Live Entertainment: ‘Hadestown’ Touring Cast and Broadway Cast Changes

Hey! Hallie here!

I’ve talked about’ Hadestown’ a few times on this blog for a few reasons. One is that it’s my favorite musical. Not only do I like the strong characterization this musical does for two women who are made to be completely helpless in their original tales, but I also love the fresh folk and jazz sounds this musical has instead of the usual fare. The other reason I love this musical is because it was a major crutch I leaned on while I was completing my degree in Theatre during college. I hyper-fixate on a lot of things I really enjoy, and my fixation on ‘Hadestown’ managed to be just the right thing to get myself through some of the more difficult parts of completing my degree. But, as all shows on Broadway did at the start of the pandemic, ‘Hadestown’ had to go on hiatus until circumstances were safer. And now that there’s at least a little bit more of a safe situation than there was last year, the show is opening back up in just a few days! On top of that, those of us who have been waiting for a touring cast now officially have one! So let’s look at some of the new announcements and what they mean for the show!

Broadway Comeback:

If you’re one of those lucky people who has the opportunity to watch the show in New York and are also very attached to the original cast, you’re in luck! Almost everyone is returning to their roles once ‘Hadestown’ returns! Reeve Carney will be back as Orpheus, Eva Noblezada will be Eurydice, Amber Gray will be Persephone, and Andre De Shields will be Hermes. Patrick Page is in the middle of a project at the moment so he has postponed his comeback until November, but he will be returning. In the meantime, Tom Hewitt will be playing Hades. Tom Hewitt has the perfect resume to prove how excited you should be for this. He’s played villains as infamous as Dracula and Scar, which is always a good match up for the harsh but lovable Hades, plus his run as Doctor Frank N Furter in ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ cements a fittingly large stage presence. It’ll be so fun to see him do this limited run. As for the Fates, we have one familiar face, Jewelle Blackman, but two (kind of) new additions to the cast as well. Jessie Shelton and Mariand Torres will be stepping in as the two other Fates. Jessie Shelton played one of the Fates in the original Off-Broadway run of ‘Hadestown’ and has stayed with the production in the ensemble, so this role isn’t actually new for her. Marriand Torres is completely new to ‘Hadestown’, however the fact that she just stepped off of ‘Wicked’ on Broadway as an Elphaba standby and replacement proves that she has pipes. She has also worked with director Rachel Chavkin before as ensemble in the original Off-Broadway production of ‘Natasha, Pierre and the Great Comet of 1812’. As for the glorious chorus in ‘Hadestown’, there’s a lot of returning cast. Timothy Hughes, whose giant and commanding presence can be recognized anywhere, is returning, along with Khalia Wilcoxon, whose behind the scenes videos are currently some of the best parts of my day. Also returning is T. Oliver Reid, Afra Hines, Malcolm Armwood, and John Krause. Anthony Chatmon II, Trent Saunders, Kim Steele, Adam Hyundman, Tara Jackson, and Yael “Yaya” Reich are all welcome new additions. It’s a good mix of new and returning actors and it all looks amazing!

Touring Cast:

Here we get all new faces! Almost! Actually, the announcement that got me most excited when these cast lists dropped was our Persephone for the touring cast. She’s none other than Kimberly Marable, an ensemble member of the original ‘Hadestown’ Broadway cast and an incredible Persephone every time Amber Gray was out. I can’t express how happy this announcement makes me. Along with her we have Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus. Nicholas Barasch is treading a bit of new ground here. We usually see guys like Reeve Carney, who have a clear past with folk music, stepping into the role of Orpheus. Barasch’s resume does show a few past stints on Broadway that allude to the perfect high register for Orpheus, though. (He was also Austin in ‘The Backyardigans’ which is blowing my mind a bit.) Morgan Siobhan Green, who is our Eurydice, is most recognizable from her Broadway work in ‘Be More Chill’ and her voice is incredible. Levi Kreis will be Hermes. No offense to Kreis, but this is the one I’m having the most trouble picturing. He’s a talented singer, as shown by his Tony Award as well as his musical career offstage, but he isn’t exactly the type of comforting presence I usually picture as Hermes. I’m not one to prejudge, though. I’m sure he’ll be amazing! Kevyn Morrow will be Hades and he’s not a name to scoff at. He has an incredible list of Broadway shows, many of which demonstrate the deep register we all love from the Hades role. From ‘The Scarlet Pimpernel’, to ‘The Color Purple’, to ‘Bandstand’, to ‘Moulin Rouge’, he’s done so many incredible shows and I can’t wait to see him in this one! This cast also includes Belen Moyano, Bex Odorisio, and Shea Renne as The Fates. Along with them, Lindsey Hailes, Chibueze Ihuoma, Will Mann, Sydney Parra, Jamari Johnson Williams, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Eddie Noel Rodriguez, and Nathan Salstone will be joining the cast! I can’t wait to see this touring cast in action!

This is all of the new announcements we’ve received for ‘Hadestown’s comeback. I can’t wait to see the show return. The masses of red carnations going up on the Walter Kerr Theatre in New York for the reopening of this show is already getting me emotional. And if the touring cast doesn’t get disrupted, the tour will be in my area right around my birthday next year. I’ve been dying to see this show for a good two years now, probably more, and I don’t want this new surge of cases to dampen that. So if you won’t do it for anything else, do it for ‘Hadestown’ and get vaccinated! Meanwhile I’ll be over here crying over Kimberly Marable as Persephone.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie