EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – “Hadestown,” the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best New Musical, and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, is making a stop in El Paso this weekend. And a very special character from the musical is personally inviting the community to experience this musical.
As part of the 2024-25 Broadway season, the musical will play four times at the Plaza Theatre starting on Thursday, April 17, according to Destination El Paso.
The schedule is as follows:
- At 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 17 — Doors open at 6:30 p.m.
- At 8 p.m. on Friday, April 18 — Doors open at 7 p.m.
- At 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 19 — Doors open at 1 p.m.
- At 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 19 — Doors open at 7 p.m.
“The acclaimed new musical is by celebrated singer-songwriter and Tony Award winner Anaïs Mitchell and developed with original director and Tony Award winner Rachel Chavkin. Hadestown marks the first time in over a decade that a woman has been the solo author of a musical: writing the music, lyrics, and book, and is the fourth time in Broadway history a woman has accomplished this creative feat,” read a news release by Destination El Paso.
Destination El Paso said the musical intertwines two mythic tales — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — as it invites you on a “hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.”
In case you are not convinced enough yet to go experience this musical, KTSM had the chance to speak to Nickolaus Colón — who plays Hades in the musical — and what he shared might fully “trap” you in.
Colón is from North Carolina and said his career started when, in second grade, he was “thrown” into a show by a teacher. He ultimately got the part and never looked back.
“I grew up in a theater, and I started taking classes, and I started doing all the main stage shows for about 10 years. Then I heard about a program at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; they had a senior high school program, so I did that, and then I enrolled in a four-year undergraduate program, and I did that,” Colón said.
Colón said he moved to New York and started doing voiceovers, and it was in 2017 when he booked his first national tour with “Dirty Dancing.”
When asked what inspired him to pursue this career, Colón said it was always “meant to be.”
“When I was a kid, my mom said that I didn’t have a first word, I just started humming. Who knows if that’s true, but ever since I was a kid, I just loved making people laugh and smile. And now as I’ve gotten older, it’s like, I don’t know when there’s going to be a little version of me out there who sees Hadestown and goes ‘Mom, I want to do that,’ so that’s the thing that keeps me going every single night,” Colón said.
Colón said he got so lucky because last year, his partner took him to watch “Hadestown” for the very first time on Valentine’s Day, and he fell in love.
“It was just, absolutely incredible and beautiful, and amazing. Then two months later, I got the audition for this one (season),” Colón said.
Colon explained that he prepared for Hades’ role by getting into the music as much as he could, since music is an important character in the show.
“I listened to it (show’s music) a lot. I watched animatics on YouTube, where people have animated different songs, and I was so drawn into that because it was a different take,” Colón said.
Another thing that helped Colón prepare for this role was watching and listening to actors who came before him portraying Hades.
“I’m someone who comes from the school of thought that all these other Hades that came before me are legends, and if I can learn something from their performance, and then in my mind make it work for me and improve on it, then I’m going to do that,” Colón said.
Colón said one of the challenges he faced in portraying this role was how different it was compared to others he had done.
‘”I had never played a character who is like ‘high class’ before. I’m used to playing like Don in Kinky Boots, where he is just like the red neck, blue jeans, flannel. You know, I’m used to playing those types of characters. And to play someone who comes from wealth and power, where I absolutely do not come from wealth and power, that was a big challenge because it takes a lot of confidence to stand up and know that you are a god,” Colón said.
Despite his personal challenges, Colón is advising everyone who wants to pursue this career to “keep going.”
“The question is, like in the show, how far or how much are you willing to do for that thing (that you want)? If this is something that you want to pursue, you have to train, you have to train yourself mentally, physically. You need to read, you need to watch TV shows, plays. Just immerse yourself in everything you can,” Colón said.
Colón said that when it comes to this career you have to have some sort of “delusional confidence.”
“You have to walk into the audition room, being like ‘hey, I’m the guy. I’m the guy who can fix this all for you, you don’t even have to look at anyone else. I promise you, I’m the guy, let’s sign the contract and let’s go,'” Colón said.
To be part of this musical experience, you can purchase tickets by visiting here, the Plaza Theatre Box Office (125 W Mills Ave), or by calling (915) 231-1100.
Group orders of 10 or more can save by emailing Groups@NederlanderNatlMkts.com or by phone at (877) 690-2929.
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