Hadestown - Sandwell College

On the 24th March 2026, I had the privilege of attending a production of Hadestown at Sandwell College.

Image provided by **Sandwell College** Instagram.

Going into this performance knowing absolutely nothing about Hadestown, and coming out of the performance absolutely loving the show tells you everything you need to know! This performance had a brilliant mix of great acting, strong vocals and fun dance sequences. Overall, I was most impressed with the vocals and harmony work which added to an overall impressive show.

Let’s start with the cast of this show. Everybody in the cast showed great capabilities with a strong performance from Weronika as Hermes. Weronika showed strong acting throughout the performance and really brought a great interpretation to the character. I was very impressed with how Weronika handled a show stop due to technical issues during a very emotional part of the show, it was handled with true professionalism. Odhinn as Hades gave a great performance, showcasing his brilliant ability of acting and singing. Especially his impressive bass register he brought to the show. Chloe J as Persephone did great at bringing the character to life, such as; strong vocals and great acting. I was throughly impressed. Niamh did an excellent job at playing Eurydice, really showcasing her ability of bringing emotion to the character while using her great talent in singing and acting. Makena as Orpheus was spot on, a great take on the role using her singing and acting abilities. (I have worked with Makena in the past on other projects, getting to perform with her as well as directing her. She is passionate and great to work with.) The Fates were played with justice by Mily, Kyra and Kacey. These three girls as a collective brought incredibly strong vocals to the show, with impressive vocal harmonies that just gave me the shivers. I also enjoyed the costumes of The Fates and the overall vibe they brought to the performance. (Another shout out for Kyra as I have also previously worked with her in the past, She is a blast to work with.) Featured Ensemble were Jack, Abi and Carly. They brought great acting, singing and dance to the stage and I was impressed thoroughly. The ensemble were Chloe S, Liz, Alimah,Gemma, Zaisha, Zahniyah, Darcey, Hannah, Izzy and Tayla. The ensemble did an awesome job at bringing a great vibe to the performance overall, filling out the stage with amazing singing, dancing and acting. The ensemble really helped to bring the world of Hadestown to life!

On the production side, I was impressed with the costumes for this show as they really stood out, and you could really tell who each character was from just their costume. It also helped bring individuality to each cast member. The set was very simplistic yet very effective. I was amazed by how minimal the set was but how much it brought to the show. The use of a raised platform in the middle of the stage really helped showcase the characters when they were stood on it. It made them look important to the story when they were there, I enjoyed the lighting on the platform when a character was there.

To bring this review to an end, I would like to shout out the creative team for this production. Director, Emily Chell. Choreographer, Craig Worrall and Musical Director, Kirsty Leslie. You have done a fantastic job at bringing this performance to life, I thoroughly enjoyed the Directorial attributes to the show and the amazing take on this musical. The dancing was great and I very much enjoyed the choreography, it was fun and meaningful. The vocal work on this show was just great and I couldn’t be more impressed with the harmonies for this performance. They were truly strong in every way!

Overall, I cannot wait to return to Sandwell College for future shows as I was greatly impressed by this performance. It brings me such joy to see amateur theatre compete with professional ground.

Freddie Perry, 2026.