Hadestown Musical Performs 'Living It Up on Top" on Today Show

[@lanaa12257]

The first line that she sings really scratches my brain I can’t explain

[@amandaferris7957]

Betty is having a blast and I am totally digging her portrayal of Persephone. It gives me feral gremlin chaotic rock and roll vibes and I am HERE for it.

[@chuprine]

I saw it last month and you are right, she was amazing! I feel this performance didn’t do them justice

[@waynew4726]

Okay.

[@samara.ariel.jpg_]

so excited seeing these new cast members take it on and make it their own AHHHHH so good. Love each cast

[@renjoSounds]

Wonderful!!!!! Betty is so much fun! And Reeve just pulling at our hearts as always.

[@tammyj2858]

Omg... This is the cast I just saw....They were Amazing

[@RupertSneakyPie]

PERSEPHONE WITH TATTOOS!!! PERSEPHONE WITH TATTOOS 😍😍😍😍

[@carlycchapman]

Love it! After Ani DiFranco leaves as Persephone (she's apparently going to be Persephone after Betty leaves), I'd love to see Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Persephone, since she voiced and sang for her in the game Stray Gods, she has a very similar voice to Jewelle Blackman

[@pretendingtoeatthesun9556]

Persephone's inked! ❤

[@finleyforevermore]

2:30 - Are these new lyrics? Are they just for this performance or are these actually in the show? EDIT: Found my answer! These lyrics were used in the Broadway previews then permanently changed to what they are in the OBCR. I guess since the song had to be shortened to fit the time slot, Anaïs repurposed the lyrics for this performance.

[@shuttertalkpodcast]

Yesss these are new lyrics, some of them are original but it’s a mix

[@noodlearg9745]

4:52 why did the meow 😭

[@emalaw1329]

I had honestly forgotten about that, but she also did it when I went to see the show in May, so apparently it's a little adlib she adds regularly. On stage they make it more of a bit, pausing the music a little longer around it, but the quicker way they had her do it here sounds brutally jarring, especially if you don't know it's coming. As to a deeper 'why', I'm guessing it's a callback to when she was in Cats.

[@kaitlynlubinsky4973]

they are all supposed to be really drunk like the alcohol is bringing them back to life but also making them crazy for a sec so she meows as like a joke like damn this alc strong

[@bikeyy2714]

Thanks for posting, jeyop 🙌 Love the cast

[@emalaw1329]

I don't know about the impostor syndrome theme...I can't think of a single other line evoking it other than the "Who are you...?" sequences by Orpheus and the Fates, and even then I feel that'd be better described as mere self-doubt. I'd say it's kind of a reach.

[@G4MBITACE]

Love seeing different castings for this musical and Reeve is always there lol. Not my favorite casting but still a great performance!

[@RebeccaTurner-kf8gx]

I heard this was based on an opera I think Nile’s from fraiser mentioned it and I’m like oh I know that because I knew about the musical . I would love to see a movie version of it and have Bryce Pinkham and Emmy rossum as leads while the narrator bad boy and girl in green be Tom cruise Chris Evans and Natalie Portman. Bout time Natalie does a musical

[@karsonpalmerswork]

A ONE NIGHT STAND A FLY BY NIGHT WHAT ARE THESE NEW LYRICS EXCUSE ME LILAS ????

[@quinnaddison420]

I’m sorry, when Lillias is in the room, not much else can exist

[@jamesthesoprano]

Wow, ok so instead of being nice and supportive people choose to be mean. I'm starting to see why people are leaving the theater. Do y'all understand how EARLY these morning show performances are??? How much prep goes into a 4 or 5 minute performance?? Y'all get go to new york, audition for a role, [hopefully] get the part, and sing on stage 8 times a week and see how well you do. And that's IF the show lasts up to a month or WEEK after opening.

[@emilycalles623]

I think when I went to see Hadestown a month ago I JUST missed Betty bc her name was on playbill at the time but she was being subbed for another actress, who’s name I can’t remember off the top of my head. But I’m really glad I miss her bc her Persephone is not it for me lol

[@cherrycoke3254]

I’m sure if we took a poll, you wouldn’t be for a lot of people either. 🙄

[@emilycalles623]

@@cherrycoke3254 you’re probably right lol

[@leah6820-y9v]

And as always, people in the comments think they can do it better. You try it.

[@UncB0905]

I feel like it’s missing something, I’m not a huge fan of this casting!

[@TheLunarVaux]

Tbh having seen this cast live, this clip doesn't do any of them justice. I think Betty Who really thrives off audience energy, so was probably lacking here without that. In person, she's great! Solea Pfieffer is also a powerhouse, arguably the best of the current cast, and we don't hear her at all here. I think they should have gone with Way Down Hadestown instead

[@leahmanning2098]

Amber Grey is missing that's who..

[@amdyblade2245]

@@TheLunarVauxthis was something I noticed with Jewelle Blackman too! Something felt off with her Proshot clip for living it up on top, but then a few months later I saw her live in the show and she was incredible. I think there’s also the factor of still getting used to the role and figuring things you can do with it (speaking from experience)

[@jasonperez7250]

⁠​⁠@@leahmanning2098Not everyone is going to be Amber Grey and that is okay. Honestly if you can’t enjoy a show past it’s original cast, then good luck, cause casts change ALL THE TIME.

[@pfftxoxo1502]

Missing the colour

[@kaxtutanjp]

Oh No.

[@glenncompleta9817]

Sorry, but to me Betty looks awkward and miscast. You can tell how hard she is working, trying to sing, dance and act. I'm so glad I saw the original cast twice.

[@waynew4726]

Agreed. Def the weakest.

[@ragtmt15]

It’s doesn’t work with a white girl pop star or not

[@teaganthordarson1770]

I don't think it's necessarily about race. She just doesn't bring the same energy soul and spirit as Amber or Jewelle. And the roll just doesn't suit her vocals.

[@elizabethlevesque6978]

I think the issue people are feeling but can’t pinpoint is that Betty is clearly a singer. But not an actor. Sure you can sing a song and sound good, but you have to be able to act and sing, and act through the music. You can’t just sing music and hope it does the acting for you (something one my acting teachers was very adamant about and the reason he disliked musicals), you STILL have to act. I know nothing about Betty but I actually like her voice, she has a different tone from Amber that works for the songs on another level. She has a deep voice but the tone is different from amber. That being said from the few things I’ve heard her sing, Betty is not necessarily a good actress, which amber is 100% no question. That’s not to say she can’t improve or learn, but I think a lot of singers who jump to Broadway fall into the trap of thinking that if they just sing the song the emotions will come thru without them doing anything. And that’s not true. You have to act even while singing.

[@heikeameis8122]

Hadestown is not about ethnicity or skin colour. If you would say that a person from a different ethnicity would suit this role better because of charisma, sound of voice etc. Yeah maybe I personally wasnttouched by her performance in this video either,but this is a morning show, many people loved her in the theatre.....to sum it up me of course she can be light skinned...Hades was first an "old white capitalist man" and later black...a. both great portrayals... it would be racist to say Hades should only be white... Everyone has preferences that's allowed.

[@joshsun1446]

Digging, loving, into…lol words avoiding real critique…She’s not it. Will never measure up.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

If this performance was meant to boost ticket sales, “Hadestown” can just close already. The show was already running out of steam, due to its age. However, this stunt casting is the final nail in the coffin.

[@emalaw1329]

Because of the love I have for this show, I sincerely hope you're wrong. I can't deny that this Persephone is a pretty significant step down tho, from both Amber Gray and Jewelle Blackman. A better move would've been promoting the understudy to regular imo, I had the pleasure of seeing Brit West in the role and she gave her an amazing characterization.

[@lizzabbott]

Yes ! BRIT ! She was stunning ! I’m so grateful I saw her !

[@emalaw1329]

@@lizzabbott I wonder, did we go to the same performance? I saw her playing Persephone on the Mother's Day matinee, what about you?

[@kaitlynlubinsky4973]

i do not think so. pretty much every show ends up selling out by showtime, and i think that counts for something no matter the price. plus it’s bringing ppl to the show that normally wouldn’t be going to broadway. but also the hard lovers of the show are coming because we are curious of the new cast. the show is too amazing to just close because of one (maybe) bad casting choice (i haven’t seen her yet but i’m skeptical.) that’s just extremely negative and i don’t think it is true

[@ChienaAvtzon]

@@kaitlynlubinsky4973 - Your denial and naivety is adorable. I live in NYC and ticket sales have tanked, Betty Who took over as Persephone. “Hadestown” can barely fill the Walter Kerr (which is a tiny theater) to 80% these days. No one expect the diehards, such as yourself, are interested in seeing the show anymore.

[@Smokingbarn1]

Yeah she was miscast in this role as Persephone . Who did this casting because they made a mistake! She doesn’t sing with the soul needed for this role.

[@boredinohio4]

Uhhhhhhh pass.

[@lucymaine4888]

This cast is awful. No wonder attendance is falling off. Will close very soon.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

Completely agree…. apparently, the new Hades is good. However, Lillias White is the only cast member keeping “Hadestown” alive, at this point.

[@GuitarbardUnstrung]

@@ChienaAvtzon I saw it with Solea, and she's INCREDIBLE as Eurydice. But I can't even finish watching this video because Betty Who is just...not it. There's no life to her Persephone. I'm so glad I saw it when Jewelle was still in the role.

[@emalaw1329]

@@GuitarbardUnstrung vocally she sounds impeccable, but it doesn't feel like she's the right performer for this kind of score. I might be mishearing this, but to me it feels like they slowed down the music during her solos to allow her to better accustom to the beat and play off of it, and her rhythm still sounds stilted. There's a reason why actresses playing Fates tend to make amazing Persephone understudies, both parts require similar rhythmic tightness for a convincing performance.

[@lizzabbott]

Yes I thought her parts were slowed down here, too. Broke up the flow & momentum of the song.

[@ChienaAvtzon]

@@emalaw1329 - If she cannot sing fast enough, she should never have been cast.

[@pfftxoxo1502]

White woman in this role is boring

[@cherryfries623]

It’s not even that. She’s just boring in general. Can’t act at all.

[@xela-p7654]

a white woman originated the role of persephone. her race isnt the problem, its that shes not an actor and had zero energy in this role