Minnesota dancer helped kick 'Hadestown' into high gear

"Hadestown" spent more than a decade in development hell, surviving largely on the belief in alt-folk artist Anaïs Mitchell's songs.

By the time it picked up a Tony for best musical, best original score, best direction of a musical and five other awards in 2019 and kicked off a national tour last year, theater lovers were heralding it as a can't-miss dance party. The musical begins its six-day run Tuesday at Minneapolis' Orpheum Theatre.

Choreographer David Neumann has received rave reviews for allowing the performers to break a lot of Broadway rules in this retelling of a classic Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus.

"I think you'll find this is not your typical jazz-hands musical," said co-producer Jennifer Melin Miller, who grew up in Eagan. She created the Twin Cities-based Stone Arch Theatricals, a vehicle that supports Broadway ventures and in part bankrolled "Hadestown."

Miller isn't the only Minnesotan who has played a key role in "Hadestown's" success.

So did associate choreographer Katie Rose McLaughlin. She grew up in the Minneapolis suburbs, studying under local ballet teacher Bonnie Mathis and getting stage experience at Theatre de la Jeune Lune.

McLaughlin, who will be returning to the Twin Cities to see the production on her home turf, spoke earlier this month by phone from New York:

Q: This touring show has had a lot of stops and starts when the pandemic hit. How hard was it to shake off the rustiness?
A: I didn't experience any rustiness. There was a lot of excitement and great relief in being able to be back in person and share space with other humans who have gone though the same thing. It was good for the soul. Everyone involved kept moving during the pandemic, doing whatever they could in their living rooms, basements and backyards.

Q: What's your role as an associate choreographer?
A: I was there every day of rehearsal, writing everything down and making sure I supported David's vision in how the show moves, filling in for him when he wasn't there. It's also part of my job to go out on the tour every four or five weeks and talk to the cast, making sure it's all tight and together.

Q: I never thought Anaïs' songs were something you could dance to. Didn't the nature of the songs make the choreography particularly challenging?
A: And I can't listen to music and not dance! The movement and vocabulary was really specific to the show. It comes out of each person instead of being really rooted. It's not Bob Fosse. David is very insistent on creating space for the humans that inhabit the show so they can be themselves. I grew up in ballet, where you get yelled at all the time if your foot isn't at exactly the right angle. But in this show, David has made space for everyone to bring their own kind of humanity.

Q: I gather you were all about ballet growing up. What about musicals? Do you remember the first one you ever saw?
A: Our next door neighbor growing up was [Penumbra Theatre founder] Lou Bellamy. So anytime it was raining I would watch "The Wiz" with his kids. I also grew up watching the "Cinderella" film starring Celeste Holm. There was something so beautiful about that production. As a young girl, I was definitely drawn to stories with strong women. My favorite book growing up was "Pippi Longstocking" [by Swedish author Astrid Lindgren]. She was so physically strong and not afraid of anything.

Q: Can you commit here and now to bring her story to the Broadway stage?
A: I will say that out loud and unapologetically.

Q: At one point, you ended up in clown school. How did that happen?
A: I was a ballerina forever. At some point, I realized I didn't want to dedicate myself to dancing for maybe a maximum of 50 people, some of whom got dragged to the show by their spouse. I cared more about performing for audiences than I did about the form itself. Jeune Lune took me under its wing and helped me become a professional actor. The folks there suggested I go study clowning in Switzerland for a couple weeks.

Q: Stupid people like me probably have the wrong idea of what that time was like. I can only imagine really nutty parties at night.
A: It only has bad connotations in America. It was the hardest two weeks of my life. It's not easy physically or emotionally. But I do remember the evenings, taking in the mountains while the students played instruments and sang together. It was lovely.

Q: What will it be like for you to celebrate the success of "Hadestown" in Minneapolis?
A: I can't tell you how excited I am. There's so many interesting family connections. My cousin and her husband met on OkCupid because of their mutual love for Anaïs' "Hadestown" album. And she didn't know at the time I was working on the show. I've got a handful of different friends coming almost every night it's in town. I'm excited that my friends get to see how my hard work and dedication has really paid off.

Q: And just think how they'll react when you bring "Pippi Longstocking" here.
A: You have no idea.

'Hadestown'

When: 7:30 p.m. Tue.-Thu.; 8 p.m. Fri.; 2 and 8 p.m. Sat.; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sun.

Where: Orpheum Theatre, 910 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls.

Tickets: $40-$159. hennepintheatretrust.org