Last Tuesday I had the kind of experience in a movie theater that makes a person feel we should all be required to stand with our hand over our hearts  pledge-of-allegiance style during Nicole Kidman’s iconic AMC pre-show commercial.

“We DO come to this place for magic” “Heartbreak DOES feel good in a place like this”

I saw Hadestown. The original cast of the hit musical reunited on the West End last year, in which time a pro-shot was filmed. Let me revise that sentence – in which time an exquisite, breathtaking, gasp-inducing, absolute stunner of a pro-shot was filmed. 

I could go on and on and on about all the things that left me floored about this gorgeous production, but for now I want to talk about one actor and his boots. That is to say his boot. That is to say his medical boot. 

As the titular Lord of the Underworld, Patrick Page carries himself with such privileged self-assurance and statuesque confidence that it took me a good while after his deep and dusky voiced Hades came onto the scene to even notice that something was different about his costume. About his movement. 

Was that a medical boot? It blended so beautifully into his suit and the set around him that it required a double take. Is that why he has a cane? The cane felt like such a natural extension of the character that it was hard to imagine that wasn’t always a part of his menacingly well-tailored ensemble. 

But it wasn’t. Just before the pro-shot was meant to be filmed, Patrick Page ruptured his achilles tendon. It was a very serious injury that would ultimately require surgery and a year of recovery. Page wanted to perform anyway. He got clearance from his medical team to wait until after shooting Hadestown for surgery, but the creative team also needed to be on board. They would have to make accommodations, to find new ways for Page to move on stage without further harm to himself, and also without distracting the audience from the story. 

They did that and more.

Rather than try to hide the injury, the custom boot was fully transformed into a steely and gleaming icon of the industrial hell that Hades oversees. His cane was decorated with the head of Cerberus, a nod to the three-headed canine guardian of the Underworld. 

But what really made it work was how Page moved in the boot. He did not appear to be in any way attempting to hide the injury. Rather, he used it. He could only put weight on his toes, so he was often leaning forward, a stance evoking the image of a coiled snake or a predatory cat about to lunge. He moved across the stage in a lumber that was somehow graceful and heavy. He felt animal-like, other-wordly, and imbued with an ancient and dark history. 

His injury – his temporary disability – did not take away a single thing from his performance. In fact, because he and everyone on the production team and cast chose to embrace it, it truly added to the character and the show. They alchemised it. 

The success of the pro-shot in theaters has resulted in online discussion about Page’s performance, pointing to it as an exemplification of how to effectively and artistically work with performers with disabilities. 

What do we need to do to accommodate your abilities as they now exist, differently than they did a week ago? That’s a mindset. That’s a sensibility, which those people had, and which Hadestown, I think, has always had, which is: whoever you are, whatever abilities you bring, if you are the one we want to play that role, we will work with your abilities. We know that you have superpowers, as well as places that your abilities are different from other people. I was a beneficiary of that mindset. – Patrick Page

Then, not one day later (my tears barely subsided from the emotional devastation Hadestown wrought upon me), I saw these boots across my Facebook feed.

My first thought was simply, “Wow, what beautiful boots!” and almost kept scrolling, but the caption caught my eye. These boots, made by Catskill Mountain Moccasins, were custom fit for someone with a prosthetic limb. Another gorgeous piece of custom footwear, made with both care and craft for someone with different abilities (and different superpowers). I reached out to the artisans behind these boots, and was put in touch with Matt, who designed and built them.

When asked about the process, it was clear that at no point was there a feeling that this was an inconvenience or challenge not worth rising to. The success of the design resulted from Matt’s complete attentiveness from the very first stages – careful measuring, video consultations, photos, annotated prototypes, and open communication with the customer. This process materialized a beautiful product; better yet, a customer was able to walk away feeling valued and seen. 

I definitely learned a lot while creating this pair. Making any pair of moccasins is a marriage of art and science, comfort and beauty. While this pair required many special considerations, I really enjoyed the process of making sure we delivered on all fronts. It’s incredibly fulfilling to be able to give this customer something truly special that she can wear for the rest of her life. She couldn’t be happier, and that means the world to me. I’m extremely grateful to do the work I do. It feels personal because it is. – Matt Glascoe, Catskill Mountain Moccasins

Whether it’s designers like Christian Siriano in the fashion industry proving that tailoring couture for plus-size women can be done and done well, theaters weaving a performer’s unique abilities into the productions themselves, or artisans like Matt who view designing for a prosthetic as an honor and invitation to uplevel their craft, there is something transformative – Nicole might even say magical – that occurs when we treat the rare and remarkable qualities of our fellows as nothing less than a Muse’s invocation.

Community feels good in places like these.

Hadestown’s limited run has been extended. Find tickets here to find a local showing and find out if Orpheus turns around this time.

Feel like a god in your own pair of Moccasins from the amazing team at Catskill Mountain by clicking here.

Cover Photo by Mikhail Nilov

Hilary Bryant is an actor and filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles, California. Favorite projects include her award winning divorce comedy “Aftering” and romantic comedy “Miss Matched” in which she performed and served as production designer. She grew up in the RenFest world, and loves reconnecting with the community through her work as the Director of Social Media and Outreach for LadyFaire Magazine.