André De Shields in “Hadestown” on Broadway. (Photo: Matthew Murphy)
André De Shields, who has enraptured audiences with his award-winning portrayal of Hermes in Hadestown, Broadway’s Tony Award-winning Best New Musical, will play his final performance at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street) on Sunday, May 29. Casting for the role of Hermes will be announced at a future date.
For his portrayal of the messenger of the gods, De Shields won the 2019 Broadway triple crown, receiving the Tony Award, Drama Desk Award, and Outer Critics Circle Award. He also received a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the show’s Original Broadway Cast Recording. His legendary run in Hadestown coincided with his 50th anniversary as a performer, having made his professional acting debut in the 1969 production of Hair in Chicago.
Anaïs Mitchell, Hadestown’s Tony Award-winning writer, said, “It was the privilege of a lifetime to work with André, our original Broadway Hermes. What can I say? He blessed us all. He blessed the character, the show, and the community with the full force of his majestic self. Not gonna lie, we’re all gonna be in mourning for a while at the Walter Kerr. But a wise man once said, ‘The top of one mountain is the bottom of the next…’ Keep climbing, your majesty, we love you forever.”
