By Alexandra Jones
Singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell has wrangled two dozen musicians and an ancient Greek myth to make "folk opera" Hadestown. Molasses-voiced Greg Brown and Bon Iver's Justin Vernon are well cast in the male roles; The Haden Sisters' aching harmonies and Ani DiFranco as Persephone distract from Mitchell's (as Eurydice) girlish warble. Her songwriting, however, is the star as she easily combines exposition with hushed, dramatic melodies and catchy porch-stomping tunes.
