Ani DiFranco, Jordan Fisher, and Lola Tung On Hadestown and Its Personal Healing Power

With every proverbial fork in the road, a new road opens before us. No Broadway musical illustrates that better than Hadestown, inventively interweaving the mythic tales of Orpheus and Eurydice, and King Hades and Queen Persephone to take us to the underworld.

Broadway favorite Jordan Fisher leads this cast as Orpheus alongside Grammy winner Ani DiFranco and screen star Lola Tung (The Summer I Turned Pretty) in the roles of Persephone and Eurydice, respectively. TheaterMania recently talked to them about their transformative roles, the healing power of the arts, camaraderie at the Walter Kerr, and more.

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Take me back to the first time you came across Hadestown as a full-fledged musical or a concept album.

Ani DiFranco: The moment came for me when Anaïs [Mitchell] sent me a cassette tape in 2008 or 2009.

Jordan Fisher: A cassette tape, ladies and gents! [laughs]

Ani: It was a recording of a group of her friends and comrades in Vermont putting on a very proto version of the show, and she wanted to make it into a record. I said, “Whoa, this is incredible material!” so we went ahead and made a record, which was step one of an incredibly long journey.

Jordan: I came across the show right after they finished up in London. It was an early recording, and it wasn’t musical theater. But you have this unbelievably crafted storytelling in the guise of a musical theater format, which turned musical theater on its head for me. Afterward, I followed the show from a distance and became a fan of the songs I knew. Right after they opened on Broadway, my now wife and I saw the show, and the moment the lamps swung, I thought, “This has got to be one of if not the freshest new types of inspiring theater.”

Lola Tung: I first saw Hadestown in February 2020 because my dad had bought tickets, and it was the last show I saw before the shutdown. Similarly, the second you experience that piece of art, it’s just so moving and unlike anything you’ve ever experienced, so it was an extraordinary moment.

How have you struck a balance between your take on your characters and coming into a company with its own interpretation of your characters?

Jordan: I love this question! When new people come in and out, what happens is organic. The challenge here is getting past people’s crystallized versions of the show. That’s nothing that we have control over. We go over the storytelling and how that happens, and hopefully, it feels organic and authentic to all of us in the building, and we honor the storytelling. We’re closing in on 2,000 shows now. Some people like those who have been there for every single one, for them to hold the space for us to come in and bring our own life experiences to it and give these characters our spin and swing is really special. That’s captured in the chemistry we have on stage.

Lola: When we came in, the director [Rachel Chavkin] said the show is best when you are doing your very singular, unique interpretation of the character because every interpretation and version is different. So it’s cool that in the show, that’s embraced and acknowledged.

What are you discovering about your characters that you hadn’t thought of before, and what did you find most compelling about them when you first booked your roles?

Ani: This is my first rodeo, so I have nothing to compare it to in terms of experiences. I think we’ve done 12 shows so far. I am steering into the known [concept album] and away from my instinct, trying to find that middle ground where I honor the tradition and sound of the show. Now, I’m honing in on all the directions and suggestions I’ve received, what feels most natural, what I’m going to accentuate, and how I’m going to find my way through all that.

Lola: I’ve permitted myself to bring myself to the character. I have to allow it to be different than let that be OK, as opposed to trying to fit into some box.

Ani: I feel more of you [Lola] come through each night! When you walked up the stairs the other night, you were so embodied, and your body language was so fragile, and I wanted to run after you. It brought out my maternal Persephone.

Jordan: The show has given me a beautiful opportunity to learn what it feels like to let things go. I sing quite a bit in the show, and I sing pretty hard. At some point, I had to sit down and look in the mirror and be like, “Everyone out there understands that you’re singing a lot. It’s OK when you don’t have it [are vocally tired] because the material takes good care of us. I’m my harshest critic.

Music is its own character in the show, so what is your relationship with music like?

Jordan: My relationship with music is dynamic, storied, and weathered. I’m constantly making it. I’m constantly listening to it, and constantly hunting for it, and having synesthesia adds to that. This show sits in my bones for those reasons.

Ani: I come here by way of music. I show up as a musician. I didn’t grow up a theater nerd in that world of just putting yourself out there. I find a different way of doing it through my music. I’m trying to come out of the shell that I’ve been inhabiting for decades, my life, and find my way to that bigger, more instantly playful, outward self so that I can keep up with everyone and carry my weight.

Jordan: I knew Lola could sing, but she can sang. We were sitting in the conductor’s room one day and had to interrupt our first song because I was like, “I can’t. I’m sorry.” I wasn’t prepared, and I love seeing people discover that!

Lola: I appreciate it. I was always most comfortable in the acting part of things, and that’s where I came out of my shell. I’ve always been more nervous about singing in front of people. And that was the place where I always felt better. I love music, and I love singing. My earliest memories of music and stuff are like my dad and his friends. Playing guitar, singing together, and just sitting through being like, wow, this is so fun. I wanted to be able to play guitar, and I wanted to sing with my friends, and I love doing it. But it was one of those things that I was more scared about, so this has been a lovely experience to work through.