Video: Meet the New Heroine of HADESTOWN, Maia Reficco

Hello, I'm Richard Ridge for Broadway World

The Tony Award-winning best musical, Hades Town, has welcomed a few new cast members

including my guest, Breakout Sensation Maya Rafiko as Eurytysi, who I caught up with at the Star Child Rooftop at Civilian

I'm coming! Well, I am so excited to be sitting with you here

Do you. Okay, Broadway debut. Like, how exciting is that? Crazy, crazy, crazy

I still cannot wrap my hand around it. That does not feel real

Okay, so talk about that first day. What was your first day in the show? My first day in the show was actually

oh my God, I'm going to tell a story I've not told, which is terrifying to even share

but my opening was July 2nd, which was like three weeks. Oh, yeah, three weeks ago today

And actually, my put-in was on the same day, which if you're not a theater person

And that's your first rehearsal with lights, dress, rehearsal, like everything, everything with the cast

That was on the day. So that was scary. But the scariest part of it all was that three days before my opening, I got the Broadway debut curse of laryngitis

And so I woke up Saturday morning completely. Like, I could not speak

Like, my voice was like this. Like, I could not speak. I'm not exaggerating. It was terrifying

Thank God. Jordan. My lovely co-star, Jordan, for sure. who we love, gave me his E&T's info

And I went to the E&T and then I didn't say a single syllable until Tuesday morning. And it was terrifying

But thankfully, I was able to do the put-in and do opening night and get through it. But it was a scary, scary day because I had not spoken in three days

And I was warming up that morning. I was like, oh, goodness. That's crazy

Terrifying. Put in terrifying enough. When you have it a day or two before

Yes. And yours is going to be the same day. Without knowing if I could do it

And you open that night. Yes. Scary. Very scary. So talk about that first night

Like you're out there, the pudding went great. Put it went good. Put in went good

Opening was arguably the best day of my life. It was just so, so, so special

I was very lucky, and my family was able to fly out from Argentina

My best friends were all there. When I walked out, it felt like messy

It walked out in the middle of the field. Like, it was, all of my friends were screaming

and I could hear my brother, and it was just very, very, very special

And my best friend, Juan, he actually organized, like, a whole dinner after at an Argentinian restaurant

which I ran from. So it was just incredibly fulfilling. I felt so loved and so supported

by both my family and my people and the cast. Like, I felt so supported

Whatever would have happened on that stage, I knew they had my back. Yeah. So it was just, it was, honestly

I just kind of closed my eyes, and it happened, and then it was done, and I was sobbing

Yeah. And during the bow. but. Do you remember what you did like right before you enter stage that first performance? Yes. Yes

So I always enter stage stage right with Alex Brett who one of the workers in our band And so Alex does this thing where he kind of conducts a 20 jump thing So we all doing the 20 jumps

And I have a gross little habit, which is I need to spend before

Sounds really gross. But I need to clear my throat. I could have said that

It would have been better and more politically correct. But I need to do that

So I do the 20 things, I grab a tissue, I drink water, and I run on stage

That's kind of my... little ritual that's become. Yeah. And what do you remember

about that first bell that night? I was, there's videos. I am sobbing

Like, I'm not exaggerating. I, it looks like something terrible happened to me, because I am sobbing

with such intensity that you'd be concerned for my well-being. I am

sobbing. I was just so moved, and I remember so distinctly looking out and seeing my brother and my mom, and my

best friends, and they were all together. I mean, I could hear my friends screaming throughout the show

It would cry, Maya! I could just hear them and I was very moved

but getting to sing cups and looking in their eyes was so moving, and I am a sensitive person

I will cry at, I'd have a commercial. I will cry at anything

So I was just very moved. I felt very loved, which I think is the thing we can all strive towards

and we all dream about. It was very, very special. How well did you know the show

Oh, so well. Too well. Too well. I knew it front to back. I loved it beforehand. There's so many videos of me singing

the very famous way for me, too. I loved it. I loved it. Flowers is one of the most beautiful

songs I think ever written for musical theater. I think it's just stunning just for anything

But I loved all the epics. I loved the show. I knew it

So talking about what you love about the role you play. Talk about her. How you made are your own, too

Well, in all honesty, I think it's such an honor, and there's such big shoes to fill

I admire every single person that's played the role, and I've worked with Solaia, who came in after Eva

I love Eva. Like, I was already such a big fan of hers

because I saw her in 2019. I saw the original cast. And everybody who came after both Lola Nisa as well

and I think, for me, my biggest thing was to, A, honor the role and honor the space

But at the same time, not get too caught up in that because I was so scared

I was so scared because I really didn't want to get in my own way

And I wanted to create a character that felt like she fits the story and she fits this

machine that the show kind of is in the way of like everything is so set because it's an opera

But also I wanted it to feel as much as as unique as I possibly could make her

that's just a huge testament to our team and the directors and well Keenan or associate director who guided me through it but

I think female characters like Eurytice are such a huge honor to play and such of such importance in art So I just trying to appreciate every moment that I have with her as a character

and with the team creatively to get to expand her and still continue to build up on what we've created thus far

I love her. I love her. She's so resilient. I love her

I could blab her on about her. And sharing the stage with this company, especially your leading name

Oh, I can't. I can't talk about my obsession with every single person, especially Jordan

I keep, this is just going to be a compilation of me talking about Jordan because every interview I'm doing, I'm just like, I love Jordan

But it's just, like, I don't know how he's a human. I just don't understand

It's out of this world what he does. And every single person, I mean, Stephanie Mills, Yola, Philip, like, every single person on that stage, Oliver, incredible

everyone is fantastic and above all kind it's such a beautiful company to be a part of i feel so

lucky and so emotionally supported um and so i think that kind of wins but i'm not going to lie i'm

still a fan girl over everybody and i i just know that the compilations are going to come of me

just fangirling over the cast because it's surreal and ridiculous she have a favorite moment in the show

that you don't do. Yes. Yes. Oh, my God. I should just

going off of what I just said, if it's true, when Jordan gives this masterful performance

everything when I, I am in awe. My, like, I have to fight my instinct of going

and I have to act, and I got to be crying and dramatically, that part of what's happening

but I just, I'm in awe. I love that. I love, way down

one, I love watching Stephanie or all of our hermes, Hermis, her me

how do I say the, the plural of Hermes. I don't know. Hermesies. We have, obviously, we have Stephanie

and all of our incredible understudies and watching each person tell that story and sing that song

It's just, oh, I love that. That's also one of my favorite moments. And living

it up. Yeah. Because everyone has so much fun and Yola, oh, Yola's Persephone is so lively

I love the whole show. I literally will just continue to add

names to the list. Well, let's talk about the fan base to the show. People flying

from all over the world, especially the young fan base? Is it because people see themselves? What do you think it is? Oh, that's such a

wonderful question. Um, well, I think you kind of hit the nail in the head. I, there's, I think

the shows that have such young, uh, characters as leads usually draw a very big audience. Yeah

Of that same age, I think Spring Awakening's a good example. I think Evan Hansen is a good example

Like, stories that have a young, uh, character as, as the lead, at a lot of

for the kind of people of the same age to see themselves in those characters

But there's also something about this show that feels so timeless. And we can all see ourselves in all of these characters regardless I think there a bit of Hades and all of us and there a bit of Orpheus and all of us and same with every single character on the show and that what makes it so special and so hard and so gut when you watch it because every single character

I think is depicting and this is a thought that I have this is nothing really official but I think

each of these characters are depicting a little part of how we all function in different ways

and so that's what makes makes it obviously coming from a myth

There's this godly essence to it that's very much present. But there's a lot of truth behind every single character

and every single intent that these characters have. So I think the people that watch the show inevitably will feel moved by it

therefore creating a bit bigger fandom. And it doesn't hurt that then you have people like Jordan

and sing, sing for the little days. It's insane. And then we all can fangle over

original score and what everybody did in that cast recording that I have obsessed over for five years

Yeah. So because of your success on television and everything else you do

you're introducing a whole new audience to the theater, which we all had, what that means to you

I'm so honored. Anybody can come to theater that maybe wouldn't have. Like, otherwise

I think that's a, that's success for me. I think I want people to feel the love for theater

that I feel, even if it is a little fraction of it. And there's so, much passion and just absolute devotion to what we do on that stage, everybody that's a part of making

that possible, that I hope people feel that, even if it is a little bit, and that can feel moved

by the story that we're telling and hopefully feel inspired maybe. I think that's what we all

strive towards. And let alone, if I can make any Argentinian little girl feel represented

that's an even bigger honor. But yeah, I think what I aim for

the most is for people to feel something when they come to that theater. So I'm just honored to maybe in some capacity bring new people in

And just finally what it means you to be on Broadway. It's a big deal. I can't answer this question without crying

I've dreamed about this since I can remember. I am just so happy

It's been my dream forever. I literally, I can't think straight when I think about what it means to me because I'm going to cry

But I'm just very happy to be a part of it. I feel like I'm living my dream every single day, and that's not something that I take lightly

And I feel very loved, above all. It's such a beautiful company to be a part of, and I don't think it'd be as special as it is where I'm not surrounded by these people

So yes, I am just above all two things. Tired and happy

And grateful. That's the life in the theater. Yes, it is. It is

It chose a week as not easy. Thank you for doing what you do. We'll see you at the theater