Producers of Hadestown announced today that beginning Tuesday, April 5, Jewelle Blackman, will summon spring eight times a week at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre when she takes over the role of Persephone, goddess of springtime and queen of the underworld.
Blackman, a native of Toronto, first joined Hadestown in 2017 with the musical’s developmental run at Edmonton’s Citadel Theatre. She went on to captivate audiences with her soul-stirring alto as one of the original trio of Fates on Broadway and as a Persephone understudy. Blackman also appeared in Canadian productions of The Lion King; We Will Rock You; Caroline, or Change; and Dreamgirls and has written the new musicals Boy Boy and The Magic Drum and The Trials and Triumphs of a Tar Baby. In addition to appearing on the Grammy Award-winning Broadway cast recording, she stars on Hadestown’s acclaimed 2020 holiday album If The Fates Allow.
Lana Gordon, who currently plays Persephone on Broadway, will play her final performance in the show on Sunday, April 3. Additionally, also starting Tuesday, April 5, Soara-Joye Ross will join the cast of Hadestown, taking over for Blackman as one of the Fates. Ross most recently was seen in CSC’s acclaimed revival of Carmen Jones which garnered her a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She also received Drama Desk and Audelco Award nominations for her portrayal of Frankie in that production.
In addition to Blackman and Ross, the Broadway cast of Hadestown also features Grammy Award winner Reeve Carney, Tony Award® winner André De Shields, two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada, and Tony Award nominee Patrick Page. They are joined by Jessie Shelton and Kay Trinidad as the Fates. The chorus of Workers is played by Emily Afton, Malcolm Armwood, Timothy Hughes, Trent Saunders, Grace Yoo. The cast includes swings Sojourner Brown, Tara Jackson, Tomás Matos, Sayo Oni, Yael “YaYa” Reich, and T. Oliver Reid.
Tickets for Hadestown on Broadway are available at www.seatgeek.com/hadestown-tickets or by visiting the Walter Kerr Theatre box office.
Photo: Matthew Murphy