Bobcat Stories

The floorboards of the Blackbox Theater in Budagher Hall got a workout during the ambitious run of the Spring Musical, Hadestown. The show’s journey, from being a twinkle in Drama Director Meghan Bode’s eye to being a sold-out two-week Bosque performance extravaganza, was not unlike that of the original show, which went from an obscure 2006 start in Vermont to Broadway in 2019, earning 14 Tony Award nominations and winning eight, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. If you happened to be in London in 2024, you could have caught it at a West End Theater. This is a show with legs, and our students rose to the challenge of its complex vocal range, athletic choreography, complex sets, versatile costuming, and dramatic roles that traversed dual worlds above and below.  In addition to all that, the production featured a live pit orchestra conducted by Musical Director Julia Manganaro and included Rowan ‘25 and Olivia ‘27 on violin and Amelie ‘27 and Nick ‘25 on cello. Additionally, Bosque School alum Rowan M. '24 came back to play bass in the pit!

Who doesn’t love the tragic story of Orpheus and Eurydice? The production opens with the Greek god Hermes, played by Jade ‘27, who functions throughout as narrator, guide, interpreter, and even a bit of a nudger. Soulful Orpheus was played by Emma ‘26, and Kiara ‘25 was Orpheus's star-crossed beloved and muse, Eurydice. Persephone and Hades were played by the junior duo of Lauren L. and Julius, who together captured the deep world-weariness of two great immortals trapped in a decaying marriage. The leads were rounded out by the three compelling, secretive Fates—Mia ‘25, Dusti ‘26, and Ma’ayan ‘25.

Those floorboards? They were pounded by a huge dance corps and ensemble, whose expressive dancing was choreographed by Ms. Bode and Ma’ayan. Production Assistant Maria Clara Rekow, whose other role is being Bosque’s longest-serving Spanish teacher, helped rehearse the dance corps.  The floor itself, like the rest of the set, was cleverly divided into two zones:  on stage right, the warm party of Demeter’s Earth, giving off a New Orleans vibe including wrought-iron balustrades twined with ivy, contrasting stage left, the forbidding industrial terrain of the underworld ruled by Hades, with art deco curves and flashes of gold floating above the sea of indentured workers, in black and brown, wearing mining headlamps and enacting endless, repetitive labor.  

The set was full of ingenious surprises, including a louvered panel that rotated open to reveal an image of Cerberus, the three-headed dog that guards the River Styx, designed by Lelia ‘25. The panel was surrounded by a brick arch inspired by the Southern Railway Station in New Orleans, and through the doors beneath, the doomed souls boarded the train to the underworld.  Ceiling lights on 50-foot cables suspended from pulleys dropped, changing the shape of the stage and then becoming handheld spotlights. Small wagons, evoking Charon’s ferry and propelled by crouching dance corps members, carried Orpheus and Eurydice on and off the River Styx as they made their final ill-fated journey up from the underworld towards Earth. On Broadway and in other venues, this scene would have used a rotating stage; it is part of the genius of Technical Director Doug Lowry’s design crew that the sinuous journey was so well-evoked in this low-tech way. Mr. Lowry stressed the collaborative nature of all these set and technical efforts, as well as the importance of the leadership roles. Because Stage Managers Lily ‘25 and Kayhaan ‘25 and Assistant Production Manager Linna ‘27 were so good at organizing, communicating, and managing the cast and crew in diplomatic ways, Mr. Lowry was able to achieve such ambitious complexity in scene design, lighting, and sound. Another way he collaborates is, of course, with Ms. Bode. They work together by continually asking What if? Can we? Should we? And only rarely say “no,” and only then when their dreams collide with the constraints of time and budget. Mr. Lowry estimated that he gets over 1,500 hours of labor from the student crew, whose skills developed dramatically during the design of the Hadestown production.

Ms. Bode is equally grateful for the leadership, experience, and knowledge that her students, particularly the seniors, brought to the show. They were sixth graders in 2018-19 when she directed her first show at Bosque. That year, everyone was listening to and falling in love with the soundtrack of Hadestown, and she told those kids, “As soon as the rights are available, we’ll do the show.” It is far and away her favorite musical (as it is for House Manager Zach Lang, who was thrilled to be a part of it) partly because of its unique music, created by a New Orleans songwriter, Anais Mitchell. Ms. Bode appreciates how a familiar narrative allows viewers to enter the story immediately but still appreciates the fresh adaptation of it. She pointed out her special pride in the ensemble, who have benefited from the department philosophy, that it is the job of each member of the ensemble “to make everyone around you look good and to take care of the company and show.”  This focus on the whole rather than the individual is also why the understudy cast – Isai ‘27, Elia ‘26, Abigail ‘25, Emma ‘25, Hazel ‘25, Amelie ‘27, Maya ‘26, and Rea ‘25 – was so essential. Their service, which requires learning their own ensemble role plus the role of a lead—ensures the entire production can move forward through all the rehearsals and performances. Understudies only rarely have to step in at the last minute, but his time, for a dress rehearsal, Elia ‘26 had to step in to play Orpheus and did a magnificent job.  

Ms. Bode found directing Hadestown to be an incredibly meaningful artistic experience. She, in collaboration with so many others, created something truly beautiful. One of the show’s repeated lyrics is, “It’s a sad song,” a line that takes many tones and forms over the course of the play.  While the set, music, and story all serve to highlight the powerful themes of climate change and the oppression of workers, the greatest theme is the redemptive power of art.  It’s a song, after all, that has the power to set the troubled world back in tune. 

The most famous part of the story is Orpheus’s final task: to leave the underworld without looking back to see if Eurydice is following him. Hermes tells them, “It’s not a trap, but a trial; not a trick, but a test.”  And in every version of this ancient story, Orpheus fails.  Yet the tale gets told again and again, the power of their love so strong we hope, every time, it will be different. It’s hope that allows us to tell the story again and again, to live on in this world out of tune.  Bravo to these young thespians and their devoted teachers, mentors, and directors for keeping the faith.