NEW YORK — Lillias White is back on Broadway — and making history, too.
The Emmy and Tony Award winner has been tapped to take on a monumental role in the critically acclaimed production of “Hadestown,” currently at the Walter Kerr Theatre.
Producers of the smash hit production about the brooding underworld announced Monday that White will take over the role of Hermes, which was originated by Broadway legend Andre De Shields in 2019.
The 71-year-old Brooklyn native, whose previous credits include “The Life,” “Dreamgirls” and “Fela!,” will become the “first female-identifying actor” to play the featured role when she starts performances Sept. 13, producers noted. The winner of the Tony Award for best musical in 2019, “Hadestown,” was the first musical to welcome audiences on Broadway since the pandemic.
De Shields, known for portraying the titular role in “The Wiz” nearly 50 years ago, departed his Tony Award-winning role in May 2022. The 76-year-old theater vet, who was with the show since its London world premiere, will next star in the upcoming revival of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman.”
“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,” White said with Monday’s announcement. “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.”
The former “Once on this Island” star added that she was “delighted and honored to step into the role of Hermes and be part of this beautiful production.”
Last year, White was seen on Broadway as Matron “Mama” Morton in the long-running Broadway revival of “Chicago.”
———
