To the Editor:

Join us for the Voorheesville high school production of the musical “Hadestown: Teen Edition” on Friday, March 20, and Saturday, March 21, at 7 p.m. and Sunday, March 22, at 2 p.m.

Directed by Desiree Chappelle Streeter, the two-hour musical is produced by Steve Suriano, and under the musical direction of Jake Purrington.

The play is a modernized version of Greek mythology, telling the stories of the love between the gods Hades, King of the underworld, and his wife, Persephone, the goddess of spring, and the young lovers, Orpheus and Eurydice.

Hades and Persephone have a love that sets the seasons. Persephone splits her time between the upper and under worlds, bringing spring and growth to the world. When she returns to Hadestown, the growing season ends.

Hades became lonely and jealous of Persephone’s time away and increasingly limited her time above ground. With longer winters, crops failed and hunger spread across the land. That is the world into which Orpheus and Eurydice were born.

Orpheus is a gifted poet with hopes of writing a song that will bring back spring. Focused on his work, he fails to notice Eurydice’s hunger and suffering, allowing Hades to convince her to join him in the underworld. Orpheus follows to bring her back.

The story is told mostly through song. The ensemble is on stage most of the time, lending their voices to the songs and providing additional choreography with the featured dancers. And, along with the main characters, giving family and friends lots of opportunities to see their favorite performer on stage.

The stage is also filled with a large set piece built by Addam Effinger and his band of merry builders. In spite of its elaborate look, the builders were able to complete the set almost entirely with materials in storage from previous plays.

A new set-building challenge for this play was the need for a large rotating platform that required serious engineering skills. To the rescue came Nick Viscio. The basic platform was designed and built at home, later to be incorporated into the set design.

Also occupying space on the stage is a live jazz band, providing the music for the play. Sound designer Keith Rivers set up a sound shield on stage to prevent the band music from overpowering the stage performers.

Costuming was straightforward this year. Megan Viscio, our lead costume designer, created the two dresses for Persephone. Hades’ fabulous coat was a lucky find at Goodwill. Look for the brick-wall tattoo on his left arm.

Now the stage is set and the action begins. Voorheesville is blessed with a lot of very talented young performers. They have worked hard to master the complex music and choreography of this show and have shown their ability to handle the emotional depth of their characters.

If you are not familiar with the quality of local high school musicals, you are missing out on accessible, affordable, great entertainment. Join us for an evening or afternoon performance of this amazing show. You will not be disappointed.

Tickets are available at the door. The cost is $18 for adults, $12 for students, and seniors are admitted for free.

Sharon Breisch

New Scotland