Catch FilAm father-and-daughter in ‘Hadestown’ till June 30
By Tricia Capistrano
“Sus ginoo!” Jon Jon Briones exclaims in Hadestown, where he plays Hermes, the messenger god.
I had heard that Briones was in the Broadway musical along with his daughter, Isa Briones, who plays Eurydice, and expected impassioned songs from the father and daughter. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the more senior Briones’ Tagalog interjections. He also does some Arnis choreography, but it is subtle; you will have to pay attention.
“Hadestown,” whose music, lyrics, and book were written by Anaïs Mitchell, is a folk, pop, and jazz interpretation of two Greek myths: Orpheus and Eurydice, and Hades and Persephone. In the musical it’s been ages since Persephone has left hell, ruled by Hades. Persephone longs to be above. Because of the conditions on earth, Eurydice ends up in the underworld, and her lover Orpheus travels down to save her. Broadway.com likens the musical to a “hell-raising journey to the underworld and back.”
Jon Jon Briones plays Hermes, who tells the story, and his daughter, Isa Briones, plays Persephone. Jon Jon’s name will sound familiar to many Filipinos because he was in the original ensemble of “Miss Saigon” in 1989. The Quezon City native played many roles in “Miss Saigon” and was eventually cast as the Engineer. In the West End revival in 2014, he was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical. He reprised the part on Broadway in 2017. Fellow Filipino American New Yorkers and I saw him perform then, and he was excellent.
Isa Briones was born in London. Both her parents (Jon Jon Briones and Megan Briones, née Johnson) performed in “Miss Saigon.” Isa was cast in “Hamilton” in 2018. She was the youngest person to join the first national touring company. She played the dual roles of Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds and was the understudy for Eliza Schuyler until 2019. On TV, she starred in “Star Trek: Picard” in 2020. In 2023, she starred as Margot Stokes in the Disney+/Hulu series “Goosebumps.”
Unfortunately, baritone singer, Philip Boykin, who was supposed to play Hades, was out when I saw the show, but Alex Puette, the understudy, played the role exceptionally well. Another surprise is that the role of Persephone is played by folk singer Ani DiFranco, who makes her Broadway debut in “Hadestown.”
Jordan Fisher plays a very sweet and fragile Orpheus. He and Isa Briones sing soulfully in this tragic love story. For us Filipinos, Jon Jon Briones’ tokens of Filipino-ness make the show even more tender.
Jon Jon Briones and Isa Briones’ final performance will be on June 30.
© The FilAm 2024
