Review - 'Hadestown: The Musical' The Underworld Has Never Sounded So Alive

 

Amber Gray and Reeve Carney

By Darlene Donloe

If theater is the art of presence, then Hadestown: The Musical, the West End live capture now reaching cinemas for five nights only starting July 24, 2026, is a masterclass in how to bottle lightning. 

Directed by Brett Sullivan with a filmmaker’s eye for intimacy and scale, this 141-minute rendering of Anaïs Mitchell’s mythic, genre-wrecking musical doesn’t just document a stage show — it reanimates it. The result is ecstatic, mournful, and utterly essential.

The miracle of Hadestown has always been its synthesis. Mitchell’s book and score braid Greek tragedy with Depression-era grit, New Orleans jazz with Appalachian folk, and come up with something that feels both ancient and radio-ready. 

Onscreen, that alchemy is amplified. You hear the snare of the trombone, the ache in the guitar, the way a train whistle becomes fate. 

You see sweat on brows, the tremor in a hand before a note, the architecture of Rachel Hauck’s industrial underworld stretched to cinematic proportions. 

It’s hell as a factory town, and it’s gorgeous.

Then there are the five principals — the original Broadway quintet, reunited in London — and here the word “stellar” feels insufficient. 

Reeve Carney

Reeve Carney’s Orpheus is all open heart and breaking voice, a boy-poet who believes a song can move the world, and by the end, you believe it too. 

Eva Noblezada’s Eurydice is flint and hunger and hope, her soprano slicing through the steam like a cold wind. 

André De Shields

As Hermes, André De Shields remains the show’s sly, omniscient spine — a trickster god in a glittering suit who narrates with a wink and a wound. 

Amber Gray

Amber Gray’s Persephone swaggers in on a six-foot buzz, summer personified and then winter-broken, and Patrick Page’s Hades is still the most terrifyingly seductive baritone on any stage, industrial or mythic. His “Why We Build the Wall” lands in a movie theater with the force of prophecy.

The ensemble, often overlooked in filmed theater, becomes the film’s secret weapon. 

Every boot stomp, every shoulder shift, every glance toward the band is caught. Sullivan knows when to go wide and when to go close — a held note in “Wait for Me” becomes a universe — and the live audience is felt, not heard, like a sixth principal.

For the uninitiated: Hadestown follows two love stories braided together. Orpheus, the dreamer, tries to save Eurydice from the choices poverty forces on her. 

Meanwhile, Hades, king of the underworld, and his restless wife Persephone negotiate their own fraying bond of power and season. It’s Romeo and Juliet meets The Grapes of Wrath, scored by Lead Belly and Louis Armstrong, and it asks the oldest question: can love change the world? — with the newest urgency.

What makes this capture sing is that it refuses to be a consolation prize for not being in the room. Produced by Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy, the film understands that the camera is not a witness but an instrument. It doesn’t flatten the stage; it scores it.

In 2019, Hadestown took home eight Tonys, including Best Musical, and in 2020, it won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album. 

This film makes the case that those honors undersold it. Seeing Carney finish “Epic III,” or watching Noblezada step toward Hades with dread and defiance, or catching the flicker of grief in Gray’s eyes as summer ends — these are moments that argue for theater as the most human of arts, and film as its most generous translator.

Five nights only is a crime. See it twice.

‘Hadestown: The Musical’

Director: Brett Sullivan

Writer: Anaïs Mitchell

Producers: Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, Tom Kirdahy

Starring: Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Amber Gray, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page

Runtime: 141 min

In theaters July 24, 2026

CeCe Winans' Devotional, 'Faith For Generations,' Available Today

 

There’s real power in a faith that’s passed down, generation to generation. CeCe Winans’ new devotional, Faith For Generations, releases today, and it’s a beautiful call to love God and worship Him with all we have. #FaithForGenerations #CeCeWinans #NewRelease

Steele Brings Joy and Firsts to 'Mamma Mia!'

 

Jalynn Steele

By Darlene Donloe

Eight times a week, Jalynn Steele straps on stilettos, flips her hair, and saunters onstage at the Ahmanson Theatre to remind a sold-out crowd that life, divorce, and 40 can be fabulous.

She’s Tanya — the wisecracking, champagne-sipping third of Donna’s trio in Mamma Mia! — and for the next month, she’s doing it in Los Angeles as the show’s 25th anniversary tour parks itself at the Ahmanson June 23 to July 19.

It’s a role that requires perfect comic timing, ABBA-level stamina, and the kind of confidence that can only come from someone who once sold soap to pay rent.

For Steele, 46, from La Marque, Texas, it’s also history.

“I’m the first Black actress to play Tanya on Broadway,” she said during a recent interview. “It carried a big weight. Little Black girls came to see the show. And when they saw me, they saw themselves.”

Steele’s path to the Ahmanson ran through cruise ships, dinner theaters, and a whole lot of day jobs.

Before Broadway, she bartended. She waited tables. She sold soap. “I did regional theater gigs on cruise ships,” she said. “Anywhere they’d let me sing.”

Cast of 'Mamma Mia!'

Theater wasn’t the plan. It was the answer to a question.

“I was in my senior year trying to decide on my major,” Steele says. “My dad asked me what I wanted to do. I said singing, dancing, and acting. I was always performing. I was in the choir. Theater came to me naturally. I really love it. It’s a way for me to touch other people.”

That touch turned professional in 2017 with The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, her Broadway debut.

The show ran until 2019 and gave her a foothold. But Mamma Mia! gave her a throne.

Additional credits include: Off-Broadway: Sistas (Dr. Simone). National/International, Tours include  Fosse (Star). Regional Theater credits include Rock of Ages (Justice), Joseph (Pharaoh) & Mary Poppins (Mrs. Corry). Her television credits include: "Titanique The Musical: Livestream" (Ensemble) & "Sesame Street."

Jalynn Steele

Steele jumps feet first into all of her characters.

She met Tanya before Christine Baranski did — at least in her own timeline.

“I originally got the role in 2015-16,” she says. “I did it at a dinner theater. I didn’t want to do what someone else had done. I got the role first. I thought the movie was great. Christine Baranski was amazing.”

But Steele’s Tanya isn’t Baranski’s. It can’t be.

“I had to find her myself,” she said. “And honestly, I’m having a ball playing the role. The music of ABBA brings a joyful spirit.”

After two years on the road with the 25th anniversary tour, she’s learned that fun is also work.

Take “Does Your Mother Know,” Tanya’s flirtatious takedown of a much-too-young bartender. It’s two minutes of belts, kicks, and attitude.

“It’s a challenge to get it right,” Steele admits. “There are notes and moves that I hit. Depending on how my body feels that day determines if I’m going to make it.”

Some nights she floats. Some nights she fights. Every night, she lands it.

Ask Steele why she acts, and she doesn’t talk about applause. She talks about access.

“Acting does a lot for me,” she said. “It’s a great vessel. You have the power to change lives.”

She felt that power the first time a young Black girl waited at the stage door.

“First Black Tanya on Broadway — that matters,” Steele says. “When a Black actress sees me as Tanya, I hope they take away that they can do it, too. I hope to overcome those barriers that have been up for so long. That she can break through those barriers. We can achieve things that they never thought we could. I hope to inspire that in everyone, but especially those who look like me.”

The ABBA jukebox musical opened on Broadway in 2001 and hasn’t stopped dancing since.

Since premiering in London in 1999 and on Broadway in 2001, the irresistible musical has captured the hearts of millions around the globe. The sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter, and three possible dads on a Greek island paradise, all unfolding to the storytelling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs, has now been seen live on stage by 70 million people across the world and turned into two record-breaking movies – MAMMA MIA! The Movie and MAMMA MIA! Here We Go Again.

To date, MAMMA MIA! has been seen in 50 productions in 16 different languages, grossing more than $7 billion at the box office.  

Cast of Mamma Mia!

The 25th Anniversary production of MAMMA MIA! made a triumphant return to Broadway in August 2025 for a limited six-month run at the Winter Garden Theatre, where it had its first Broadway opening in 2001. MAMMA MIA! played for a record-breaking 14 years on Broadway, first at the Winter Garden Theatre, then at the Broadhurst Theatre. The show also toured North America from 2000 to 2017 with four different touring companies spanning this period.

The 25th anniversary tour is a victory lap with new faces and the same glitter.

At the Ahmanson, Steele is flanked by a company that feels like summer camp with better harmonies.

“Two years on tour, and I still get surprised by this show,” she says. “The audience gives us energy. We give it back. That’s the deal.”

And the deal, for Steele, is simple: joy is serious work.

“I was always performing,” she said of her Texas childhood. “Choir. Living room shows. Theater came to me naturally.”

Now it comes to the Ahmanson, with stilettos, ABBA, and a first that opened a door.

“If you don’t have fun, what’s the point?” Steele asks.

For the next month in downtown L.A., she’s making sure nobody has to ask.

‘Mamma Mia! is directed by Phyllida Lloyd and stars Steele, Jessica Crouch, Juliette M. Ojeda, Carly Sakolove, Leland Burnett, Rob Marnell, Victor Wallace, and Grant Reynolds.

‘MAMMA MIA!,’ Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, June 23–July 19, 2025, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1 and 7 p.m. Sundays, tickets start at $51.75, at CenterTheatreGroup.org

Running time: 2 hours, 35 minutes with one intermission

Living Legends Foundation To Celebrate 35th Anniversary in Atlanta

 

The Living Legends Foundation, Inc. (LLF) proudly announces its highly anticipated 35th Anniversary Awards Dinner & Gala, set to take place on Friday, October 2, 2026, in Atlanta, GA. To celebrate this milestone year, the Foundation returns to Flourish by Legendary for another unforgettable evening honoring the influential leaders shaping the music, radio, and entertainment industries.

"Time not only flies when you’re having fun but when you’re doing something noble. For 35 years, the Living Legends Foundation has been honoring and protecting the men and women who bring Black music to the world, while funding the future of the industry with scholarships," said Living Legends Foundation Chairman, David C. Linton. “We are delighted to be returning to Atlanta for a celebration not many thought we’d be seeing back in 1991 when we started. The industry has undergone and is still going through many changes. Many organizations have come and gone yet the Living Legends Foundation has stood the test of time!  I’m delighted as Chairman to invite you all to join us on October 2nd,  as we honor & celebrate a special group of professionals who continue to make Black music culture the envy of the world." 

A cornerstone event for over three decades, the Living Legends Foundation Gala continues to serve as a premier gathering for industry executives, creatives, and changemakers from across the country—celebrating excellence while supporting the next generation of leaders.

This year’s distinguished honorees represent a dynamic cross-section of visionaries and innovators whose impact continues to shape the culture and business of entertainment:

Ray Harris Lifetime Achievement Award — Louis Carr, President of BET

A.D. Washington Chairman’s Award — Black Promoters Collective

(Shelby Joyner, Gary Guidry, Troy Brown, William “Bill” Ingram, Sulaiman Mausi, Shahida Mausi, Lionel Bea, Janice Cotton, Walt Reeder Jr.)

Jerry Boulding Radio Executive Award — Kenny Smoov, Vice President of Urban Programming, Cumulus

Frankie Crocker Radio Personality Award — Greg Street, Air Personality, V-103 Atlanta

Impact Player Award — Juliette Jones, COO, Alamo Records

Music Executive Award — Tim Reid, SVP, Repertoire & Marketing, BMG Recorded Music

Mike Bernardo Female Executive Award — Phylicia Fant, Global Head of Music Industry & Culture Collaborations, Amazon Music

Kendall Minter Entertainment Advocate Award — James McMillan, Esq., CEO, ART@WAR Entertainment

Hip-Hop Visionary Award — Ted Lucas, Founder & CEO, Slip-N-Slide Records

Entrepreneur Award — Ralph McDaniels, Executive Producer, Video Music Box

The 2026 celebration builds on the momentum of last year’s powerful honoree class, which included industry icons such as Multi-GRAMMY® Award-winning producers and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, recipients of the Living Legends Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. That moment reinforced LLF’s ongoing commitment to recognizing excellence, celebrating cultural impact, and elevating leaders across every facet of the music and entertainment industry.

The Living Legends Foundation has long served as the premier advocate for diversity, mentorship, and recognition within the black music and entertainment industries, cementing an enduring legacy since its founding in 1991. The Annual Awards Dinner & Gala remains a marquee, must-attend event—bringing together luminaries, executives, and cultural leaders to celebrate not only individual achievement, but the collective impact shaping the future of music, media, and entertainment.

For more details about the Dinner and Gala, please visit livinglegendsfoundation.com. 

Tony Saunders Teams Up With Gerald Albright

 

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - During January’s NAMM Show, two‑time EMMY‑winning bassist Tony Saunders played a demo mashup of Mark Morrison’s “Return of the Mack” that weaves in El DeBarge’s “I Like It” for 9‑time GRAMMY® nominee Gerald Albright. The saxophonist instantly heard its radio potential and agreed to play on the recording. The newly released single is now climbing the Billboard and Mediabase charts. 

Joining Saunders and Albright on the track is GRAMMY®-winning keyboardist Michael Mani (Carlos Santana, Eric Clapton, Tori Kelly), who produced the single with Saunders, along with playing keyboards, synths, key bass, vocal processing, drum programming, and guitar synths. John Mitchell added live drums to anchor the rhythm track.   

“I’ve always loved ‘Return of the Mack’ — the groove is off the hook — and I knew I’d record it someday. ‘I Like It’ has also been one of my favorites, and because it’s in the same key, the mashup came together naturally. The reaction from fans when we play it live is incredible,” said Saunders, who records for the Baja/TSR label and received clearance to release the single on his own imprint. 

Saunders dedicates the new single to the memory of two of his cousins, Kurt Kaywood and Oliver Rodgers. They passed away two weeks apart as Saunders was finishing up work on the track. “They played an important part in my life, always introducing me to new things.” 

“Return of the Mack” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996. El DeBarge’s “I Like It” was the group’s breakthrough hit, peaking at No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B chart in 1982.  

Last week, Saunders was on-set in Sacramento shooting a cameo appearance in the Belton Mouras Entertainment film Fingers: The Vegan Zombie Musical, which is expected this Halloween. In addition to scoring several films, Saunders made his big screen debut in 1986 in the Francis Ford Coppola blockbuster Peggy Sue Got Married, playing in a scene as a band member with Nicolas Cage.

Saunders’ musical path began with taking piano lessons from Herbie Hancock. He was gifted with an organ by Sly Stone and received his first bass from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Tom Fogerty. His professional career began when he was invited to play in his father’s band. His father was Merl Saunders, and the co-band’s leader was Grateful Dead legend Jerry Garcia. Tony Saunders’ diverse musical journey spans jazz, funk, rock, R&B, and Latin music. He also composed the musical Rock Justice with Jefferson Starship’s Marty Balin. 

Saunders debuted as a solo artist with 2011’s Romancing the Bass. His latest collection, 2024’s The Romance Continues, spawned multiple Billboard Top 10 hits. Over the years, Saunders has collaborated with contemporary jazz luminaries Jeff Lorber, Paul Brown, Paul Jackson Jr., Nils, Jeff Ryan, Randy Crawford, Blake Aaron, and Adam Hawley.

In addition to releasing more new music this year, Saunders is eager to perform with his new band: Mitchell on drums, bassist Vernon Hall (Tony! Toni! Tone!), guitarist Tim Landis, and keyboardist Ray Roland. 

“I have played with a lot of musicians in my life, but this group really gets the Tony Saunders vibe!” 

For more information, please visit www.tonysaunders.com. 

 

Ugo Chukwu Is Bringing 'Primary Trust' To Life

Ugo Chukwu

 

By Darlene Donloe

In the midst of Los Angeles' vibrant theater scene, Ugo Chukwu is preparing to make his mark on the Mark Taper Forum stage in Eboni Booth's Pulitzer Prize-winning play, ‘Primary Trust,’ running May 20-June 28. 

Chukwu, a Bronx native and Manhattan-raised actor, will bring Bert, the charming best friend of the lead character Kenneth, to life.

"The play is about a young man named Kenneth who lives his life a certain way," Chukwu said. "One day, his routine is thrown for a loop and forces him to step out into the world. As he goes through his journey, you understand why he has been living the way he lives."

Chukwu's journey to the Taper stage began in 4th grade, when he declared his desire to become an actor.

A Brooklyn College theater major, Chukwu has honed his craft through years of hard work, including stints as a bartender, server, and teaching artist.

Ugo Chukwu in 'Give Me Carmelita Tropicana!'

Some of his credits include Oklahoma! (Broadway National Tour), Give Me Carmelita Tropicana! (Soho Rep), Lunch Bunch (Clubbed Thumb/Play Company), and What To Send Up When It Goes Down (Movement Theater). He has also appeared in commercials for State Farm and Spectrum Mobile.  

All of that experience shines through in his nuanced portrayal of Bert, a sounding board for Kenneth's struggles and an embodiment of the play's themes of loneliness, connection, and community.

"I'm drawn to Bert's grounding presence," Chukwu said. "He's a space where Kenneth can find solace. That's what I wanted to bring – the essence of true friendship."

As Chukwu navigates Bert's complexities, he finds personal connections to the play's themes. 

"We're living in a world where people are lonelier than ever, despite being hyper-connected on social media," he said. "We're always searching for community." 

With a sense of humor and humility, Chukwu comes across as a down-to-earth, authentic guy who's passionate about his craft. 

"I think people should see the play because it's a funny and moving play," he said. "It surprises you in ways you wouldn't expect. It uplifts." 

Ugo Chukwu

Primary Trust promises to be a transformative experience, with Chukwu's ‘Bert’ anchoring the poignant story. 

“The Mark Taper Forum has always been known as the home to great American plays, and I’m thrilled that tradition continues this season with Eboni Booth’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, Primary Trust,” CTG Brindell & Milton Gottlieb Artistic Director Snehal Desai said. “Knud (the director) has put together a luminous and fiercely talented ensemble to bring the rich characters that inhabit Eboni’s play to life. I can’t wait to share this gorgeous and moving play with CTG audiences.”

Winner of the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Primary Trust by Eboni Booth and directed by Knud Adams, is an elegantly crafted story of an emotionally damaged man who finds a new job, new friends, and a new sense of worth, and illustrates how small acts of kindness can change a person’s life and enrich an entire community. 

The play features a talented ensemble, including Petey McGee, Rebecca S’manga Frankas Corinna, James Urbaniak, and Luke Wygodny. 

Primary Trust is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com 

‘Primary Trust,’ Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, 7:30 p.m. Tues.-Thurs, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 1 and 7 p.m. Sundays, May 20 – June 28, $40.25, 213 628-2772 or CenterTheatreGroup.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

'HYMN' Explores Friendship and Loss

  

(l-r) Chuma Gault and Jason DeLane in 'HYMN'

 

By Darlene Donloe

 

Lolita Chakrabarti's 'Hymn' is a soul-stirring exploration of Black male friendship, set to the rhythms of R&B and the bruised optimism of two men's lives.

 

The play unfolds like a slow-burning jam session, with Jason DeLane's ‘Benny’ and Chuma Gault's ‘Gil’ trading fides in a potent mix of humor, vulnerability, and desperation.

 

The setup is elegantly simple: two 50-year-old men who meet at a funeral, united by a presumed familial bond, forge an unlikely alliance in the shadow of mortality.

Gil (Chuma Gault) grieves his father's passing, while Benny (Jason DeLane) believes they're long-lost kin – Gil's half-brother, to be exact. Once the fraternal connection is confirmed, they play catch-up, cramming a lifetime of bonding into their remaining years.

Gil is the charismatic go-getter, and Benny is the introspective anchor. Together, they are an odd couple, but, for the most part, Chakrabarti's writing finds the beauty in their discord.

 

As they brawl, banter, and bond, Gault and DeLane inject a palpable physicality into their characters' dynamic, their chemistry crackling like live wires.

 

A bromance in the making, whenever the two men connect through their love of old school music, the play has high-energy.

(l-r) Chuma Gault and Jason DeLane

The play's structure, with its nifty time jumps and R&B-infused interludes, keeps the energy high, even when the plot veers into predictability.

 

Gregg T. Daniel’s direction, ably assisted by live-mixing wizardry, keeps the story hurtling forward, though occasionally, the whys of Gil and Benny's deepening connection feel a tad rushed.

 

When the play is bogged down in heavy dialogue, sans action, the show slows.

 

Still, 'Hymn' resonates, thanks to its occasional crackling dialogue, witty repartee, and – most crucially – its two stellar leads.

(l-r) Chuma Gault and Jason DeLane

Gault and DeLane are revelatory, imbuing their characters with a sense of lived-in reality that's both heartbreaking and heartening.

 

‘Hymn’ is an Odyssey/Lower Depth co-production.

‘Hymn,’ directed by Gregg T. Daniel and written by Lolita Chakrabarti, stars Jason DeLane and Chuma Gault.

 

The creative team for this production includes scenic designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, lighting designer Donny Jackson, sound designer Alma Reyes-Thomas, costume designer Wendell C. Carmichael, properties designer Jenine Macdonald, choreographer Toran Xavier Moore, and dialect coach Paul Wagar. The stage manager is Jenny Nwene. 

 

‘Hymn’ is produced by Sally Essex–Lopresti for Odyssey Theatre Ensemble and Drina Durazo for Lower Depth Theatre.

 

‘Hymn’ comes in at 95 minutes with no intermission.

 

‘Hymn,’ Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 3 p.m. Sundays, plus one Wednesday performance at 8 p.m. May 27, through June 14, $35. A $3 fee will be added to each ticket purchased with a credit card. Discounts are available for students and seniors. For more information and to purchase tickets, call (310) 477-2055 or go to OdysseyTheatre.com. 

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likable), O (oh, yeah), and E (excellent), ‘Hymn’ gets an O (oh, yeah).