Today, producers Mara Isaacs, Dale Franzen, Hunter Arnold, and Tom Kirdahy announced casting for the North American touring production of Hadestown, the Tony Award®-winning Best New Musical and winner of the 2020 Grammy Award® for Best Musical Theater Album, as the cast of the Broadway production gathers today for the production’s first post-shutdown rehearsal.
The North American touring production of Hadestown will star Drama Desk Award® nominee Nicholas Barasch as Orpheus, Morgan Siobhan Green as Eurydice, Tony Award winner Levi Kreis as Hermes, Kimberly Marable as Persephone, and Olivier Award® nominee Kevyn Morrow as Hades.
The Fates will be played by Belén Moyano, Bex Odorisio, and Shea Renne. The Workers Chorus will feature Lindsey Hailes, Chibueze Ihuoma, Will Mann, Sydney Parra, and Jamari Johnson Williams. The swings for the touring production will include Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, and Nathan Salstone.
The North American tour of Hadestown will kick off with its official opening taking place Friday, October 15, at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center for a three-week engagement and continue to over 30 cities in its first season with more to be announced shortly. Prior to the Kennedy Center run, the tour will have a week-long stop at Greenville, South Carolina’s Peace Center (Tuesday, October 5 – Sunday, October 10). For the latest tour route and other information, click here, or visit: http://www.hadestown.com/tour
Hadestown is written by celebrated singer-songwriter and Tony Award winner Anaïs Mitchell and developed with innovative director and Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin.
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.
The show originated as Mitchell’s indie theater project that toured Vermont which she then turned into an acclaimed album. With 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. Welcome to Hadestown, “Broadway’s epic celebration of music, togetherness, and hope.” (Forbes).
Hadestown was the most honored show of the 2018-2019 season. In addition to the show’s eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, it has been honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical. The show is already the highest-grossing musical in the history of the Walter Kerr Theatre.
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.
The creative team for Broadway 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 Stewart/Whitley (casting).
The Grammy Award-winning Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown from Sing It Again Records is available on CD, vinyl and streaming. The album was released digitally in summer of 2019, and topped Billboard’s Broadway Cast Recording chart, and debuted at #8 on the Top Album chart. The CD edition features a 64-page booklet and a two-disc set, while the triple vinyl edition features a 16-page booklet. Both editions include complete song lyrics and never before seen photos of the Hadestown cast and creative team in the studio, and other exclusive content.
Last fall, Mitchell released Working On A Song: The Lyrics of Hadestown, an illuminating book of lyrics and stories about her more than decade’s long process of building the musical from the ground up. Working On A Song is available from Penguin Random House.
Hadestown electrified audiences with its 2016 world premiere at New York Theatre Workshop, which is the longest-running show in that celebrated theater’s 40-year history. The production then received its Canadian premiere at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre in 2017 and then a 2018 sold-out engagement at the London’s National Theatre prior to Broadway. Hadestown was developed with funding from the Eli and Edythe Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center and was further developed by The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Hadestown was co-conceived by Ben t. Matchstick.
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR BIOGRAPHIES
Nicholas Barasch (Orpheus). Broadway: She Loves Me (Theatre World Award; Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle Award nominations), The Mystery of Edwin Drood, West Side Story. Off-Broadway/NY: A Child’s Christmas in Wales (Irish Repertory Theatre), Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (City Center Encores!), Anna Nicole: The Opera (BAM/New York City Opera). Regional: Delaware Theatre Company, the Ahmanson Theatre, the National Theatre. TV/Film: “Bull” (CBS), “The Backyardigans” (Nickelodeon), “How to Make it in America” (HBO), Low Tide (A24), She Loves Me (Great Performances on PBS). IG: @nick_barasch. TW: @NickBarasch. For Grandma Joan.
Morgan Siobhan Green (Eurydice). Broadway: Be More Chill. Regional: Moby Dick (American Repertory Theatre), Between the Lines (KC Rep, 92Y). NY Theater: Folk Wandering (ART NY), Sweetee (Signature). TV: Zuri on “The Bold Type” (Freeform), “Because I’m Me” (The Avalanches). Thanks to Stewart/Whitley, MSA, 44West and the entire HadesTEAM. For my family and Pip. @morgansiobhan
Levi Kreis (Hermes) is a Tony Award-winning actor known for originating the role of Jerry Lee Lewis in Broadway’s Million Dollar Quartet. The role won Levi the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor, an Outer Critics Circle Award and a Drama League Nomination. Other credits include the Tony-nominated revival of Violet, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Pump Boys & Dinettes, and Rent. Films include Frailty, The Divide, and A Very Sordid Wedding. Levi is host of “The Church of Kreis” podcast and a singer/songwriter featured in various television shows. Sign up at levikreis.com for music releases and tour dates. FB/IG: @levikreis
Kimberly Marable (Persephone). Direct from the original Broadway company of Hadestown, Kimberly is thrilled to be Our Lady of the Underground. Additional Broadway/Touring credits include The Lion King, where she understudied Nala and Shenzi, The Book of Mormon, Sister Act, Dreamgirls, Hairspray, and The Wedding Singer. She has appeared on CBS’ “FBI” and “Bull” and NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concert series. You can also hear her as Lorelai in the Netflix anime series, “Cannon Busters,” and as a promotional voice for a number of TV networks. Brooklyn born and raised. Dartmouth College grad. Love always to fam, CLA, MA. Salaams! @misskimizzo
Kevyn Morrow (Hades). Broadway: Moulin Rouge, Color Purple, Bandstand, Scarlet Pimpernel, Dream, Smokey Joe’s Cafe, Chorus Line, Dreamgirls, Leader of the Pack. West End: Ragtime (Olivier Best Actor nominee), 125th Street. Off-Broadway: Man for All Seasons, Boys in the Band, While I Yet Live. Regional: Lion in Winter, First Wives Club (NAACP Best Actor nominee), Driving Miss Daisy, Les Misérables, Radio Golf, Gem of the Ocean, Tambourine to Glory (Helen Hayes Best Actor nominee). Film: Fair Market Value, Estella Scrooge, The Trade, Staying Alive. Television: Colin in “Black and White,” “When They See Us,” “The Path,” “Elementary,” “Ed,” “SVU,” “Instinct,” “Good Wife,” “L&O,” “Hostages.”
Belén Moyano (Fate). Off-Broadway: Assistants (Players Theatre). Select Regional: American Mariachi (TheatreSquared), The Prince of Egypt, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan (Tuacahn), In the Heights (Engeman). Bachelor of Music: Utah State University. Curriculum Designer and Executive Podcast Producer of “Edify Justice Advocates.” Born in Buenos Aires, she’s passionate about representation, Spanish-language projects, and accessible arts education. belenmoyano.com
Bex Odorisio (Fate) is delighted to be on the road to hell. Readings/Workshops: The Visitor (The Public Theater), The Road to Ruin (dir. Patricia Birch), One Way (Musical Theater Factory). Regional: A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Helena). TV: “Dickinson.” BFA: NYU Tisch (Playwrights Horizons Theater School). Bex performs nationally with vintage vocal trio America’s Sweethearts. All the beans to Timmy and Gusto! @benditlikebexy
Shea Renne (Fate, u/s Persephone). Broadway: Allegiance. Regional: Here Lies Love (Seattle Repertory Theatre); Alien/Nation (Williamstown Theatre Festival); South Pacific (Maltz Jupiter Theatre, Cape Playhouse, Music Theatre Wichita); The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Mamma Mia!, Little Shop of Horrors, Footloose (Fulton Theatre); Seussical the Musical (The Muny); Spring Awakening (Hangar Theatre); West Side Story (MTW). Training: The University of Michigan. Love to DGRW and mom!
Lindsey Hailes (Worker, u/s Persephone). Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter and dancer by way of Overland Park, Kansas. Has traveled across the U.S. in various musicals and performing her own music, available on streaming platforms under “Hailes.” She’s honored and excited to be part of Hadestown. Motto: “Good things take time.” Trust the process and enjoy the journey.
Chibueze Ihuoma (Worker, u/s Orpheus) is a Nigerian-American actor, musician and writer. A 2021 graduate of NYU Tisch, Chibueze is thrilled to be part of the Hadestown family! He recently was seen in Hangar Theatre’s production of Once (Andrej). University credits include Urinetown (Bobby Strong), The Wild Party (Mr. Black). chibuezeihuoma.com
Kimberly Immanuel (Swing, u/s Eurydice, u/s Fate). National Tour: Irving Berlin’s White Christmas. Off-Broadway: The Fantasticks, Heartbreak House, Pacific Overtures. Select Regional: 42nd Street (Drury Lane Theatre, the Ordway), Chasing Rainbows (Paper Mill Playhouse), Waterfall (Pasadena Playhouse, the 5th Avenue Theatre). BFA: NYU. Love to family, friends, the Hadestown team, Stewart/Whitley, and DGRW! kimberlyimmanuel.com. @kimmyimmanuel
Alex Lugo (Swing, u/s Fate) is so grateful that “spring has come again!” Recent credits: Rent 20th Anniversary Tour (Mimi Marquez u/s), An Officer & A Gentleman: The Musical (Casey Seegar). NYU/Tisch ’20. Many thanks to CTG, Anonymous Content, Stewart/Whitley, and the Hadestown team. For my family and Ben, always. alexmlugo.com. @alexmarialugo
Will Mann (Worker, u/s Hades, u/s Hermes). Broadway: Oklahoma! (2019 Tony Award-winning revival, Mike) and Memphis (Bobby). National Tours: Memphis (Bobby), Billy Elliot (Mr. Braithwaite), Joseph… (dir./chor. Andy Blankenbuhler), Elf, and Wonderful Town. Film: Ricki and the Flash (starring Meryl Streep). VO: Aflac, Chase, Doritos, and Square Terminal. Thank you to CLA! @UUILLMANN
Sydney Parra (Worker, u/s Eurydice, u/s Fate). National tour debut! Off-Broadway: We Are The Tigers, The Cleopatra Experience. Regional: The Enlightenment of Percival Von Schmootz (Kooman & Dimond). BFA: Ithaca College. For Mom, Dad, Will, Ian, and all those who loved me into consciousness. @sydneyparra
Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Swing, u/s Hermes) is thrilled, honored and grateful to be in his second national tour with the family of Hadestown. Tour: On Your Feet! (Emilio). Regional: Godspell (Jeffrey), Man of la Mancha (Dr. Carrasco), La Cage Aux Folles (Hanna), Footloose (Willard), Rent (u/s Roger), Hair (Ensemble). Follow him on IG: @eddienoelr
Nathan Salstone (Swing, u/s Orpheus) won the lottery by getting to join this company and will attempt to pay it forward through endless gratitude to the entire production team. Credits: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Original Broadway Cast), Rags (Goodspeed), Rock of Ages (PCLO), Spring Awakening (TUTS). For my real-life Eurydice.
Jamari Johnson Williams (Worker, u/s Hades). Broadway: Ain’t Too Proud. National tours: Memphis, Motown the Musical. Favorite regional: Hair (Hud, NRT), Smokey Joe’s Cafe (Fred, Palace Theatre, Riverside Theatre), The Wiz (The Wiz, SDT). Proud alumnus of the Gifford Youth Orchestra (GYOTigers.org) where he currently sits on the board and manages the Drama department. @Jamarizabeast