I went last night and, frankly, this is the best group of replacements for this show I have seen, with all of them quickly winning me over. They’ve only been together a few days but they seem to have a good rhythm and chemistry going already.
They lowered the keys a bit for Ali and I frankly found that rather refreshing. I could never fully enjoy Reeve singing in full upper register for an entire show, especially toward the end when he was well past his expiration date and you could see him straining to reach those notes. While a little wobbly, I liken Ali as Orpheus to Audra as Rose - this is not the typical voice for the role and it won’t sound like it, but damned if they aren’t putting their best foot forward and giving a refreshing take. I heard quite a few of the rock inflections that reminded me of TOMMY and it gave the score a nice zest.
Myra has a lovely voice and she and Ali pair very well together. She is not as hard-bitten as Solea was with Jordan, but she was a great compliment to his puppy-eyed Orpheus. Undoubtedly, she will only get better with time.
Daniel Breaker seemed like a safe choice for Hermes when he was announced, but I think his past roles that I’ve seen him in never really let him show off his true range. Whew! I was not familiar with his game because he was coming in hot with “Road To Hell”, complete with some R&B style riffing and inflections that actually mixed well with the score. Also, while nobody is as otherworldly and ethereal as Andre, Daniel still made it clear he was a God and didn’t suffer fools. I never got that with Lillias, who was too earthy and maternal for me.
Phillip and Merle were perfection together. Phillip is obviously the reliable veteran here (and his deep basso voice makes me feel…things), but Merle really COOKS. Her Persephone brings back the brash, devil-may-care spirit that Amber Gray had and perhaps goes even further. Her “Livin’ It Up On Top” was strong, but it was her “Our Lady of the Underground” where she just went to town, including sustaining one note at the end for, roughly, 20 seconds, which the crowd went NUTS over. In her scenes with Phillip, her “slapped with a silk glove” approach to appealing on behalf of Orpheus was refreshing since I’ve seen Persephones that basically become wilting flowers in the face of their Hades.
Overall, aside from Ali trying to perfect his mix, this cast is hot and ready to go. Frankly, I would go see them again and I’m never inclined to rush back to Hadestown without a very good reason.
Check out my eBay page for sales on Playbills!!
www.ebay.com/usr/missvirginiahamm
.jpg?format=auto&width=365)
