I saw Khaila's final performance last night! T.O. Reid was also on Hermes, and YaYa Reich and Tara Jackson were Swinging the Worker roles. What a show! This was my first time seeing Khaila's Eurydice (And my last time, sadly, I regret waiting so long), as well as my first time seeing T.O. in the show. Of course, Jordan was also on as Orpheus, and it was my first time seeing him as well!
Khaila got a lot of applause during Road To Hell, after Flowers, and ESPECIALLY during the Curtain Call/We Raise Our Cups. I think a lot of people were there specifically to see her final show, which really warmed my heart. She was very visibly sobbing during the Curtain Call/Cups. T.O. hugged her during the bows and she took an extra bow, and definitely got the most applause out of everyone. I'm unsure of the ethics/legality of filming Cups/the curtain call, but it's easily searchable on Twitter if you want to see. (She retweeted it, so I can't imagine it's a major issue...at least I hope not. Lol)
T.O. was amazing as Hermes too. I like him just as much as I like André, but for different reasons. André I see as a fatherly figure to Orpheus, whereas T.O. is more of a storytelling mentor. (I mean, I know that Hermes is supposed to be all of those things - mentor+storyteller+closest thing to a guardian that Orpheus has - it's just that André leans more into the father part and T.O. more into the storytelling mentor part, if that makes sense. And again, that's just my opinion and first impression of him, not necessarily meant to be a critique to either performer, just an observation :P)
Jordan was also a really good Orpheus. I always like seeing younger Orpheuses - I saw Chibueze as well on tour! (Orphei? Orpheus? Whatever.) He had a very amazing dynamic with Khaila, I'm sad I won't get to see more of it. But I'm excited for Khaila's next show. I know there's some rumors about where she's going next, but I don't want to spread anything until she confirms it.
Another thing: I've seen Hadestown a few times since Broadway's official major reopening, but not since the minor week-long shutdowns due to the omicron variant. The ushers were mask policing way more last night than they were at any other show I've seen. Not in a distracting way - just pacing the aisles during songs, then standing at the edge of the aisle for a few songs and periodically looking down the rows. Luckily, most people in my row kept their mask on, and only one person had to be told off, near the end of the show. I'm not sure if they're actually cracking down even more now or if it was just my first time really noticing, but I'm very glad it's a thing that's happening. It's really only distracting if you're specifically looking out for it for whatever reason, and personally I'd rather get slightly distracted during applause breaks if it means everyone around me is masked up.
Does anyone know any André is out, though? I know Reeve is out for his movie, and that Eva had some concerts in Arizona, but what's up with André? Does he have any concerts or other projects going on? I don't recall a vacation ever being announced. I don't want to look into too much or assume the worst or start anything, but since he's older and immunocompromised I wonder if he's taking a break as a health precaution?