T. Oliver Reid Talks Taking Over as HADESTOWN's New Hermes

Welcome to Backstage with Richard Gridge

My guest has spent the past 20 years appearing on Broadway in such shows as

Once on This Island, After Midnight, Sunset Boulevard, Chicago, Follies, Kiss Me Kate, and Sister Act, to name just a few

He is the co-founder of the Black Theater Coalition, and he will return to Feinstein's 54 below on July 24th with his brand new show that Sunday, that summer, at 7 p.m

and he's just taking over the role of Hermes in the hit musical Hades Town

Please say hello to T. Oliver Reed. Hello, it never gets old hearing that

just taken over the role of Hermes. Well, I was going to say

this is a big deal. First of all, how are you and where are you? I feel like you're sitting in a closet

Where are you? I am great. I am sitting in my dressing room

at the Walter Kerr Theater right now. Yes. Nice color. I know

It's like this charcoal gray in there like, what color do you want to paint? And I was like, that's the color I want to paint

It's, and as I'm sitting here, and I realize that I put on a black t-shirt

with this dark gray wall, it does look like I'm in a cave or something

But yeah, I'm sitting in my dressing room right now. Oh, no, because it looks like when you open

like you're in a beautiful, like a 10-star hotel, and you open up the closet to the closet where you hang stuff

And I said, that's why I meant, oh, you're sitting in front of a closet. But I'll also, there's a, there is a shiz that's back there that has some pillows and clothes that are hanging

And then you come around normal, normal back state, normal stuff. But yeah

But now you're back into your 10 star hotel dressing room. I'm back into my 10 star hotel dressing room

Yes. Okay. So you have just taken over the role of Hermes in a Hades town

How exciting is that? I have to tell you it's been it's I can't I cannot say how exciting is it's been amazing

it's one of those things for me you know again I've been in this business for a long time

and I don't know if it's that there's been so much conversation over the past months

of what swings and undersutities do and all those things but it's it's been great to

to be able to take over this role and and not just stand by for it not be an understudy

for it and and and do a lot of what the person who's in the role does every night

but to really be able to, like, sort of strip it away and find my own version of Hermes

So it's been great. All right. We're going to get into what standby and undersudities do

But first of all, I mean, where did your history with Hades Town begin

Listen, I was, it's so funny because I know Chris Sullivan. We worked together years ago

So Chris had done the New York Theater Workshop version of the show as Hermit

So I had listened to that recording. I mean, I don't know how many times I had listened to it just sort of on repeat forever

And then several years ago, I guess it was 2018. I did a workshop of Lampica with Rachel Chaffkin

And it was during that workshop that all the news came out that Hadeson was coming from the West End and going to open on Broadway

And I was like, oh, I should audition for that show. And it was sort of thinking about that and just sort of what made sense

in my head for what I could or wanted to do in the show. It all worked out, I think, in the way

that I initially planned or as Andre DeShields would say, the universe is conspiring with you

the universe and I planned what needed to happen for me for those early days. But I was not a part of the show

until they started rehearsals for the Broadway production in February of of, was that 2019

Of 2019, yeah. So what's it like living in the world of Hades Town

It's such a beautiful musical. It's such a beautiful world. What does that world like to live in

I honestly, I feel like there's definitely nothing like it that I've done on Broadway

I think it's also partially because there are these three intertwining stories

a story of Hades and Persephone, the story of Eurydice and Orpheus and then, of course, of Hermes

that we all know from probably elementary. school or middle school and to be able to spend so much time in those and to and to have this this

literal poetry that aeneas Mitchell has written for the show and to hear those those words nightly

and to and to see where we are as as humanity uh and and the things that she's written and how they

how they fit in daily to to where we are um especially you know we will by the time we get to we raise

our cups at the end of the show and and talking about again how how we will how we will move on from

here how we will we will who we will who we will be after these moments and you know looking at

you know Ukraine and for a while we we had blue and yellow uh coverings on our cups at the end of the

show just so our show our support of Ukraine and and this war and other and then we've had the moments

with Yuvaldi and all these things so everything every moment has has been connected in some way

So it doesn't feel like, oh, it's just this show about this. It's like it is the show that is about these

these five individuals. But everything that's being said is truly about who we are as humanity

who we are walking through New York Daily and who we want to be. Yeah

What do you remember about your magical opening night as Hermes when they became yours

What do you remember about? I have still, I think like the absolute sort of like just sigh of relief because I, it feels like I've been in rehearsals for it for three years because because I've gotten to, I was, I've been in the show and watched Andre and gone on. But it really was sort of in the two weeks from when Andre left to when I officially took over of saying to myself, like, okay, you can, you can, you don't have to do that because that is absolutely an Andreism. And then finding those things are like, that's an Andreism, but it actually

absolutely works. So there's no reason to change it. So they're just finding all those things

And I think honestly, just the relief of the end of the show when I walk out for the bow and

and the the audience is screaming and they absolutely are, they're screaming for me in that moment

It's like, that's great. But there have just been so many of those like, you know

seeing my name actually on, you know, outside of the theater, seeing the picture outside

theater. All these things are like, oh, I wasn't expecting. I wasn't expecting to feel this way

about all of these things that are a part of being, officially being a Broadway star

being, you know, a principal in a Broadway show, yeah. That's amazing, but I'm sure that first foul was like

oh my gosh, I made him my own. Yes. And I'm continuing to, which is great

And, you know, having Rachel come back and see this show, and it like yeah and things that you know again that there a different life being breathed into this hermese So it great Why do you think audiences have fallen in love with this musical all around the world and people fly to New York to see it

What is that connection? What does it mean to you? I mean, here's thing

I have my two great nieces and my niece came and saw the show

And it was something like, I think they'll like it. They saw this and they saw, they saw Hamilton, this

same weekend and I'm not going to see it. It may have been because I'm in this show, but they were all like, we liked, we liked Hades Town much better than we liked the other show. I shall not

mention it same again. But it was, it was that thing. I think there's something about the

music that, that although it is, it is Broadway and it's theatrical, it feels like it spills into

areas of our lives that are, are sort of that pop thing or that world of, again, this, the

feeling of the music has a little bit of jazz, a little bit of bluegrass, all these influences of Aeneas. I think that has a large part to do with it. I think there's something

about the story and the everyday quality of the workers that people really relate to

And it takes you in a journey before you realize you're in a journey. It still gets me

There's some nights by the time we get to the end of the show. And we know the story of

Orpheus and Eurydice. We know what's going to happen. And still when he turns around

their people in the audience. It's like they've never heard it, never seen it, have no idea

And you can feel the brokenness from the stage. I mean, there have been a couple days

There's one night that someone literally screamed out, idiot! And we're all on stage

I'm like, okay, so clearly they were truly invested in the moments

But yeah, there is a, there feels like there's an otherworldly quality to this show

that truly has taken us by a storm and taken our audiences

by storm as well. Yeah. You know, talking about swings and understudies, they continue to save Broadway

On March 9th of this year, did you step into the role of Auntie Fate in Hades Town to Save the Day

Yeah. That, it was, so it was, because most we, we had our 10-day shutdown right around the Christmas

holidays where literally the cast was dropping like flies from, from Omocrine. And so we got to

if we got through that, we got to March, and we thought we were fine, and then we had another sort of run through portions of the cast. And it was a Tuesday night we knew that we were going

to do a show with only four workers because of where we were and who was out, et cetera. Great

So I go home as dance captain, and I've worked through making sure that every moment has been

covered for a show with four workers. I wake up Wednesday morning. I'm like, I'm going to go to the

gym, clear my head. I get to the gym, get a text from our stage manager, three workers. So what

worked for four workers does not work for three. I was supposed to be on for Hermes that day. So going

through and it's like a middle of conversations is like, okay, so it doesn't make sense for you to go on

for Hermes because if you do that, if you go in for a worker and not for Hermes, at least if something

goes wrong, you can help fix it. So before the matinee, literally restructured a show with three

workers, changing numbers, adding fates in the places they weren't supposed to be, got to the end

of the show with restaging. It was like 120. We're like, great. We're like, great

we're going to make it. Stage management comes over to me, says, this person's leaving the building

which means that they had tested positive for COVID, which means we were not doing a Wednesday

matinee because we didn't have enough people. And throughout the whole rehearsal process

and everything, because I'm dance captain and sing all the parts, it's like, I can sing

I can sing those fates and I can do them. So it was always the funny thing. Oh, at some point

side pony, which was my before anti-fate fate name. And then that Wednesday, it was like

I guess we should probably sit down and actually sing through this music because I think I know it, but we should just make sure that we can

And so as soon as we did that, then Nanette, our wardrobe supervisor ran out to Macy's, got a couple dresses

After we finished singing through, Kevin and I, our wig and makeup supervisor went over to Alconi and got a bunch of makeup

And then I looked at them as like, am I supposed to shave? They were like, no. So full beard and mustache, full eye makeup

up and we made that Wednesday evening show happen. That must be

I know people who were there. I mean, they said it was just mind-blowing to be in the theater

and watch how incredible the show was with the amount of people that were in there

and the magic you all made. Well, thank them for us. And I had shows like it really was that moment also

I hadn't thought much about it. I mean, it's like, again, it's like, this is what we do

We're going to make the show happen. But me walking across the stage of the top of the show, night literally it felt like i i could see people's mouths sort of jaws slacked and it was that moment

it's like oh i honestly felt like there were people who were finally feeling like they were being

seen and that there was a place for them uh that maybe they hadn't considered before and since that time

tomas matos who uh was a swing here many people known from the fire island movie he also went on

for a fate and then this weekend on the tour will man all

six foot one of him went on for a fate on the tour because, I mean

you know this, I mean, it's like every show is still reeling and going through COVID

COVID cases. I mean, it's kind of crazy that, you know, we're still in that place that

it's shutting down shows or making for wildly different shows and audiences

getting, you know, there was a time I think on Broadway that an audience would maybe come in

and they get something different than other people have gotten. It feels like now it's like every other

night, you may get a different kind of show. So yeah. It's exciting all at the same time

Seriously, it's really, that's what my theater does. Yeah, for sure. So you're also getting ready to return to Feinstein's 54 below on July 24th at 7 p.m

I love the title of your show. That Sunday, that summer. What can you tell us about this new

show. Well, this show is truly the idea of just, you know, these, these love songs in this

this, in this, in this balmy weather. And I got that name because for a while I was listening to

a lot of Nat King Cole and there's one, there's one song that he sings with this, this

corral behind him. It's that Sunday, that summer. And I keep thinking of, I kept thinking

like, what, what is that? What does that Sunday feel like in the middle of a summer? And for me

It many times is like the idea of like, you know, dusk on fire, island or whatever those things are

And it has all of that, all that. But I wanted it to be about love songs and not just those songs that we're used to

For those of us who are in, you know, long-term committed relationships, it really is like, what does it mean

What does their love song mean when the two of you are not talking to each other? Or that you're angry or you're upset or you're stomp being through the apartment or slamming doors

All of those things, like all of those parts for me want to be a part of a love story so that

So that those who are early on in relationships or who are aspiring relationships they don get that sort of false idea that relationships are always perfect

Two people who grew up in two different households or two different mothers are going to have two different ideas on a lot of things

But to know that it's a part of the journey. Those happy days are as much a part of the journey as those days that are less happy

So to have all of those songs in it, you know, I think Alan and Marilyn Bergman do the best

job. I mean, just that writing, those lyrics, when you really listen to them, it's like

there, listen, there are some stuff going down with them sometimes. It's not just all that

it's beautiful, but it's beautiful. And there is, there is strife and there is a little sadness

as well as the love. So I wanted to make sure that this show really sort of encompasses all those

things. So who some of the other composers and maybe a song or two? Like, what are you doing

Let's see. There is a lot. Well, Rogers is a. Well, Roger's

and hard, of course. There is, who else? The Bergman's. There's Mike Reed

There is, I could bring up the song list because that would make it easier for me as well. Why don't I just, you know, little things like that because this, this brain is sometimes

a little messy. How do I get to? I'm like, now I don't know how to get to

There they are. You're good that you can multitask during an interview

That's why you're. I don't listen. I, I apparently have no choice in the matter to

be able to multitask through my entire life. And now, of course, nothing wants to work

I'm pulling up the iPad because, why not? One second. I love it

But like, the nearness of you is one of my favorite songs. So that is in there

We're looking at Hogi Carmiakle. Harold Arlen with Let's Fall in Love

Spring can really hang you up the most. It's Cole Porter, of course. The Gershwin's, Alan and Marilynne Bergman

there's a little Sarah Borellis, a little John legend. Yeah, it's a good mix of a lot of standard golden age theater as well as some things

that are a little, a bit newer. Because for me it's like it's always about how do I bring in what I like to consider

sort of this new chapter of the American songbook, which is, for me, it's like, it's the

Dolly Parton, it's the Sarah Borellis, it's all of those who, whose songs we all sing and we

remake and we and we we have standardized in a way that we also have with the cole porters and the

rogers and hearts and et cetera so that those as much as possible to try and really bring those as many

worlds together as possible no i love when you also talked about love with the because i've been in a

relationship with my husband for 45 years and it's like you said oh my god this messy yeah how yeah

how many we we are at 12 years and it's funny um i was i a couple weeks ago i had a lunch with uh

a different David Mixner, and we were talking about the 12 years. And he was saying it's very interesting because with couples

it's seven years, 12 years, 21 years, where you have the biggest like

or how are we getting through this? But I mean, yeah, it is that thing

It's like, I mean, I think for us, we decided early on it's like

we're going to, we're going to be together no matter what. So whatever we have to deal with, whatever we go through

however we are growing, we want to make sure that we are, we are growing together

or we at least having conversations about how we're going and how we how we're able to stay together

with that. But yeah, it's work. It's it's work. There are definitely, there are days

that it's like, I I'm going to go sleep on the sofa because I'm

just, I don't think that we can sleep in the same bed and it and we, and us both be happy

about it. And that's fine. But there are those moments and it's about

getting through those moments. It's about working through those moments. It's about understanding that

that we both have feelings and may not share the same ideas on things and all that's okay

I love that, though. Like I said, I want to come and see this show because it seems like, you know

it's about relationships. And I think that's really fascinating. You know, I know a portion of the proceeds from this evening will benefit the Black Theater Coalition's fellowship program

You, of course, are one of the co-founders of the Black Theater Coalition. And before we get into the fellowship, what did it mean to

you to start this and how can people get involved? I have to say it was one of those Warren Adams by co-founder and I

We started having conversations around the passing of one of our mutual friends

Eric Lwan Summers. So that's how Warren and I, we knew each other, but we didn't know each other

So we started having what he likes to call coffee dates. And I had this initial idea of a series to do

And we started looking at that and looking at a three and a five-year plan

for those and how we could shine light on, you know, those black professionals who are working

in the business. And we realized that we, if we were working on the path that we were, we would

have to do what, what is being done already on Broadway, which is sort of recycling the same few

people over and over. And we wanted to make sure there was space and opportunity for more people

So with that, we started looking at how we get more people in the door. And around that time

then comes COVID and shuts us down. We're like, oh, we have plenty of time now to really look

get some more ideas because neither of us is working. And then comes the death of George Floyd

It's like, oh, we have to take a serious look at what this industry is doing and how we can be

of use and of help to help re-steer the ship and make some change. So first, I mean, I think

our initial goal was to just kind of get our feet wet with making some changes, you know

making some calls to people we knew and seeing if they wanted to help. And over the past

18 months, it definitely, it's, it steamrolled into some, to much more. And, and by much more, I mean, all the

things that needed to happen, just they weren't all the things that we thought we were going to take on at the beginning. I think it's said things like, every once in while you see someone

you hear a story of a family who adopt eight kids. And it's like, we only, we only thought we're

going to do one. But then we saw this full family of kids and we knew we couldn't part them. And it was

it was a bit of that in this first these first year so of we have to do this too and we need to we need to

address this too uh so yeah it's it is it has definitely been a little more than i think we anticipated

but uh i also know that again i go back to andrew de shields and the universe is conspiring with

with me and that we are we are absolutely the the people who needed to be a part of of of this lift so

it's been great. It has definitely been a lot of work. It is eye-opening in the best possible way and also the way of

some people aren't ready yet. But we know that we have lots of partners, lots of accomplices who want to see

the industry continue. And I think that's the most important thing. We have to open ourselves up to hearing

stories of all people. So although Black Theater Coalition is clearly about black professionals

we want to make sure that there are stories being told by by our Latin brothers and sisters by our trans brothers and sisters by our Asian brothers and citizens so that we really are showing everything and that we are able to include humanity in the shows which means that the people who are walking into the theater are a little more diverse than we saw before

And the stories that they're seeing when they walk in are a lot more diverse than we saw before shutdown

So some of the proceeds are going to the fellowship program. Is that something new that you started with the coalition? Yes

Yeah, so the fellowship, the Broadway Fellowship are all young people, career transitioning people who want to work in this industry

So whether they are working in the general management offices of, you know, bespoke foresight

321 RCI 101 Thompson Turner I don't want to leave anyone out

Showtown or working with producers as producing fellows etc it's about making sure

that any funding that we still are lacking through our partners and accomplices

that any of their needs are being covered so each of the

fellows right now has a receives a $50,000 stipend so that they actually can

live and work in this industry because the thing we realized was so many people who were doing

internships were working three and four jobs and missing out on what it is to actually not only be

in an office from nine to five but to be in the theater and really experience what it is to

work in this theater because they were busy having to pay for rent so we want to make sure that

there was at least sort of you know what new york state considers the cost of living so that they

could just have this one thing working in this one area for for the 12 months and really be able

to immerse themselves and really be able to get as much out of the experience as possible so that

on the back end of the experience, they're ready to work. I love that. Well, like I said

you have a wonderful website to anybody who wants to get involved. For more information, go to

Black Theater, Theat-E-H-E-A-T-R-E-C-H-E-A-T-R-E-E-Colition.R. That's Black Theatercolleation.org. It's a wonderful website. It's a wonderful organization

You know, you start. Because I go back between E.R and RE when I do theater or whatever else

I want to make sure that people can get there. Thank you. You know, Broadway debuts are really special

You made yours. They only happened once. They're very magical. You made yours in Kiss Me Kate, opposite the late great Baron Masey

And, of course, Brian Stokesman, how magical was your debut? Again, looking, look, it's so funny

Because I honestly, I had been auditioning, and I knew their names because, one, because I was such a fan already, but truly looking back on it now to have had that experience

I mean, I wish that type of experience on everyone making their Broadway debut

I mean, not only that I get to work with the genius that was Michael Blakemore, and also, you know, that the choreography of Kathleen Marshall and all of those who are part of the show, including

Roger Berlin, who's one of the great Broadway producers, but to be able to work with, share a stage with Stokes and with Marin

but also with, you know, Amy Spanger and Michael Boress and the entire cast

Paul Leggett Chase, who's always been like, she's my show broad, and to learn from all of them, and not only about how to be an artist

but just how to be a human. I mean, you know, Stokes would walk up and down those stairs that what was then the Martin Beck Theater to make sure everyone was okay, make sure that everyone was in a good place

I mean, like, that type thing for me was always a telltale sign of a great lead, a great leader and a great lead that they're checking in on the rest of the cast, even with all that they have to do

But yeah, it was, it was a magical experience in every way

I mean, with that show, I got to, you know, to do my first Kennedy Center honors, like all of these things

things happen because of that show and that group of people. And without a doubt, they

you know, they have influenced who I am as an, as an artist. I love it. Well, we're just about

out of time, but I have to give a big shout out. You have a really wonderful album called T. Oliver

Reed. Do I Love You on the Yellow Sound label produced by the incredible Michael Croyder. I just want to

give a big shout out for that. I mean, how proud are you in that album, T

I'm very proud. It's one of those things that I never anticipated doing when I first found my way into cabaret

Donald Smith, who was now past, but was running the Mabel Mercer Foundation, said to me, it's like

you need to make a recording. And that's all I needed to hear. And I had known Michael in years past and my musical director, Larry Yerman

And it, honestly, when I tell you, we went down to Michael's studio

We recorded that album in one afternoon. We got everything. We just like, we just, we ran through every, I mean, one full day

And it happened to be a day that there was, there was an earthquake in New York City that day. And we felt the rumbling

But like, we got it done so quickly. And Michael, Michael's amazing. And again, there's, I tend to love those songs

Some of those songs are a part of the show. that will be at 54 below

But there's just like the honor of being able to to build a show and build songs and sort of

and reinvent songs for me is like there's there's nothing better. And to have this, you know what, hold on one second

And to have this album. You're good. Thank you. But yeah, it's the

experience is great. I look I look forward to as they call it a sophomore recording

I'm, it's just for me it's always like figuring out what what the next things are. The songs that I that I didn't put there that I really wanted to and just things that are

that speak to me now. And I think it's I think some of it's like there would definitely be

something from Hades Town or or something of Aeneas Mitchell's that that would be including this

I mean, the idea of, you know, all of all of the things that make make up who I am. So there's a little bit

country, a little bit of bluegrass, a lot of jazz, a lot of all these things. I feel like I'd

want to do an album that encompasses all that. Well, like I said, again, a big shout out to your producer

Michael Croyder, the best, yellow sound label. The album's called T. Oliver Reed. Do I love you

Streaming everywhere. Like I said, once again, T. Oliver Reed is taking over the role of Hermes

in the musical Hades Town. We're just dressing him right now. And he'll be at Feinstein's 54 below

with his new show that Sunday, that summer, on July 24th at 7 p.m

just go to Fine Signs, 54 below, to get tickets. T, thanks for driving behind today

Thank you for having me. Always. Take care, everybody. We'll see you at the theater

maybe at Hades Town, or maybe at 54 below. Take care, everyone