Before attending the March 2025 production of Hadestown at Northampton High, I consulted my classical mythology anthology and read the story of Orpheus and Eurydice. The production exceeded my high expectations. It was excellent. I had so much fun. The ending of the play, however, left me wanting this version: As the couple near the end of the journey from the underworld, Eurydice stubs her foot and involuntarily cries out. Orpheus, on hearing her distress, involuntarily turns around to see if she needs his help. That breaks the oath: his goodness, not jealousy. The moral is we cannot escape our reflexes, no matter how much we’d like to think we can.

Connie Parks

Florence