Zachary James stars as Hades in the West End premiere of the multi award-winning Hadestown which has opened at the Lyric Theatre, London.
Winner of 8 Tony® Awards including ‘Best Musical’ and a Grammy® Award for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’, Hadestown returns to London five years after its sold-out run at the National Theatre in 2018.
Blending modern American folk music with New Orleans-inspired jazz, the Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestown is one of the most streamed cast albums of all time with over 340 million streams to date. It won the Grammy Award® for ‘Best Musical Theatre Album’, topped Billboard’s Broadway Cast Recording chart and debuted at #8 on the Top Album chart.
Zachary James has originated several iconic Broadway roles, such as ‘Lurch’ in The Addams Family, ‘Amenhotep’ in the Olivier Award winning production of Akhnaten and ‘Abraham Lincoln’ in The Perfect American – which marked his professional operatic debut in a role that was written specifically for him by renowned composer, Philip Glass. He is also known for singing with the world’s greatest orchestras and opera companies, including The New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and NHK Symphony Tokyo.
You’re starring as Hades in the Tony and Grammy winning musical Hadestown which has just opened in London’s West End, how would you describe the show?
It’s an experience of mythic, epic proportion that defies space and time which follows the entwining love stories between two couples and is tied together by a beautiful score of jazz and folk music – all brought to life by an incredible onstage band and your favourite Gods and mortals.
You’ve performed in some of the biggest Broadway shows and as an opera singer, how does it feel to be back in the West End with this show?
It’s wonderful to root in here and feel at home in a long running show. I’ve been all over the world the last ten years, my longest run has been less than two months so this is incredibly exciting to be able to challenge myself with keeping this character alive, continuing to discover new things and playing this role for the foreseeable future. I have cherished my previous experiences in London, all with English National Opera, and am delighted to be here full time.
You play Hades, tell us what you love about playing this role?
He’s a complex fella and has a beautiful arc of story that is delicious to play as an actor, with wildly range-y music that stretches me from the very depths to the very heights of my vocal range. He’s a total blast and I feel very close and protective of him and pushed in all the right ways at this moment in my career.
And what do you find most challenging?
Filling big shoes! Patrick Page created this role and is a legend. I’m making it my own, as Patrick strongly suggested I do, and also trying to honor and respect what came before which is anchored in the fans’ imaginations. I don’t want to let anyone down but also want to offer a new interpretation and new insight into his soul which I hope are welcome discoveries for our fans.
Hadestown has already amassed such a huge fan following, why do you think the music in particular speaks to so many people?
It tugs on the heart strings. It’s difficult to not be caught in its web and drawn in. It’s alchemy. It’s also the math and science of what musical chord structures, progressions and harmonies pull on the heart and make us rip open. I think if anyone understood how it became so powerful they’d certainly crack the code and make new shows from the same formula. But art is a tricky mistress and these works sometimes take on their own life and appeal to a mass global audience and you just gotta respect it, enjoy the ride and live in gratitude.
What would you say to anyone thinking about booking tickets to Hadestown?
Come! Join us along this mythical journey of love and loss. Laugh with us, cry with us – and be sure to say hi to me at the stage door after!
