Tag: hadestown

Top Reads of November

Here are my top reads of November!

  1. The Song of Us by Kate Fussner
    This was such a beautiful retelling of the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Olivia and Eden’s home lives are hard, but they can find solace in each other, always. Until Eden begins to make new friends and Olivia accidentally pushes Eden away, the very opposite of what she wanted to do. I loved how the poetry flowed and the way the story unfolded. The prose was written really well and I enjoyed it a lot. I totally recommend it to you!
  2. Dear Mothman by Robin Gow
    This was such an interesting book! Noah and Lewis used to be best friends. But when Lewis dies in a car accident, Noah is forced to survive alone. He decides to do his science project on Mothman to honor Lewis’ legacy, but when his teachers and his parents start to doubt him, he knows he needs real evidence. I really enjoyed this book and the portrayal or LGBT+ characters. It was a great read!
  3. Dear Medusa by Olivia Cole
    I really loved how powerful this book was. Alicia has gotten used to being bullied, being an outcast, her only friend one she made in detention. But when she gets to meet with a mentor, she learned just how to channel that anger out and how to become the most powerful version of herself. I really enjoyed the writing style of this book and how well sexual abuse is shown. This is an amazing book!
  4. The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
    The way this story was built was so cool! Every so often, 6 medians from around the world are chosen to be apart of the elite Alexandrian Society. The catch? Only 5 of them can actually be initiated. I loved the world building and how we got to see each of their powers grow as they accepted their role. I also enjoyed watching them progress past the tests. It was a really great book!
  5. Lore Olympus (vol. 1) by Rachel Smythe
    I’ve been following the Webtoon for a while, but it was nice to have a physical copy of the book and to be able to flip through its pages. Persephone’s mother, Demeter, is incredibly overprotective, but she eventually lets Persephone live with her friend, Artemis. However, at a party, Persephone catches Hades’ eye and it’s never a good idea when you get noticed by one of the Big 3…
    This was such a great book and I really enjoyed it. I cant wait to read the rest!

Top Books of January: click here
Top Books of February: click here
Top Books of March: click here
Top Books of April: click here
Top Books of May: click here
Top Books of June: click here
Top Books of July: click here
Top Books of August: click here
Top Books of September: click here
Top Books of October: click here

Six the musical

I recently got to see Six: The Musical. I’d been listening to the songs for quite a while and I always enjoyed thinking about what the inperson version might sound like and so when their tour started, I had to go. It was such a fun experience and I enjoyed it a lot!

Six is about the 6 wives of Henry the 8th and how they each had their lives ruined because of the king. Each of the queens (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anna of Cleves, Katherine Howard, and Catherine Parr) had their own song in which they proved exactly how horrible their lives were because of one man.

Two of them were divorced (Catherine of Aragon and Anna of Cleves), two of them were beheaded (Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard), one died of natural causes (Jane Seymour), and one survived (Catherine Parr). All of them were torn away from their lives and forced to be with Henry, whether they wanted it, like Jane, or not, like Catherine Parr.

The set for Six was pretty simple, with no specific setting, only a moment in time for all the Queens to be together. However, while the set wasn’t specific, the lights definitely were. They matched perfectly to the songs playing and truly elevated the whole set. The costumes were also amazing. They were elaborate and shone under the lights. Each costume also catered to the character’s role well.

Have you seen any musicals? What are your favorites?

Theater!

I really enjoy theater! It’s a relatively new interest, one that I got into in 6th grade. When I was making the course selections for my first year at middle school, I picked theater as it seemed interesting. Unfortunately, I was fully virtual that year, meaning I didn’t get the full experience of theater. Next year through, for 7th grade, I picked theater once more and was actually able to witness it in person. I really enjoyed that year and it made me really fall in love with theater. Some of my favorite experiences that year were learning about improv and writing our own play. In groups, we had to write our own 3 scene murder mystery. I worked with some of my closest friends to come up with our play and performing it was incredibly rewarding.
This year, 8th grade, I’m currently in UIL theater, where we have a competition coming up in November and a performance in the spring. I am currently working on both production and acting. In production, I am in the set and lighting crew, where we design all the sets and the lighting needed for them. I’m also part of the chorus of the play and play as a minor, but important character. I’m also taking a part of theater classes at a theater. These classes are also lead by a musical theater school. I hope to continue learning about theater and hopefully take it during high school!

I also got to see Hadestown recently! It was such an amazing experience, especially for someone like me who loves Greek Mythology.
The story of Hadestown is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, who were two lovers. When one day Eurydice died, Orpheus was overcome with grief and set out to the Underworld to find her and bring her back. There, he made a deal with Hades. He could walk out of the Underworld with Eurydice following him, but if he turned to look back for even a second, she would be gone. He couldn’t see or hear her, but he had to trust her, himself, and Hades. Orpheus made it out most of the way, but at the last second, right when daylight broke through the Underworld, he turned to look. And the last thing he saw was her slipping away.
This musical took that story and reimagined it in a brilliant and fun way. I loved the portrayal of the characters, especially Persephone, goddess of spring and the Underworld, and the Fates, three women who controlled your life. The costuming choices were brilliant, as were the lighting choices. The thing that dazzled me the most though, was the set. The set was intricately made, with two main levels, a spiraling staircase leading up to the top one. Some of the orchestra sat on the stage itself, giving it a very close and cozy feeling. The props used were magnificent and overall, it was a great show that I really enjoyed!

Have you seen any musicals or plays? What are some of your favorite?