Today, Hadestown producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy announced that Tony Award winner Lillias White, who plays Hermes – the first woman to do so – messenger of the gods, has extended her run in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical at the Walter Kerr Theatre. A final performance date will be announced shortly.
Hadestown also stars Grammy Award winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus, two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Eurydice, Jewelle Blackman as Persephone and Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Hades. They are joined by Amelia Cormack, Lindsey Hailes, and Brit West as the Fates. The chorus of Workers is played by Emily Afton, Malcolm Armwood, Sayo Oni, Alex Puette, and Grace Yoo. The cast includes swings Brandon Cameron, Max Kumangai, and Yael “YaYa” Reich, and Allysa Shorte.
Hadestown originated as Anaïs Mitchell’s indie theater project that toured Vermont which she then turned into an acclaimed album. With Rachel Chavkin, her artistic collaborator, Hadestown has been transformed into a genre-defying new musical that blends modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz to reimagine a sweeping ancient tale.
Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — Hadestown invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, Hadestown delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.
Hadestown marks the first time in over a decade that a woman has been the solo author of a musical: writing the music, lyrics, and book, and is the fourth time in Broadway history a woman has accomplished this creative feat. It also marks the first time in Broadway history that a show’s female composer and female director both won Tony Awards for their work. Earlier this year, the landmark musical became the longest running show in the history of the Walter Kerr Theatre and holds the record for highest grossing musical in that venerated stage’s 100-year history.
The creative team features Tony Award winner Rachel Hauck (set design), four-time Tony Award nominee Michael Krass (costume design), two-time Tony Award winner Bradley King (lighting design), Tony Award winners Nevin Steinberg and Jessica Paz (sound design), Obie Award winner and Chita Rivera Award winner David Neumann(choreography), Liam Robinson (music direction and vocal arrangements), Tony Award winners Michael Chorney and Todd Sickafoose (arrangements and orchestrations), Ken Cerniglia (dramaturgy), and Whitley Theatrical (casting).