I first attended Hadestown in Korea in 2021, before I knew much about Kang-hyun Park. Even then, his voice stood out as beautiful, clear, and emotionally powerful. At the time, I did not fully notice the staging choices surrounding Eurydice’s descent.

By 2023, after experiencing the Broadway version, I returned to the Korean production. I sat in a similar position to my Broadway seat, the first row of the second-floor balcony, and noticed how much was lost without the visual of a true descent. Without that Broadway experience, I might not have realized how essential the downward motion is to the emotional clarity of Eurydice’s journey.

The Korean production, while following the licensed staging, had notable differences. The sunken center entrance was absent. A space beneath Hades’ office, where the drums are located in the Broadway version, opened upward to simulate descent. Because this area was raised above the main stage, Eurydice had to climb upward to go "down." This directional contradiction instinctively felt wrong and weakened the symbolic power of her journey. While spatial and technical limitations likely prevented replicating Broadway’s trapdoor, I believed that even a small lift for Eurydice alone would not have posed a major technical challenge and could have greatly enhanced the implicit storytelling.

The visible drums were also absent. The Fates pantomimed playing instruments, likely because casting singers who could also play was impractical for a short run. This choice, while understandable, felt artificial.

I attended three performances with Kang-hyun Park and one with Kim Minseok (a member of Melomance) as Orpheus in 2023. Kang-hyun Park’s voice was exceptional, with strength, clarity, and brilliant resonance. His falsetto maintained clarity and power without thinning, a rare quality. He dramatized the vocal arcs in “Wait for Me” beautifully and had improved his guitar playing from earlier years. His series of "Epic" songs was solid throughout the run, though one performance did have a slight pitch issue — a small imperfection in an otherwise outstanding portrayal.

Kim Minseok brought a thicker tone sung more in head voice, with stable, clear vocals. His interpretation had a dreamy, almost detached quality that avoided melodrama. He also played the guitar very well, complementing his vocal delivery and adding authenticity to his portrayal.

Eurydice was played by Kim Hwan-hee and Kim Soo-ha. Both offered strong, clear voices and emotional honesty. I thought they might have been cast in part for their vocal similarities to Eva Noblezada. Their hairstyles also reflected a shift: in 2021, both had straight cuts with bangs, similar to Noblezada’s style at the time. By 2023, after Eva’s departure from Broadway, the Korean production changed Eurydice’s look to long curly hair, signaling a subtle move toward differentiating the character. Kim Soo-ha also demonstrated rhythmic precision and strong dance skills.

Hermes delivered lines in a narrative style. While I personally prefer the rhythmic, almost rap-like delivery used in the Broadway production, the Korean Hermes provided a steady, guiding presence. Among the three actors, I especially appreciated Kang Hong Seok’s performance. He danced and remained engaged even when standing in the darker areas of the stage, showing clear dedication. He is a good dancer with excellent rhythmic diction and avoided overly dramatic or excessive gestures, which suited the role perfectly.

Hades, played by Kim Woo Hyung, impressed with a thick, resonant lower range and a bright, clear mid-range. I had attended his performances before, particularly his Javert in Les Misérables. I believe his natural range is bass, which made him especially well-suited for Hades. His voice provided the deep, thick tone required for the character while maintaining clear diction, essential for delivering Hades’ authoritative and commanding lines.

Persephone rotated between Kim Sun-young and Lina. Both sang well. Kim Sun-young played the role with a looser, slightly more tipsy portrayal, which suited the character’s carefree, wine-loving spirit. Lina, formerly of the K-pop idol girl group The Grace (천상지희, 天上智喜, SM Entertainment), danced very well — no surprise given her K-pop background — and was genuinely charming in her drunk scenes. When she cheerfully asked, "Wanna have a drink?" at the end, I honestly wanted to say yes.

The underground workers did their job and harmonized well. I felt that the ensemble numbers and chorus closely resembled the Broadway production. At the end, the workers removed their hats to symbolize liberation, but since they wore black, close-fitting hats and male workers had short black hair underneath, the visual change was minimal and went largely unnoticed.

One significant issue was the brass section, especially the trombone. At the beginning of each performance, the trombone opened with a clear, steady tone. Yet even then, I sensed slight tuning inconsistencies, likely from slide placement or timing issues. As the performance continued, the tone lost power, and the trombone began producing weak, indefinite, and occasionally off-tune sounds. Since the trombone is not just accompaniment but the foundation of the musical’s distinctive folk-jazz sound and adds dramatic weight to key moments, this was a serious flaw. While the production understandably made compromises in casting and staging, the brass performance should have met a higher standard.

As with many licensed productions, translation limitations were unavoidable. The clever Broadway pun when Orpheus says, "I also play the lyre," and Eurydice replies, "Oh, a liar and a player too!" could not be effectively translated. The wordplay, based on the homophone "lyre" and "liar," simply has no equivalent in Korean. Similarly, the recurring phrase "six feet under," which references both burial depth and the theme of death, was not fully translated, reducing its impact.

Despite staging and translation challenges and the noticeable issue with the brass, the Korean production of Hadestown succeeded in delivering a passionate, vocally excellent performance. Kang-hyun Park’s Orpheus was among the finest portrayals I have seen. His clarity, emotional nuance, falsetto control, and improved guitar playing created a performance that resonated deeply. For the first show I attended in 2024, I had returned just two days earlier from a business trip that involved a major day-night time shift. Even after traveling, fighting jet lag, and struggling with drowsiness, the moment Park Kang-hyun began singing, my fatigue vanished. His voice did not just bring springtime — it woke me completely.