Music lovers in Alabama were gifted with a sneak peek of “Hadestown” in September 2007, when Anais Mitchell played a house concert in Birmingham. She performed two or three darkly compelling tunes about star-crossed lovers and a fateful journey to the underworld, telling listeners they were from a folk opera in progress.

Twelve years later, that same handful of songs would be performed on Broadway in an original musical created by Mitchell, along with many other tunes. Her show, “Hadestown,” had transformed from folk opera to bona fide sensation, winning eight Tony Awards in 2019 and generating excitement in the New York theater world.