That’s not Greek to us, say Mullingar Student Players

For their 2026 production the members of Mullingar Student Players have set themselves a challenging task. They will bring ancient Greek mythology to life with contemporary music in a show that everyone is talking about.

“It’s an interesting story,” says Sean Lynch, director at Mullingar Arts Centre, who is discussing Hadestown, their production of the Broadway musical phenomenon.

The show is the current “must see” musical; what Chicago was in the 1970s or Wicked was in the ‘90s, Anaïs Mitchell’s folk opera is the one dominating the conversation of contemporary musical enthusiasts.

The tale is an unusual take on the captivating Greek love story of Orpheus and Eurydice. Intertwined is the love story of King of the underworld, Hades and Queen of Spring, Persephone.

“I don’t want to give too much away, but it’s about forlorn love,” Sean said. “It is a modern love story. Eurydice meets and falls in love with Orpheus and due to a series of unfortunate events, ends up in Hadestown. Hadestown is almost analogous for a kind of authoritarian place where, for example, they want to build a wall. ‘Why do we build a wall, my children? So that we can be free’, is one of the numbers.”

The global appeal of the production is not any single aspect of the show. The story, the music and the scope it gives to the actors provide audiences with a singular experience. Sean says the feedback through the rehearsal process has been great: “The songs in it are phenomenal, I have to say.

“They really and truly are. They are some of the best musical theatre songs composed in recent years. It’s the hot ticket in London and Broadway. Tickets on Broadway are up to $699, they’re on extended runs because it’s selling so well.”

Mullingar Arts Centre sees its remit as providing audiences with great shows, but also to enrich the lives of children and young people artistically and aesthetically by giving them a platform to perform. The fruits of that labour are apparent in the number of young people who have forged a path as artists because of the grounding they have received at the centre.

Their youth musical productions have such a great reputation that they can take on contemporary works like Hadestown: “I know many people would not be as familiar with it as more traditional productions. It’s unusual for the rights holders to let it out to a youth group. But it’s an extremely enthralling piece, we are delighted to be able to stage it.”

Sean is looking forward to bringing the underworld to Mullingar: “I’ve seen it professionally in London. The challenge is to bring the audience into Hadestown, to do that, we’re creating space under the earth. It’s like a rocky cavern, so the audience will know that we are in a different place.”

Blending contemporary music with mythology brews a heady mix for the young storytellers who will be on stage: “In it, Hades, the Lord of the Underworld, is married to Persephone. Persephone, in Greek mythology, would spend six months above ground, where it’s spring and summer, and then she’d go back to Hades for the other six months, and it’d be autumn and winter above earth for the mere mortals. So Hades and Persephone are god-like people.”

The big sell for audiences is the quality of the score and book: “The music in it is phenomenal. Songs like Wait For Me are exceptional.”

“Our student players have been running continuous productions for over 23 years. It’s a show presented by young adults, we are extremely blessed with the depth of talent we have. Sean McDonnell, who played the Phantom last year and Jean Valjean in Les Misérables the previous year, plays Orpheus, which is a treat for the audience. We have a newcomer, Tara Larkin, who plays the part of Eurydice, she is a belter to sing.

“We have a girl from Tullamore, Isabelle McComiskey, playing Persephone. I can’t wait for audiences to see this girl on stage. The story is linked together by a narrator, Hermes played by Aoileann Mulvihill, who is the messenger of the gods.

“Then there’s the lovely role of three faiths; destiny, life, and death. They’re ethereal, are they visible or not visible is the question. They have some serious singing numbers in it, that are astonishing. They’re three talented singers; Hannah Obadina, Hazel O’Hehir, and Alison Moughty. They are really talented young girls. We are lucky with the talent we have.”

Sean says music director Greg Bentick has surpassed his “musical genius” tag and believes the show will be talked about long after it has been staged: “It really is an evening of top quality musical theatre. It’s a stunning piece. The music is phenomenal and it’s quite modern. The story has analogies to the world we live in. It’s an opportunity to see in Mullingar a show that is the hot ticket in London and New York at the moment.

“I know people will be raving about this one. For an evening’s entertainment, it’s unsurpassed, it’s uplifting. It is funny, revealing and intelligent. I just hope people don’t miss it.”

• Mullingar Student Players present Hadestown at Mullingar Arts Centre from Tuesday April 7 to Saturday April 2026.