Get ready for a new cinematic experience where gods and mortals mingle, and where myth gets a modern, heartbreaking makeover. The magic of "Hadestown: The Musical" is now available on the big screen, recreating an epic journey that retells the story of Orpheus and Eurydice in a stirring, song-filled saga. After successfully running on Broadway for the past seven years, this theatrical sensation hit the U.S. box office recently with a booming $9.6 million, leaving other stage-to-screen adaptations in the dust.

This folk opera, as described by Tony winner André Robin De Shields, is now thrilling audiences in a whole new format thanks to the brilliance and vision of director Brett Sullivan. Despite being enclosed by the narrow confines of a single set, Sullivan’s meticulously composed shots transport the audience right into the heart of the action, blurring the line between stage and screen.

In an unusually spirited conversation with Variety, playwright Anaïs Mitchell, Sullivan, and some original members of Broadway cast including De Shields, Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, and Patrick Page enlivened the tale of how "Hadestown” transitioned to the screens while preserving the intimacy and dynamism of the stage performance.

For Mitchell, who embarked on this Hadestown journey almost twenty-five years ago, the film version was the chance to fully capture the emotional depth and richness of her mythology-inspired world. Whether it was showing the minute detail of a teardrop or amplifying the grandeur of a musical number against backdrop of the beautifully ornate Lyric Theatre, the film nurtures an engaging melodrama that builds on the mystique of the stage show.

Viewers even get to savor some off-the-script fun. The striking on-screen chemistry between Carney and Noblezada, the real-life couple who played Orpheus and Eurydice, brought a delightful freshness to their tragic love story. Notwithstanding the couple's somewhat facetious insistence on sleeping in couple-themed "Reeva" T-shirts, their performance stood as a testament to their potent understanding of the roles.

And let's not forget one true cinematic spectacle of "Hadestown": witnessing the power and vulnerability of Patrick Page's Hades in a close-up, offering us a unique invitation to peer into his character's inner turmoil.

Sullivan, amongst all, found himself deeply immersed in the woven tapestry of “Hadestown,” drawing inspiration from the legendary concert film, “Stop Making Sense,” he achieved a careful balance between delivering an intimate view of the actors while sustaining the grandeur of the show. A rare moment of adaptation occurred when Page’s foot injury saw modifications to the choreography - which was remarkably seamless.

While the story is deeply entrenched in Greek mythology, the modern themes of love, power, and resilience make it all too familiar and incredibly inviting. The audience doesn’t just watch "Hadestown." They see themselves reflected in it, with youthful idealism melding with age-old wisdom, within the vibrant realm of its complex characters.

Above everything, “Hadestown” stands as a beacon of hope, a testament to the enduring power of dreaming and a signal to the world that even in the face of dreadful despair, there’s always a song that can make things better. Even when we know the ending, we remain eager to sing it again – that's the magic of "Hadestown: The Musical." Coming to a screen near you.