Hermes in Epic Vs. Hadestown: Dissecting Two Iconic Musical Portrayals
By Maya Lin-Takahashi
The ascent of Hermes in EPIC: The Musical did not begin in a Broadway rehearsal room. It erupted out of social feeds. Jorge Rivera-Herrans, an independent composer who began workshopping his Homeric adaptation online during the 2020 lockdowns, bypassed traditional commercial theatrical pipelines entirely. By structuring EPIC into self-contained "sagas" released across digital streaming platforms, Rivera-Herrans turned the concept musical album format into an episodic blockbuster.
By the time listeners navigated past The Troy Saga and reached the release of The Circe Saga in 2024, anticipation for the divine messenger archetype had reached fever pitch. Rivera-Herrans did not present Hermes as an aloof, ethereal entity. Instead, the composer voiced Hermes himself, infusing the character with manic, syncopated vocal inflections and an intoxicating mix of juvenile arrogance and ancient calculation.
The strategy paid off. Songs engineered around dynamic rhythm shifts and viral hooks found an instant audience among Gen Z and millennial listeners who had spent their childhoods reading Rick Riordan and playing indie roguelikes like Supergiant’s Hades. EPIC proved that theatrical storytelling no longer requires a physical proscenium arch to cultivate an obsessive global following.
Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.
