Lillias White will be the new Hermes in Hadestown! — Page 12

ACL2006 said: "TaffyDavenport said: "A friend of mine who works front of house just messaged me and said that Lillias already seems more confident than last night."



The show just started."

Yes, and she starts the show, so what's your point? My friend was also there last night, and agreed that she seemed hesitant. It's just a bit of insight from someone who sees "Road to Hell" 5 days a week.

Updated On: 9/14/22 at 02:26 PM

I just wouldn't judge someone's performance just by their opening number.

Mr. Wormwood said: "Just bumping this thread to say I saw Hadestown this past weekend and Lillias was SO GOOD. If there was any hesitation when she started, there's not now. She was living it up (on top), feeding off the audience in a big way and she sounded great. She seemed to love being there and the cast seemed to adore her. I loved Andre De Shields in the role but I might say I liked Lillias even more, it was so different - much more of an "earth mother" vibe instead of "teacher" vibe like I felt Andre had. Having last seen it in 2019, the show is still in great shape aside from the Reeve Carney problem."

I totally agree with everything you said! I think Liliaa White has a more maternal energy that really lends itself to the story well; Andre De Shields felt like he was a bit more aloof to the other characters, and even Lilias White's entrance at the top of act 2, you can see her friendship with Persephone which I think subtlely changes the story and how it's told a bit more.

Speaking of Persephone, I was a little wary of whether anyone could match Amber Gray but Jewelle Blackman absolutely blew me away. She has a different energy but it's the same sort of magnetism Amber Gray had that made Persephone so compelling and the way she plays around on Our Lady of Our Underground (what I usually consider a boring song) really kept me engaged.

I would be interested in how the Orpheus understudy plays the role. I can't tell if Reeve Carney is purposely affecting his voice to sound like that or if that's just how he is because he sounds mostly okay on the cast album but that could also be the magic of mastering.

Finally got around to seeing Lillias as Hermes this afternoon. Scored the last standing room only spot about 90 minutes prior to curtain. What an outstanding performance. Much different than what Andre did but nonetheless a force on that stage. And to hear that role sung full out as well gave it a different twist. The show in general is in amazing shape and Eva and Reeve are still on the top of their game. I wonder how long she's scheduled in the show and if she's doing a full year?

Updated On: 2/18/23 at 05:09 PM

yyys said: "Is this even worth going back to without Patrick Page? He set the bar really high."

I've seen Patrick back in August and have to say, something either was wrong with his health that day or his health has really declined lately. He looked very weak on the stage and could barely move. His Hades was phenomenal back in 2019, but I'd prefer Tom Hewitt any day now.

Interesting, I felt something similarly. I also saw Patrick Page last August and it felt like a bit more of a restrained performance than when I saw him previously in 2019. I wouldn't go so far to say declining health, but I was wondering if it was just age catching up or I caught him on a off day. He was also just coming off of a filming period so maybe he was fatigued from that. My friend didn't think anything was off, but she hadn't seen the show before, so I wasn't sure if it was just me. He was still fabulous, but just felt a little less powerful as a god.

Tom Hewitt is great. Patrick Page is still my favorite and I love that deep voice, but Tom's a fantastic Hades too.

Listener said: "I would also like to see her. When does her run conclude?"

There's been no end date announced for Lillias' run.

If it is indeed closing, probably by Labor Day, then that would have White with the show for an entire year.

Apparently, there's another show that has the theater booked for next season.

I had no issues with Reeve last weekend. Jewell has been on vacation for two weeks in Trinidad and should be back on Tuesday. Shea and Soara-Joye have rotated as Persephone. Tom Hewitt has been out since Friday.

Voter said: "ACL2006 said: "Apparently, there's another show that has the theater booked for next season."

I thought Eva just signed an extension of her contract with the show..."



Next season could mean September, December, January 2024 or March 2024.

Jewell is still on vacation and Tom is still out. Lots of u/s & swings tonight.

The thing with Reeve is that I don't think he's bored with the show as he rarely calls out. Also, if he's staying because Eva is also staying, that's a solid commitment from those two. I'd love to see Trent Saunders' Orpheus if he's ever announced ahead to be going on.

defenses said: "I finally won the lottery so I saw the show today. The cast was (mostly) lovely. Lillias was such a presence, and Eva has an amazing voice!

I was a bit thrown by the Hades understudy. I’ve seen the STC marketing with Patrick Page so seeing Alex Puette as Hades was shocking! After I got over my surprise, I thought he did a very good job. His voice is pleasant, and he was charismatic. He had nice chemistry with Soara-Joye Ross, who was in for Persephone.

What’s up with Reeve? When we left, we agreed that we enjoyed the show except for him. His voice was really unpleasant. I looked at the past few pages, and it seems to be a common sentiment lately. I'll have to find some of his earlier stuff (2019?)."

I’ve seen Hadestown so many times I’ve lost count so I’ve seen a lot of understudy combos. I went again in December JUST FOR Patrick Page and Jewelle Blackman and both were out. I had the same understudy combo- Alex Puette and Soara-Joye Rose. I LOVE understudies! The reason I’ve seen Hadestown so many times is to see the understudies. The Persephone understudy was lovely. She slipped coming down the stairs but sold it so well. She played an extra drunk Persephone. But I was not a fan of Alex Puette as Hades. He wasn’t believable, and he seemed like he was going through the motions just to get through the show.

I went again in January and finally saw Jewelle as Persephone. Perfection. And Tom as Hades. Amazing. For anyone seeing the show, you’re in good hands with Tom and Jewelle!

I wasn’t sold on Lillias at first but during my second show with her my opinion changed. I enjoyed her take on Hermes.

As for Reeve, he needs a break. His voice is tired. I’ve always thought he was the weak link from day 1 but while I don’t think that now, I do think he needs rest. In December he sounded like he had nasal congestion but I think he was doing it himself because it would come and go the whole show. January he started off the show rocky but by wait for me he sounded better.