Betty Who and Phillip Boykin to Join Hadestown on Broadway
(Photos provided by the production)
Hadestown has announced two new residents of the underworld. Beginning September 5, Tony nominee Phillip Boykin will join the Broadway cast as Hades and musician Betty Who will take on the role of Persephone. Tom Hewitt and Jewelle Blackman who currently play Hades and Persephone, respectively, will play their final performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre on September 3.
Boykin’s Broadway credits include The Music Man, Once on This Island, Sunday in the Park With George, On the Town, and The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Tony nomination). Best known for her chart-topping singles such as “I Love You Always Forever” and “Somebody Loves You,” Hadestown will mark Betty Who’s stage debut.
Featuring a book and score by Anaïs Mitchell and direction by Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown follows two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. The Broadway production won eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical, Best Score, and Best Direction.
The Broadway cast currently stars Jewelle Blackman as Persephone, Grammy Award winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Hades, two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Eurydice, and Tony Award winner Lillias White as Hermes. As previously announced, Noblezada will play her final performance on August 13. Future casting for Eurydice will be announced soon.
