Photos & Video: Betty Who and Phillip Boykin Take First Bows in HADESTOWN

Last night, international pop music sensation Betty Who and Tony® and Grammy Award® nominee Phillip Boykin took their first bow in the Tony Award-winning Best Musical Hadestown as ‘Persephone’ and ‘Hades,’ respectively. Best known for her chart-topping singles such as “I Love You Always Forever” and “Somebody Loves You,” Hadestown marks Betty Who’s stage debut.

See photos and video!
 
Hadestown currently stars Solea Pfeiffer as Eurydice, Grammy Award winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus and Tony Award winner Lillias White as Hermes. 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, Alex Lugo, Sayo Oni, and Alex Puette. The cast includes swings Brandon Cameron, Yael YaYa Reich, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, 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 Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown is one of the most streamed cast albums of all time with over 300 million streams to date. It was released the summer of 2019, 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.
 
Hadestown will make its London return in February 2024 when it plays the Lyric Theatre in the West End.