Step Into History: Witness Tony and Daytime Emmy Award Winner Lillias White Become the First Female Actor as Hermes on Broadway

Lillias White as Missus Hermes. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy

Don’t miss this opportunity to witness history unfold on the Walter Kerr Theatre stage as one of Broadway’s most beloved stars, Tony Award® and Daytime Emmy Award® winner Lillias White becomes the first female actor to play Hermes in Hadestown starting Tuesday, September 13.

Tony Award-winning director Rachel Chavkin said, “I’m over the moon about Lillias stepping into this role. She’s a total legend, has an earth-shattering voice, and will bring a grace and warmth to the role that is completely her own. Hadestown is a myth, and so we’ve always felt these characters can mold to whomever is playing them and take on new life and meaning with each new actor/spirit. I’m very proud to say the cast for our National Tour is wholly individual from the Broadway company, and just as powerful, and I’m so proud to welcome a woman for the first time into the iconic role of Hermes, our storyteller, and guide. Like the Greek gods themselves, our actors change shapes, size, color, tonality, vibe, and doesn’t it make the world more delightful.”

The cast of HADESTOWN. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy

Lillias White said, “I am always thrilled to attend a Broadway opening and seeing Hadestown opening night in 2019 was a magical and unforgettable experience. Everything about it was full of life. I sat behind Rachel Chavkin’s father who was bursting with pride, and I got to meet Rachel who was giving birth to a phenomenal show while carrying new life in her belly. Everything about that evening glowed with beauty and love and promise, and I was moved to tears by my most excellent friend Dr. André De Shields and the entire company. I am delighted and honored to step into the role of Hermes and be part of this beautiful production.”

White most recently starred as Matron “Mama” Morton in the 25th Anniversary cast of the Broadway revival of Chicago. She won the 1997 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for her showstopping turn in Cy Coleman’s The Life and received another Tony nomination in 2010 for Fela!. Her other Broadway credits include Effie White in Dreamgirls, Grizabella in Cats, Asaka in Once on this Island, and Miss Jones in the 1995 revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Her first solo studio album Get Yourself Some Happy! was released last year by Old Mill Road Recording.

Due to previously scheduled commitments, White will not be performing in Hadestown November 2–4; November 10–13; and November 17–20.

T. Oliver Reid, who is currently playing Hermes on Broadway, will depart the show on Sunday, September 4.

In addition to White, the Broadway cast of Hadestown is led by Jewelle Blackman as Persephone, Grammy Award® winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus, Tony Award nominee Patrick Page as Hades, and two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Eurydice. They are joined by Soara-Joye Ross, Jessie Shelton, and Kay Trinidad as the Fates.

The chorus of Workers is played by Emily Afton, Malcolm Armwood, Alex Puette, Trent Saunders, and Grace Yoo. The cast includes swings Tara Jackson, Max Kumangai, Sayo Oni, and Yael “YaYa” Reich.

Tickets for Hadestown on Broadway are available at www.seatgeek.com/hadestown tickets or by visiting the Walter Kerr Theatre box office (219 West 48th Street).

The show 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 is the most honored show of the 2018–2019 season. The show is the winner of eight Tony Awards including Best Musical, four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards including Outstanding New Broadway Musical and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical. The show is the highest-grossing musical in the history of the Walter Kerr Theatre.

Lillias White as Missus Hermes. Photo credit: Matthew Murphy

More on Lillias White

Lillias White (Hermes) is a Tony, Drama Desk, and Outer Critics Circle Award winner for her performance in The Life. She has appeared on Broadway in Barnum, Dreamgirls, Cats, Carrie, Once on this Island, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and Fela! (Tony Award nomination) and most recently in Chicago in the Fall of 2021 as Matron “Mama” Morton having first appeared in the Broadway production in 2006. Other Off-Broadway and Regional credits include the musical Black No More in Winter 2022, the Public Theater’s Romance in Hard Times for which she won the Obie Award, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom (directed by Phylicia Rashad) for which she won the NAACP Award, and the Carnegie Hall Concert version of South Pacific which was also broadcast on PBS’ “Great Performances.” She received the Daytime Emmy Award for her role as Lillian Edwards in “Sesame Street” and is beloved by audiences for voicing the lead muse

Calliope in Disney’s animated feature Hercules. Her most recent television appearances include the Baz Luhrmann-directed Netflix series “The Get Down,” as well as “Russian Doll” and “Search Party.” She has appeared in cabarets and concert halls around the world. Her first solo studio album Get Yourself Some Happy! is available now at lilliaswhite.com and on all streaming platforms.