Dutch actor and singer Joy Wielkens will join the critically acclaimed West End production of Hadestown as Persephone from 20 January until 8 March 2026.
Wielkens previously played the role at the Royal Theatre Carré in Amsterdam earlier this year, where the AD hailed: “Wielkens blows the audience away with her soulful voice that cuts straight to the heart.” Her other credits in the Netherlands include Beneatha’s Place, Billie!, A Raisin in the Sun, The Mountaintop, and Dear Winnie.
She takes over the role from BRIT Award-winning Girls Aloud star Nicola Roberts, whose final performance will be Sunday 18 January 2026.
Wielkens joins a cast that includes Desmonda Cathabel as Eurydice, Chris Jarman as Hades, Cedric Neal as Hermes, and Dylan Wood as Orpheus. Melanie Bright, Allie Daniel and Lauran Rae play the Fates, while Femi Akinfolarin, Michelle Andrews, Ollie Bingham, Laura Delany and Sebastian Lim-Seet play the Workers. Swings are Lucinda Buckley, Juan Jackson, Oisín Nolan-Power, Lindo Shinda and Jasmine Triadi.
Hadestown is currently booking until 27 September 2026 at the Lyric Theatre, London. Casting for performances from 10 March 2026 will be announced soon.
With music, lyrics and book by Tony® and Grammy®-winning singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown blends American songwriting traditions from indie folk to pop, blues and New Orleans-inspired jazz. Directed by Tony® Award-winner Rachel Chavkin, the musical intertwines two mythic love stories – Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and Persephone – in a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
