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Hadestown

 I'm delighted that "Hadestown" is having so much success this week. The proshot knocked me over. First, there is the witty costume design: the Earth tones of the laborers, the black/silvery style for the Fates, the seasonal shift in Persephone's "look." Second: the ending. The Pulitzer winner Wesley Morris--focusing on "Ragtime" and "Giant"--recently argued that new Broadway productions refuse to challenge or disturb a ticket-buyer. By contrast, "Hadestown" doesn't let us comfortably despise any of the characters. And it has a brutal ending--a courageous choice for the writers.

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