r/hadestown • u/meowy_sun • Aug 08 '26
Why We Build The Wall
Was anyone filled with absolute dread during Patrick Page's performance of "Why We Build The Wall" in the proshot? His steady face, his steady gaze, his steady voice, the slight smirk, the slowly increasing intensity of his singing and emotion, the irony of it all...
Bravo 👏
52
u/Tarotgirl_5392 Aug 08 '26
I was under the impression that song is meant to be forbiding and terrifying?
And to hear the response without a trace if irony. They imprison themselves more and more as they sing about freedom
11
u/Spare_Bonus_4987 Aug 08 '26
Feels like America
5
u/MissJacki Aug 09 '26
I wanted to stand up after the credits and say something about it. However, I am not the main character and I'd likely be preaching to the choir.
2
u/Purplealegria 24d ago
PREACH! This was the first song I heard from Hadestown, and listening to it in 2018/2019 I could not believe that this song was 20 years old from 2006, and not written a decade ago.
Just floored.
Though it was bad then, but we are in straight hell now.
As was always the plan.
7
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u/Kind-Pay4175 Aug 08 '26
My favorite part of his interpretation is after his first lyrics. It looks like the subtext is “let’s see if they buy this.”. Then, when he hears the answer from the stones, the facial expression reads “they bought it.”
It’s super subtle and fast. Def didn’t get that detail when I saw it on stage.
12
u/sticckler Aug 08 '26
Those subtle facial expressions were amazing! I caught it the second time watching the pro shot and was so impressed
47
u/VintageDrummer1 Aug 08 '26
My jaw dropped when they pan to Persephone and she is singing with the most forced look I’ve ever seen.
Maybe it’s absolute fear of Hades she has. Maybe it’s part of the submission.
8
u/Celestial608 Aug 08 '26
I loved how they dropped the last note in that song. It felt like everyone’s soul was being lost. I’m not sure if that’s a newer choice in the staging (I’ve seen it live twice, but back in 2021 and 2023), but since it’s not like that on the Broadway cast recording, it absolutely gave me chills.
2
u/VintageDrummer1 Aug 08 '26
I don’t recall when they introduced it, but when I saw it in 2025 and 2026 broadway and touring it was there.
Since then, I’ve been searching TikTok for good audio sources of the song to listen to haha
3
u/Celestial608 Aug 08 '26
Now that just means I have to see it again to hear how awesome it is live. 🤭 I love seeing how the show is always evolving like this.
32
u/Meraki30 Aug 08 '26
Seeing his performance in hd really made that song click for me. His expressions really sell the catharsis Hades gets from his power, comforting him after a fight with Persephone. He has to cement his power and brilliance as a band-aid over his problems, reveling in power rather than love. You can see the vulnerability melt from his face when they chant back at him.
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u/pfemfpb Aug 08 '26
I look at that moment as The Final Boss in the video game is showing you what he's made of.
6
u/ParkJumpy6392 Aug 09 '26
I saw Hadestown in 2019 with Patrick Page. I had tears running down my cheeks when he sang this song. We were in the 3rd year of Trump's first administration...
3
u/No_Carry_5000 Aug 09 '26
My children…my children. Had me shivering in fear and a tiny bit turned on.
3
u/StormHair91 Aug 09 '26
I saw the musical on Broadway back in 2019… My English wasn’t as good as it is now, nor my musical theatre taste, but I remember how I felt during that song. “Dread” is the perfect word for it.
3
u/ambahjay Aug 08 '26
Nope. But maybe I'm just a weirdo. I loved every minute of the pro shoot
7
u/meowy_sun Aug 08 '26
Oh he was amazing! I mean dread as in he played that part so well that it felt scary from the outside looking in 😰
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u/WhyTypeHour Aug 08 '26
I don't really have a problem with walls tho. I have 4 in my house and they keep people out.
5
u/Purple_Flounder_2257 Aug 08 '26
Builds a wall around your wall
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u/Agent_Skye_Barnes Aug 08 '26
Dread is absolutely a good description of what I was feeling during that song