well she is MY natasha). i would never be tired of listening to her, she is so precious to me istg. one of my favourite videos is, of course, phillipa singing no one else from tgc (ha! i know you were expecting hamilton! no way, you are getting this one instead):

JORDAN FISHER

i know a lot of people wouldn't agree with me, but i actually think he is incredibly talented. he has a great voice & damn, he can act! i kinda lost my mind when i saw his first pictures as orpheus in hadestown, i also recommend to watch all the clips with him (especially wait for me, my personal favourite), but what i really want to show you is this video of jordan singing waving through a window from dear evan hansen (the fact that he is not only singing the song but also acting here, i couldn't love him any more, he also has the most adorable smile but it's not that important or is it?):

JOSH GROBAN

his voice... for the love of god... i am kinda crazy about him. amazing as sweeney todd, yes, true, but most of you probably know already i am absolutely fucking insane about pierre bezukhov the biggest fucking loser oh god i love him so much (a little disclaimer: i usually listen to the off broadway version of tgc, yes, but i do have playlists with all pierre's song so josh groban is there as well), so it's probably not surprising that i am giving you this today (dust and ashes is, in my opinion, one of the best musical songs ever written):

EVA NOBLEZADA

ngl, i fell in love with her immediately while listening to hadestown for the first time. she is just aaaaaamazing, that girl can sing & definitely can act. also, she is so incredibly beautiful i can't even (i may have a little crush on her). i am always getting super emotional when i watch her, so i want you all to feel the same, watch this video of her & reeve carney singing all i've ever known:

AMBER GRAY

dear fucking god what a voice. first of all, she is definitely my favourite persephone, i mean come on. i am also fucking obsessed with the song charming from tgc which is not surprising to anyone probably. i also found an audio of her singing starchild from ghost quartet & my head exploded (i don't know where it is now but believe me, it exists... somewhere). but this is what you get today:

#those are the ones i am always going crazy about #sorry for being obsessed with the great comet #i also have one more thought & i don't know exactly where to put it so i'm gonna use this space to say #that in my head pierre bezukhov looks like josh groban but has the voice of dave malloy #which probably doesn't make any sense but it is what it is #wow i love musicals so much #i loved this question! #thank you anon #anon #i saved every letter you wrote me*

[why-is-it-always-autumn]

I'm driving out to visit my sister this weekend and I'm giving one of her friends a ride. The trip is about 1.5-2 hours. The friend doesn't have a car and has no choice but to ride with me. We've known each other for over a decade and get along; I don't have to worry about "making a good impression" or anything. I refuse to download spotify so we're limited to whatever I already have on my phone, physical CDs, and the radio

[eerna]

I'm going down the weirdest rabbit hole. Hozier released a new album that I can't stop listening to -> youtube recommends me Eva Noblezada's cover of Take Me To Church -> I watch a bunch of other videos of her singing because her voice is freaking incredible -> youtube recommends Hadestown tiny desk concert -> I watch it without having listened to it before, and some of the songs I REALLY like -> now I can't help but watch other Hadestown live performances. Next, am I just gonna listen to the whole cast recording and fall in love with another musical quite a few years too late? Stay tuned to find out.

To be honest, my curiosity has peaked since you started posting about it which was a while ago, but I never came around to actually listening to it. Maybe it's finally the time ;_;

DO it. DO it it is TIME. I relate to this so hard because I too knew of Hadestown before the Broadway run and heard a few songs, but was never too interested in it until I watched a promo for the OBC in which Eva had exacctly one (1) line and I was like "............ hold up. I need to hear More of this woman" and the rest is history. She is so insanely good in everything I've heard her in, and her voice KEEPS ADAPTING to whatever she is singing. I hope you enjoy it!!!

#eernask #eernanon #eernask talk hadestown

[trobeds]

Hey dude! So umm....I've got something to tell you, but we gotta keep it down, okay?

I.. um, don't know a lot of musicals.

Could you give me some recommendations? Thank you!

-the 'dude you're super cool' anon☎️

ok so i just realized i had this in my drafts IM SORRY ANON WEVE LOST TOUCH

HI !!!!!!!! :0 no worries, im coming to your rescue

not sure how many recs u want so ill just give u my top 3 musicals as of now :)

hadestown - as u can probably tell i am INSANE about hadestown. im actually listening to it rn (nytw version) and its soooo good !! so if u dont know its about orpheus n eurydice n it also intertwines the myth of hades n persephone into it. the music is Beautiful with a capital b and its just !! so good !! theres multiple versions of the musical n u can find the obc recording, nytw live recording n the concept album from 2010 on spotify! my favorite is nytw but like a third of the songs arent on spotify so heres an audio of the full musical (which is what im listening to as i write this) . i love it sm i highly recommend u listen to hadestown bcs it is SO incredible !!!!! also i saw it on tour like last week it was incredible PLEASE ask me my thoughts its so <333 i love u hadestown

six - musical about the six wives of henry viii and their stories outside of being married to henry n the music is so fun and its just. v v good overall 100% give it a listen!

newsies - musical based off of the newsboys strike of 1899 which i was severely hyperfixated on a couple of years ago . also i played jack kelly in my schools production of newsies last year so it holds a special place in my heart <3

#my mailbox 💌 #anon #hadestown #six the musical #newsies #🎭

[greywindys]

have you ever listened to the Hadestown musical?? whenever I listen to it I think of 2d and murdoc. especially the way you wrote their dynamic in The Answer

Yes!!! Though my answer is a little complicated. I've listened to the Anaïs Mitchell concept album, and not so much the Broadway cast recording. I knew about it before it came to Broadway, so I bonded with the original original recordings and never really made the transition to the update version. I have heard the OBC recording of "Wait for Me," though, and I know the story. I agree with you SO much. The bard (? the main guy who fucks up in the end) character always reminded me of 2D, so I also think of the main girl as Murdoc. My friend thinks Murdoc is similar to Hade's wife (help, I suck at remembering the specifics of Greek mythology), too, which I can also see. I love that you brought this up though. This makes me want to listen to it again, because it's been a while.

#asks. #Anonymous

[oasatelematics]

ty anna @parrishcoded for tagging me to share my 9 albums of 2022🌼 i couldn't gather 9 but here's what i have!!

laurel hell - mitski (truly album Ever)

carrie & lowell - sufjan stevens (listened to it on my silly sad walks in january)

hadestown obc recording (aaaaAAAAAAA)

τζους - stolen mic (fucking superb bars you funky little zoomer)

trench - twenty one pilots (comfort album comfort album comfor-)

cape god (deluxe) - allie x (yummy vibey pop ily ily)

tagging you all in spirit ily,, if you would like to do this consider yourself tagged (and smooched on the forehead)

#it wasn't a big album year for me #my listening habits have been all over the place... it's been hard to truly fall in love with music lately #regardless i did listen to these ones mostly from start to finish #hoping for more music in my life in 2023 #tag games

[disastergenius]

wanting to write again

So a few months back, I tried to write in the style of Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights, writing a short vignette about something I thought of or admired or caught my eye for each day of the year, beginning on my birthday and spanning through one year. For me, I also thought a lot about John Green’s The Anthropocene Reviewed, since they style fascinated me with the throughline of ranking everything on a 5-star scale.  Embarrassingly, I started the day after my birthday, which really was a good indicator on how the project would go. I am usually up late, and thus would write my entries in my spiral notebook in the early hours of the morning before going to bed. However, because each entry was dated, I felt it would be weird to write for a day I had yet to experience, even if I timestamped them all. My attempts to write lasted approximately 1 month. 

It’s been a bit since I’ve tried to write for fun. With school and work and life, my free time is limited. But I miss it. 

I’d like a good writing challenge, something to enjoy again. Maybe like a 30-day writing challenge, but a bit looser because unfortunately I cannot write everyday to the point I would like. Setting a word count doesn’t work for me, but I would like to have something more than 3 paragraphs. 

If anyone could recommend me some ideas, it would be greatly appreciated. Currently, the idea I’m entertaining is: writing along through an album, one entry per each song, written in album order. Can be as loosely related to the song as needed; the song is simply for structure. Perhaps one day I’ll write a review, one day fanfiction, Just something nice and easy and fun.

Thinking about using the Hadestown OBC first? Simply because it is long and poetic and I want an excuse to listen to it all the way through. 

Anyway, if you have any suggestions or ideas to improve this potential project, please leave a comment in any way you want. 

#writing #my writing #writing project #writing challenge #the book of delights #ross gay #john green #the anthropocene reviewed #both of those books are wonderful should you want to read them

[sapphireswimming]

My most significant albums of 2023 [2022] [2021] [2020] [2019] [2018] [2017] [2016] [2015]

In no particular order: Six the Musical OBC | Weightless by Marconi Union | Epic the Musical Concept Album | The Visit by Loreena McKennitt | Dance Fever by Florence + The Machine | Anthologia by Artisan | Honkai Star Rail OST | Lost at Sea by Fin | Hadestown OBC

Honorable Mentions: Inu Oh OST | Go Farther in Lightness by Gang of Youths | Octopath Traveler OST | Autumn Orange’s entire discography | plus @laora-ryn’s always-fantastic Gundam 00 Playlist

Tagging: @mabel-but-slytherin, @laora-ryn, @cthulhu-with-a-fez , @ninthfeather , @hawk-in-a-tree , @puppetmaster55 , @smartass-telepath (if you want) and anyone else who’d like to! Feel free to tag me because I love seeing what other people listen to :D

#music meme #mabel but slytherin #finally had access to spotify wrapped this year #not as hopeful as I thought it would be #since it's basically just epic the musical all the way down ahahahaha #literally though epic the musical was all i listened to for a couple months #it's amazing #other than that it was strangely hard to pick the rest of this year's lineup #mine #ss

[haloud]

a lot of my alex-as-eurydice thoughts have to do with When the Chips Are Down/Gone, I’m Gone. his line about “i could tell you that i didn’t want to go, but i did.” is very eurydice core

help yourself, to hell with the rest even the one who loves you best whatcha gonna do when the chips are down?

aim for the heart, shoot to kill if you won’t do it, then the other ones will

and the first shall be first and the last shall be last cast your eyes to heaven you get a knife in the back nobody’s righteous; nobody’s proud nobody’s innocent, now that the chips are down

go ahead and lay the blame talk of virtue, talk of sin wouldn’t you have done the same in his shoes? in his skin? you can have your principles when you’ve got a belly full but hunger has a way with you there’s no telling what you’re gonna do when the chips are down

#*me rattling the bars of my cage* LISTEN TO HADESTOWN #BUT NOT UNTIL THE END OF JULY WHEN THE FULL OBC ALBUM IS OUT #i need a tag for my very specific and self-indulgent crossovers #crossover thots #there we go

[machine-without-feelings]

i don’t know if this will make much sense as i haven’t had many coherent thoughts in my 18 years of living and i doubt that this will be an anomaly but i just need to do a lil rambly rant. 

so. about hadestown. i keep seeing comments about the original epic iii, or at least the live album version, in that it’s better than the final song that made it to broadway. allow me to preface this by saying there is absolutely nothing wrong with having preferences. i myself adore each version of persephone’s ultimately cut verse in chant ii/reprise. however, i understand the decision to cut it, for timing. i also particularly love the live album, just because the raw instruments and untouched vocals scritch my brain in the best way, but that doesn’t mean i shit on the broadway album.

hadestown isn’t just a musical. it’s anaïs’ now fifteen+ year passion project. she has built this show up from the ground, starting with (to my knowledge) 4 workshops and 2 professional runs before it even hit broadway. she has made this amazing piece of art and we have the privilege of her sharing it with us. we get to watch or listen to her masterpiece. furthermore, i’ve heard that anaïs dealt with a lot of anxiety in writing epic iii as she felt the pressure of writing a song that would literally change the world of hadestown (i’ve just bought myself the lyrics of hadestown book so will update once i’ve read it). she deserves WAY more slack than people shitting on the current-final version of epic iii. you can appreciate the old lyrics, or damon as orpheus, or WHATEVER but that does not mean you can hate the broadway album version. that may not even be the final version, it’s just the most current version we have, but as the last fifteen years have shown, hadestown is constantly evolving, and every version is a gift. 

also, i don’t know if this is just me (whenever i talk about anything like this my internalised misogyny makes me feel like AngryIrrationalFeminist) but i don’t see lin manuel-miranda getting nearly as much hate for hamilton’s cut songs (as it shouldn’t). it just makes me so upset to see how toxic the theatre community can be. it’s bad enough seeing all the gatekeeping of OBCs as of late but the epic iii issue is something that’s been weighing on my mind. don’t forget that theatre is art. art is personal to the artist. sharing your art can be one of the scariest things an artist can do. anaïs has shared her art with us. have your preferences, sure, but 

thank you all for coming to my tedtalk *curtain falls on rant*

#hadestown #anais mitchell #epic iii #reeve carney #hadestown obc #please be kind #musical theatre

[fbfh]

“forever” paxton hall-yoshida x reader

genre: fluffy romance + mutual pining (not too slowburn tho lol)

word count: 3.4k

au: none?? jock x theatre nerd ig

pairing: Paxton x broadway baby!reader 

requested: yes !! i hope u like it uwu

warnings: one hell one motherfucking and i think that’s it for swearing?? um brief self deprecating/talking bad abt urself from paxton (bby boy needs a self love boost), reader and paxton are home alone together for a little while but nothing bad happens, uh,,, i think that’s it

summary: when Eleanor can’t run lines with you, she sends over a very attractive, mutually pining substitute.

reccomended songs: “Seventeen” - Tuck everlasting OBC, “The Kiss” -The Princess Diaries score

a/n: i’m p sure i kept the reader p gender neutral but there’s implied slightly long hair, and you play the lead (a girl named winnie) in ur schools production of tuck everlasting but like it’s theatre so anyone can play anyone lol,, this took so got dam long bc i’m fucking s o f t for jock x artist and it just sorta happened lol aLsO,, not super thoroughly edited so there might be a typo or two?? im tired lol

requests r open <3

You had only ever seen two athletes present during rehearsals. Once when Madeline (who at the time was playing Penny in your production of Hairspray) was dating a guy from the soccer team. The other was when the star of the basketball team had come in to give your choreographer pointers for the basketball scenes during High School Musical. 

Until now.

You had run onstage part of the way through “Live Like This”, which wasn’t out of the ordinary since so much progress had been made on the costumes. You were still tying the ribbon on your pinafore as you jumped into the song, but when your eyes met a face in the usually empty auditorium, you faltered. You almost sang the wrong verse, but recovered quickly, continuing with the blocking. What felt like a moment later, the number was almost done and you were nearing the end of your counterpoint with Mae Tuck - played by Eleanor, of course. Who could be better for the part? You held out the last note, trying to stay in character despite all the distractions in the back of your mind. You had to talk to Eleanor when the director called for 10; she’d started telling you how Devi was being weird recently. Also, what the Hadestown was Paxton Hall-Yoshida doing chilling in the auditorium? You shoved all that away, focusing on staying in character until the director called for a break. 

‘I want to go to the fair. I want to go so badly! I just need a change, need to get out of this house for a little while. I never do anything, so this can’t be asking for too much, right?’ 

You projected all that into your everything - face, voice, mannerisms, energy.

“Hold!” 

Everyone froze.

The director wrote a few things on his paper, sighed, and underlined something several times. 

“Okay, good job! I need to revise some of the blocking, then we’ll do notes, so take ten.” Your sudden nerves had definitely made you pitchy, you knew that would be one of your notes for sure. 

A chorus of “Thank you ten”s erupted, and you immediately ran to Eleanor, telling the others good job as you passed. 

You leaned in and started speaking to her, quietly.

“Okay you need to finish telling me about Devi, and that other news you’re being so cryptic about! Also, what’s up with Fierro over there?” you nodded towards Paxton hoping he wouldn’t see, and you noticed Fab is sitting near him. You realized they’re probably waiting for Eleanor and/or Devi. That must be it, he’s been hanging out with them lately, right? Eleanor gasped.

“You’re right! Paxton is such a Fierro!”

You cringed inwardly a little bit as her voice carried through the auditorium, mixing with the others. Your eyes darted over to him for a fraction of a second. Oh god. He was looking at you. Or in your general direction at least. Lena, the costumer, walked around the set gingerly, following you around and getting you out of your dress incredibly carefully as you and Eleanor walked off stage. 

“No! Well, yes- but no. What’s he doing here? Jocks never come here during rehearsals. I saw Fab too, are you guys and Devi getting dinner or something?” You said, entering the auditorium, and stepping out of the dress. You grabbed sweatpants and a silky, floral kimono jacket from your bag to throw over your leotard and tights. She waved back at Fab before sitting down in the front. You both grabbed your fans and dramatically flicked them open in sync. Your wrists fluttered, cooling both of you off.  A knowing, and slightly mischievous, look came on her face. 

“Devi and Fab and I are. Paxton must be here for something… else.” she shrugged, nodding towards Paxton. You looked over again. He was staring at you. You did a double take and tried to hold back your smile. 

“Wh- I do not know to what you are referring.” 

“To what I am referring is the blush on his cheeks.”

You barely held back a nervous, bubbling laugh.

“He is not blushing! Why would he be blushing!”

“I don’t know,” She shrugged, “Just like how I don’t know that he’s been loitering in the halls outside the music room during your last three solo music rehearsals.”

You struggled for an answer. Before you could form one, you were interrupted.

“Okay, okay what is the best Lin Manuel Miranda musical? Because Kathryn thinks it’s Hamilton-” 

“Duh!”

“-But I think it’s In the Heights! It’s an underrated jewel!” Jonah interjected, still wearing his Jesse Tuck hat. 

You considered for a moment.

“I mean, they’re too different to compare. In the Heights has the same energy as Rent - showcasing what goes on in ordinary people’s lives, and how love ties us all together,” he nodded in agreement, “But Hamilton is on a way larger scale, almost Les Mis meets Fun Home vibes. But in terms of personal preference…” Eleanor scoffed at your answer, and Jonah went back to debate further with Kathryn.

“Anyway,” you turned back to Eleanor to ask her what the hell she meant by Paxton Hall-Yoshida was blushing. But before you could-

“Eleanor, we need you to try on your blue dress again,” Lena was already pulling her away, “I had the empire waist in the right place but half the pins fell out, and it’s just...” And she was whisked away before you could finish the thought. You just had time to help Holly get out her wig pins and drink some lemon water before notes. Eleanor still wasn’t back, so you made sure to write down hers for her. It was pretty standard; be quiet backstage, go over your lines, don’t touch props that aren’t yours, don’t eat in costume, and a couple blocking changes you made note of. After your end of rehearsal warm downs and huddle, everyone left relatively quickly. You ducked into the bathroom to freshen up a little. Sometimes it was hard coming down from such intense energy after rehearsal. You mentally ran through your to do list. You needed to get some more tea, write that essay when you got home, go over your notes- You gasped, cutting off your own train of thought. You ran out of the bathroom to look for Eleanor, still clutching her notes in hand. 

~

Your voice still echoed in Paxton’s ears. He wished he had a whole album of you singing. Your voice made him want to ruin his spotify algorithm by listening to nothing else. You had looked at him a couple times, and his heart had almost stopped. He didn’t know eye contact could be so intense. It’s probably just cause you’re like, the only person in the audience. Where else is she supposed to look? He deflated a little. He heard his name and looked over to you and Eleanor talking together. Hopefully it was about him. Hopefully it was good. He checked his phone, trying to look busy. When he glanced up to see if you were looking, you were gone. He started to look around for you when he saw Eleanor waving at Fab, and sure enough, you were next to her. What he didn’t expect was you dropping your dress to the ground. Time slowed down (and his heart sped up) as you stretched a little, and pulled out sweatpants from your bag.

Wow.

 You had on what looked like a bathing suit on underneath, and a few other people had done the same, but he knew that image would be in his memory, probably forever. His heart was beating in his ears and he knew he must be blushing.

“You okay, Paxton?” Fab asked, a seat or two away. Oh god, he didn’t want people asking why he blushed every time he looked at you! He muttered something about needing to make a call and headed for the doors. Don’t look back at her, don’t look back at her… His eyes involuntarily darted in your direction right before he left. You had on a flowy translucent jacket, your hair thrown back supermodel style as you fanned yourself to cool down. He needed to cool down too. Maybe a cold shower, a really cold shower.

~

You managed to find Eleanor just before she left. Two girls were with her, you had seen Fab once, and you’d heard a lot about Devi, but had never been introduced. 

You gave Eleanor her notes, and she hugged you.

“You’re a lifesaver!” 

“Of course, I-”

“Uh, who’s this?” you looked over, and the shorter girl - Devi, based on what you’d heard about her -  was giving you a weird look. You introduced yourself. 

“Nice to meet you. How do you know Eleanor?” said the taller girl - definitely Fab.

“Oh,” you smiled, “she’s my almost mother in law. And my arch rival,” you counted on your fingers, “my sister, my niece, my lover, my husband, and…” you trailed off, trying to think of the other dynamics your characters had had in past shows.

“Your co-conspirator.” 

“Right,” you laughed. Devi and Fab looked at you two.

“We’re in the musical together.” you clarified. You were about to part ways when you called to Eleanor, “Hey, we’re still on for running lines tomorrow night?” 

“Uh… Sounds good!” she walked away quickly, speaking to Devi and Fab in hushed tones. Something was definitely up. That was typical Eleanor Scheming behavior. 

~

That night, you almost couldn’t sleep. This wasn’t the normal post rehearsal can’t sleep. In fact, Tuck Everlasting was the last thing on your mind as you readjusted your pillows and snuggled into your duvet. You stared at the neon blue stars projected and swirling on your ceiling. You sighed. Again. Your brain was a 24/7 livestream of Paxton Hall-Yoshida to relax/study to. You saw him again, his face in the dimly lit auditorium, Adonis in a sea of faded seats. If you hadn’t been sure before, you knew now that red was definitely his color. You rolled onto your side. Your heart picked up speed as a thought crossed your mind. You could almost see Paxton now, kneeling next to you, his fingertips brushing your cheek. The piano underscore to “Seventeen” ran through your mind. You could imagine him saying “Wait with me, we could share the world…” so vividly it almost hurt. He leaned in, and… 

You let out a loud sigh and rolled over again. Your heart was fully saturated. That’s more than enough pining for tonight. 

~

“Paxton!” 

He was a little surprised when Eleanor just walked up to him at lunch the next day. Most people were too intimidated to approach him out of the blue. 

“I have a plan.”

“Uh, I don’t know what you-”

“Cut the crap, I know you like her.” 

His face blanched. Well, yeah of course he did. Who wouldn’t? He was going to ask Eleanor if there was something he could do to win you over, just not here, not now. Not where everyone could watch and jeer and rib him for it. Just like they were doing now. 

“Woah, dude, who is it?” Trent asked. He fumbled for words. He couldn’t believe this was happening. He hadn’t kept his crush a secret because he was embarrased of you, he’d kept it a secret because his dumbass friends wouldn’t get you. Hell, he barely got you. You were so deep, and emotive, and artistic... 

“Bro, if you like her as much as it seems like you do,” Trent continued, “you gotta win her over.” He was a little shocked at the agreement murmuring through his group of friends. He didn’t know how to respond. Trent turned to Eleanor.

“What’s the plan, drama mama?”

“First of all,” she said, an almost humorously dangerous look on her face, “never call me that again. Second,” she shoved some papers into Paxton’s hands, “meet me in the music room immediately after school.” She started back for her table. Trent looked back over to Paxton. 

“You gotta do it, dude. We’ll cover for you at swim.” 

The rest of his friends agreed. He was pleasantly surprised at how supportive they were being. 

“Yeah, I guess... we’ve got a plan.”

~

The next day went by pretty smoothly. No rehearsal was scheduled since they were finishing construction for some of the sets, but everyone was instructed to do a couple read throughs of the script, focusing on scenes they’re still forgetting, to make sure everyone’s off book. You stopped by 7 Eleven to get a blue slurpee (for homework) and a couple coconut waters (for run throughs). You texted Eleanor on your way to the slurpee machine. 

okay so do you like the mango coconut water or the pineapple one?? It’s the mango one right?? i always forget lmao

sent at 4:16 pm

btw I don’t have that much homework so you can probs come by around 5:30 if you’re ready by then

sent at 4:16 pm

Bae Tuck

OMFG!! I totally forgot about running lines tonight, I can’t make it! :( but I’ll send someone over to help you out. :)

sent at 4:17 pm

You squinted at your screen. That was weird. Eleanor never used colon parentheses smilies. Like, ever. She always used emojis, and usually way more than two per text. 

yeah np, are u good? ♡

sent at 4:17 pm

Bae Tuck

Yes :)

sent at 4:18 pm

Bae Tuck

Also get the passionfruit one 🥥🍠 👀

sent at 4:18

that’s,,, el that’s a sweet potato,,

sent at 4:19 pm

Bae Tuck

Close enough 🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️🤷🏻‍♀️

sent at 4:19pm

...Okay? That was definitely weird. You shook it off and headed for the counter to pay. You stopped half way there, and turned back to swap the mango for passionfruit. 

Not long after you had finished your homework and tidied up your room a little, the doorbell rang. You exited the kitchen, drinks in hand, and opened the door. Your heart caught in your throat. Paxton Hall-Yoshida was standing outside. And you were pretty sure he looked nervous. You both just stood there for a second. No one breathed, no one spoke. 

“Uh, hi, do you want to…” you backed up, motioning for him to come inside. 

“Yeah, thanks,” he said, entering the doorway. Paxton motherfucking Hall-Yoshida was in your living room. You held out a hand to him.

“Coconut water?” he took the box, looked at the label, and smiled. 

“Yeah, thanks,” he said again, this time a faint, yet unmistakable note of joy in his voice. He took a sip. He smiled.

“Passionfruit’s my favorite.” You silently thanked Eleanor, who you knew must have planned all this. Most of the evening was a blur, and you thanked god your family wasn’t home right now. You went upstairs, texted Eleanor asking what the actual fuck, made some surprisingly comfortable small talk, then filled him in on how to run lines. 

“Do you think playing the soundtrack would help you… get into character?” he asked. 

“I would probably just end up singing the whole thing,” You laughed and tried to ignore the butterflies in your chest. The main scene you struggled with was before “Seventeen”. It was harder to get into Winnie’s head because you had no romantic feelings for Jonah, and you always just made each other laugh. You had started with a few easier scenes of Winnie and Jesse, like the fair, and the dialogue before “Top of the World”. 

“That was really good,” he said, and you felt the sincerity of his words. 

“Thanks…” you smiled and took a sip of coconut water, hoping you weren’t blushing too hard. 

“So what next?” he asked. 

“Probably the scene before ‘Seventeen’,” you said, giving him the page and scene number, “it’s one of the hardest ones for me. I guess I just can’t connect to Jonah the way Winnie does.” 

“Huh,” he said, skimming the page. When you looked up at him, he had something between a smile and a smirk playing at his lips. You made yourself look away before you got too distracted. You refused to think about the fact that you were sitting across from Paxton Hall-Yoshida on your bed, in your room, like you were… close with each other. His eyes skimmed the script, finding the dialogue. He glanced up at you and nodded, indicating he found his place. You began.

“I was so afraid you wouldn’t get away,” you said, jumping into character.

“I may be 102, but I can still outrun anyone,” a smile played at his lips. You smiled, then let your face fall.

“I’m so sorry, I-I tried to warn you-”

“No, no,” he interjected almost seamlessly, “It’s okay, it’s… refreshing having someone look after me who isn’t my mom.” His eyes flickered between your face and the page. You smiled with him for a second, then let distress cloud your face.

“Jesse… that man came by my house today. He heard the music box, he knows about you-”

“I know he knows…” 

You continued on with the scene and he trailed off when he came to the sheet music for the song Seventeen. You took in a breath to start the dialogue in the middle of the song, but before you could…

“Six years from now you will turn seventeen,

Turn seventeen,

The same age as me,

Six years from now,

Go to the spring,

Go to the spring and drink…”

He was singing to you. He was looking at you and singing to you. His eyes only flickered down to the page to confirm the lyrics. He was nervous, you could tell. But through his hesitance, the emotion in his voice was sincere. Your heart was beating faster. You didn’t even notice your pulse was ringing in your ears, you were too focused on Paxton. 

“I'll wait for you till you turn seventeen,

Turn seventeen,

The same age as me,

Six years from now,

Go to the spring,

Go to the spring and drink…” Your hand rose to cover your mouth. He hesitated, and you remembered your dialogue.

“Uh, wh-what if I… forget where the spring is?” He reached out and took your free hand in his. Your pulse was off the charts. “I’ll go get you some water. Just… remember to keep it somewhere safe. Somewhere no one will find it.” You got the feeling he wasn’t just talking about the water. You knew he had never really been in a serious relationship before, and it clicked suddenly - if he learned an entire song to duet with you, just how much he must like you. You exhaled a breathy laugh, unsure how to process the sudden euphoria you felt. 

“You make the world sound so… exciting. I just want to drink the water right now!”

“Uh, no. You have to wait.” you both smiled, anticipating the upcoming joke.

“Why?” you ask, “What’s the difference?” You held your breath as he tried not to laugh through the delivery of the punchline. 

“Believe me,” he rubbed his thumb over your hand, “there’s a difference.” You both chuckled, and he continued singing. You were so focused on him, so… touched that he would do all this for you. 

“Winnie, wait with me,

And we could be married,

Winnie, wait with me,

And we'll share the world,

Winnie, you can stop time,

And live like this,

Forever…”

“I could live like this forever,” you echoed.

“Live like this...” you sang in tandem.

“What do you say, Winnie? Do you want to…” he broke character suddenly, and asked, his eyes boring into yours, “Do you want to go out some time?” 

He could see the adorable smile blooming on your face, even from behind your hand. You nodded.

“Yes, I-I would love that,” and you began to sing the last line in the song, “Forever-” 

But before you finished holding out the note, his lips were on yours. His mouth moved slowly, intentionally, against yours. You followed his lead, flustered. He leaned further forward, his palm caressing your cheek. It was everything you imagined it would be, and you had quite the imagination. Your head was angled up and your hands rested themselves on his back, one tracing little shapes. Your shoulders were pressed against each other and neither of you could think. He was so warm. He tasted like coconut and passion fruit, and a distant part of your mind silently thanked Eleanor again. 

You really could live like this forever.

#paxton hall yoshida x reader #paxton hall yoshida #never have i ever #nhie #nhie x reader #never have i ever x reader

[ladyzayinwonderland]

Hiya Zay! So I noticed you posted about a Hadestown crossover and I wanted to ask you what you love about the musical! Favorite song? Favorite quality? What about the story/songs/costumes/characters/choreography/atmosphere/etc evokes Feelings? What is/are the primary mood(s) it inspires in you? Favorite headcanon or tender moment? Favorite line/lyric? (FYI I know you're not on here regularly and I RESPECT that, so if you want to answer, feel utterly free to take your time)... ❤️ Poly

Okay this has been a long time coming (I just didn’t realize how long it would take) but I finally have an answer! Thank you for your patience, dear Poly, and thank you for the super ask! I’m always willing to gush about Hadestown and it was so fun to have the opportunity ^_^

It is, however, a very long answer... it kinda got away from me in the process, hehe.

Favorite song: I feel like it might be cliché to say Wait for Me, but… all the versions of the song are gorgeous in different ways. If I had to be more original, then I would have to say We Raise Our Cups. I tear up every time I listen to it.

Favorite Quality: In the words of Hermes, “it’s a love song.” Orpheus loves Eurydice enough to go to hell to get her. Eurydice loves Orpheus enough to follow him out, though the way is hard. Hades loves Persephone, though he doesn’t know how to show it and is afraid to lose her. Persephone loves Hades enough to keep coming back to him to “try again”. I know that some of those loves are flawed, but they’re human. The beacon of that love and what it represents is important.

Story: I adore the inevitability of Hadestown. We know from the very beginning how this is going to end and yet we still hope that maybe it might just be different this time. We can’t help but hope. I think it speaks to the quality of the musical that it can still pull you in every time. Very cathartic.

Songs: My favorite thing about the songs is having been able to witness their growth and maturity from album to album! Themes, lyrics, and melodies have so many subtle changes that only seem to ring more true with time. It’s also so cool to see how it needed 10+ years to ruminate into the musical we have now. (But this might also be subjective to me because I found out about Hadestown when there was only a concept album, then kept up with each new development until my husband and I were able to see it on Broadway just after its premier.) And I’m very excited to see how the national tour turns out!!

Costumes: I love the tattered/steampunk/industrial look of the OBC show. But I also love what I’ve seen of the off-broadway show, the whimsical costumes of Nabiyah’s Eurydice and early Persephone’s dresses and boldness of Damon’s red jacket (bring! it! back!). The costumes definitely change the vibes of the show though, which is just fascinating to me. Mostly in Eurydice’s character, so…….

Characters: Eurydice. Has. Character. She is three-dimensional, rounded out, and can stand on her own. (this was always something I wished had been different with the myth) It’s interesting to note how her character is portrayed slightly differently depending on the show though? I can’t speak so much to Nabiyah’s portrayal because I didn’t see it, but the music makes me think that she’s harsher and angrier than Eva’s softer and more hopeful version. Orpheus too experiences subtle shifts between Damon and Reeve, specifically bolder to more naïve, which… I don’t hate, but I miss Damon’s Oprheus. I also love that all the main players experience change/growth! They all have agency!

Choreography: I love the transition between carefree in the world above to stark and sharp down below. Tbh Livin’ It Up On Top is not my ~fav~ choreography-wise, however, I recognize it’s a chance for the cast to let loose and have a good time, and it’s important to show just how different things are between the two settings. But the moment we are down below? Stellar. Sharp, synchronized movements that immediately remind you of the cogs of a machine. And I do love how the movements become more human by the time we get to If It’s True and Wait for Me II.

Bonus—the lamp choreo in Wait for Me. I sobbed when I saw them swinging and being used to light an otherwise dark space, leading Orpheus deeper underground.

Atmosphere: slight steampunk vibes my beloved. The off-broadway and Canadian productions’ Tree is something I wish had stayed for the OBC production. In addition to being gorgeous, it adds an element of nature to juxtapose to Hades’ cold, harshly lit, industrial underground. The OBC loses that little bit of earth by taking place in a train station bar. That said, I do enjoy the bar setting in parallel to Persephone’s dismal speakeasy down below. The presence of the band on stage, motley but involved in the story beyond just the music.

Inspired moods: I like angst, for better or for worse. I’ve always been drawn to Orpheus and Eurydice because of how tragic it is. I think it’s very Romantic™. Therefore, any incarnation or representation of the story is automatically my jam. I like that, regardless of how many times I have listened to the album, I still hold on to the hope that it might turn out differently. Just once. That hope is something so precious, something that still deserves to be passed on even if it’s been dashed to pieces. It’s never in vain, you can always try again.

(And, this probably isn’t as relevant, but I think there’s something to be said from a Christian perspective on the show as well. Orpheus is just a man and prone to doubt, as the show illustrates. He fails. We all fail. But there is hope found in One who literally can’t fail in bringing the lost back to Him, and that is an encouraging thought.)

Headcanon: I hold to this one interpretation of the tale that Orpheus looking back was a sign of love (though I don’t discount it being an act of doubt or weakness). I like to think that he was just wanted to see her again, wanted to make sure she made it too, but he was just a fraction of a moment too soon. It almost makes her “death” more tragic.

Tender Moment: my favorite tender moments from the show are 1) when Orpheus runs to the stage through the audience to reach Eurydice again in the second act. Mostly because I didn’t expect it. I was focused on her when a white and red blur with a guitar ran down the aisle to peek his head above the edge of the stage with a joyful “come home with me?” My Heart. 2) when Orpheus finishes Epic III and Hermes says “and you know what they did? They danced.” There is a twenty second bit of acoustic guitar and violin while Hades and Persephone dance for the first time together in ages. It wasn’t a grand or sweeping moment—it was just an old man stumbling through a rusty dance with his wife, and it felt genuine.

Favorite Line/Lyric: starting off strong with the first words of the show. There’s no introduction to Hadestown, no warning it’s about to start. Just Hermes sauntering onstage, looking you straight in the eye, and saying “Alright?” Then the band starts playing and the show begins. Incredible. Unprecedented. But also I weep for all of the Epics. Such solid poetry. So soft.

So anyway, those are my thoughts! They may be a little repetitive, but hopefully I conveyed myself decently enough. Thank you again, lovely!! <3

#I felt like I was writing an essay for the first time in years in the best way possible #my original notes were twice as long #written in the downtime between phone calls and emails at my job #so that's why it's so late in coming... but now it's here!! #Poly #zay answers things #Hadestown

[why-is-it-always-autumn]

Me: Oh cool an adaptation of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth!

The Narrator: Orpheus looks back

Me: Oh my God Orpheus looked back

#every time #orpheus #orpheus and eurydice #greek tragedy #Greek Mythology #me listening to the hadestown obc album #after already listening to the off broadway soundtrack #and the original concept album #'But what if this time it ends differently?' #hadestown #the mechanisms #percy jackson #my sixth grade violin recital #me #life

[eerna]

had to join in the hadestown brainrot. So for me, I’m still only getting into musicals, but for a while it was clear in my head that hadestown was my favorite. Tho, the love I had for it was like… lukewarm?? Or more like a sort of passive agreement. And then I blasted through your recent anons and reblogs and read about the heart wrenching lyrics that i didn’t give enough thought to and listened to the 2019 album yet again and wait for me (reprise) destroyed me again, but for REAL this time. It might just be my true moment of conversion so la lalala lala LA

WELCOMEEEE!!! That's totally understandable. It wasn't love at first sight for me, either. I listened to a couple of 2017 songs and watched the London bootleg and sure, I cried, but it wasn't my fav-fav. Then months later the OBC album came out, and I was blasted off into space with how fantastic the show is and how it's my favourite. And now we are both on the La La La Legion!!!!!

#eernask #eernanon #eernask talk hadestown #distinctly remembergetting an anon around that time like ''OMG HADESTOWN IS MY FAV MUSICAL'' #and thinking ''oh i wsih that were me but i cant seem to get into it :(((''

[ohbrightnewday]

what's your favorite production of hadestown and why?

Now this is a difficult question.

All the productions have reasons I love them, each of them mean different things to me. I first listened to NYTW maybeeee three years ago? And NYTW songs hit so Good sometimes but the OBC is the production I've spent ages hyperfixating on, so it's the one I know the Most and the production I almost always listen to.

For this reason, I'm probably gonna say OBC is my favourite production! I love NYTW as well ofc (I don't think I've listen to the concept album in ageess or enough to decide how much I like that though) but OBC is my fave.

#now that was two paragraphs for me to basically just say yay obc #sorry im trying to not think about school