Interview: Daniel Breaker's Road From Mattress to Hadestown, With a Side of Supper Club

Daniel Breaker is no stranger to theatrical transformation. A Tony-nominated actor known for his dynamite performances in Passing Strange, Shrek, Hamilton, and more, Breaker has tackled it all with effortless charm. He kicked off this season delighting audiences as the Jester in Once Upon a Mattress, and now has stepped into a very different universe, taking on the role of Hermes in Hadestown at the Walter Kerr Theatre. Despite the dramatic shift in tone, Breaker is bringing his signature energy and deep theatrical roots to the underworld.

Beyond the stage, Breaker has another passion: food. Between performances, he channels his creativity into Breaker’s Supper Club, a labor of love that blends community, seasonality, and experimentation. Whether he’s serving up fresh crudités or comfort food, his love for storytelling extends beyond the footlights, right onto the dinner plate.

This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Does it feel like whiplash to go from an overwhelmingly happy show like Once Upon a Mattress to a more dramatic piece like Hadestown?
Mattress was a joy. It was a joy for the audience and a joy for us. I have so many connections to so many people in that cast. Sutton Foster and I did Shrek together. Michael Urie and I were both at Juilliard at the same time and I’ve had a talent crush on him ever since. Brooks Ashmanskas and I have done maybe 300 workshops together. Nikki Renée Daniels played by daughter in The Book of Mormon. We built a strong bond very quickly, and then, just like that, it vanished.

How much of an overlap was there between Mattress and Hadestown?
I was going to start in Hadestown earlier, but then Mattress went to L.A. for a month, so I got back, had maybe a week off, and then jumped into rehearsals. It was a fast turnaround. Now, I’m a week in and I already feel comfortable. It’s a good group, the show is phenomenal, it’s a great role, and my costume rocks. I hadn’t seen the show, so as soon as I got back, I saw it for the first time.

Did you see yourself as Hermes when you watched it?
I saw it and I was like “How did I not barge into this show earlier?” It feels right up my alley. It’s deeply creative. Anaïs Mitchell is not coming from the musical-theater world, so she is putting her own fresh take on the style. It has the benefit of being fresh and new and original, which is very satisfying, and has a Shakespearean feel to it, which is sort of my upbringing in terms of being an actor.

And that seven-piece band is phenomenal, giving you such depth and complexity. It’s a thrill to sing with them and listen to them. Hermes feels like the eighth band member to a certain extent. I also know a lot of those musicians from other gigs, so it feels like we’re just doing a set.

How many nights out of the week do you get the gasp at the end when Orpheus turns around?
Every night. It really is a trick. Even in the music, it feels like there’s a sunrise coming, and then boom, it changes, so you get audible gasps. On my first night, this woman in the back screamed. And then that died down, and then we heard another guy on the other side go “OH SHIT.” You could be the most cynical contrarian coming in and you’re just going to buckle. There’s something in there that is going to soften even the thickest of skin.

What have you cooked for the cast so far?
My first show there, I brought a bunch of crudités, some dips, some fresh fruit. Really healthy things. And that’s probably where it ends. The next thing coming in is fried chicken. The cast is going to be getting the comfort food soon. I don’t know if you’ve heard, but I do this supper club.

Yeah, tell me about that.
Ever since I’ve been in New York, there’s always been people coming over on the days off to try different foods. I’m always experimenting with food, and it’s all about community. Getting out of Covid, I wanted to open it up a bit more and turn it into something.

So, Breaker’s Supper Club is up and running. I did my last one in L.A., a New Year’s Eve feast of the seven fishes, with some extraordinary seafood from that region. It was high-end cuisine, but you got to wear pajamas.

Coming up on a Monday — I haven’t set the date yet — there’s going to be a celebration of spring. We’re looking at peas and asparagus and beets and fiddlehead ferns and mints, all those fresh things.

And that ties into Hadestown, too.
Yes. Spring is here. Maybe I’ll bring a little Hadestown inspiration. Some fresh young wines.

Are you completely self-taught?
Yeah. Just the internet in those moments of unemployment and time and creativity. My dad was in the military, so we traveled around a lot when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time in Germany and the South and the Midwest.

My mom always had an interest in whatever people were eating. She would bring her skills and bring that to whatever was growing in abundance. That has carried over to New York for me. I try to stay as seasonal as possible. My basic thing is to go to the farmer’s market, find out whatever is growing and celebrate that ingredient. And then it’s curiosity and trying out techniques.

I love seafood. That is my number one thing right now. I have these bay scallops in the shell and I’m gonna do some crudos. I want to use all parts of the scallop. That’s my experiment that I’ll do when I get off work today.

Well, your costars are very lucky people.
I like to feed the group. It’s nice to feed folks. Food is a necessity, and a way to celebrate these things that grow in the earth, these things that we sacrifice to consume. I’m all for paying as much respect to that as possible.