The Broadway touring production of Hadestown will open its 2025-26 tour leg at the RiverPark Center this Friday, bringing its acclaimed blend of folk, jazz, and mythic storytelling to Owensboro. The Tony- and Grammy-winning musical takes the stage at 7 p.m., marking the company’s first performance before a live audience after a week of technical rehearsals in town.
The show retells two intertwining love stories — the young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and the immortal couple Hades and Persephone — exploring themes of trust, resilience, and sacrifice. Known for its immersive staging and a score by Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown has earned praise for drawing audiences into a deeply communal theatrical experience.
Nickolaus Colón, who plays Hades, said the cast has spent the past week settling into Owensboro and preparing the production’s first full run of the season.
“We’ve been here for about a little bit over a week, and Owensboro has been awesome. It’s been very relaxing and chill,” he said. “We’ve been in tech, we’ve been in costumes, we’ve been running the thing — and now we need an audience.”
This year’s tour blends returning cast and crew with new company members, a transition that Namisa Mdlalose Bizana (Persephone) said brings both challenge and energy.
“We’re still learning how to be a family,” she said. “Year one leaves a blueprint — but we’re still meeting each other, learning names, figuring out how to connect and work together. Anytime we get to do that is valuable.”
Despite having performed the show nearly 200 times, both actors said Hadestown never stops evolving.
“We’re encouraged to keep exploring, keep digging deep, keep finding new things,” Colón said. “Never make it stale. Never think that you’ve got it.”
The musical’s score — an unconventional mix of folk, blues, jazz, and Americana — is one reason the show resonates so widely, Colón added.
“It’s not Cats, it’s not Seussical — which are lovely musicals — but this one sounds different. People love the album. They listen to it before they ever see the show,” he said.
For Bizana said launching the tour in a new venue means readjusting to space, staging, and acoustics. She gave credit to the behind-the-scenes teams.
“The tech team is here much earlier than we are, and much later than we are,” she said. “The show is incredibly detailed, and everyone is so professional. It makes me want to bring my A-game.”
After months off the road, Colón said he’s eager to meet audiences again — especially first-timers who may not know what to expect.
“I never know what night a little kid is going to be sitting out there like I was, thinking: ‘That’s what I want to do,’” he said. “And I love the husbands who got dragged to the show and end up connecting with Hades by the end.”
Hadestown opens Friday at 7 p.m. at the RiverPark Center. Limited tickets are available here.
