By Denny Patterson
Broadway’s critically acclaimed Tony and Grammy Award winning musical Hadestown is coming to Miami’s Arsht Center December 6-11, 2022 and to Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts January 3-8, 2023.
From the creative minds of celebrated singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and innovative director Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown intertwines two mythic tales – that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, audiences are invited on a hell-raising journey to the Underworld and back while witnessing industry against nature, doubt against faith, and fear against love.
This is the production’s first-ever national tour, and OutClique had the pleasure of connecting with cast member Alex Lugo, who is a swing and the show’s Assistant Dance Captain. Some of their other notable credits include the Rent 20th Anniversary Tour, An Officer and a Gentleman Musical, Francois & The Rebels: A Punk Opera, and Broadway’s Future Songbook at Lincoln Center.
Denny Patterson: Hi, Alex! How excited are you to be involved with the first national tour of Hadestown?
Alex Lugo: I’m ecstatic! I’ve been here since the beginning of this time last year, and we just welcomed some new company members, so it truly has been the most rewarding gift.
DP: What has being a part of this production personally meant to you, and what are you taking away from the experience?
AL: I think what I’m taking away is being a part of a production that makes a commitment to issues and circumstances that we’ve experienced in reality. There’s so much comment on environmentalism, injustice, love as a whole, and the chapters of love that human beings experience regardless of race, gender, or sexual preference. It’s something that’s constantly thought provoking, and no matter how long I’ve worked on this piece, I’ll always find and discover something new. There aren’t many productions that one can be a part of where that is a consistent thing. It’s very fulfilling, all the time.
DP: Would you say that’s what makes Hadestown worth checking out?
AL: Yes! There truly is something for everyone. I know that sounds like a very cliche thing to say, but it’s true. That is very, very true. Hadestown is something that every individual leaves with their own interpretation and their own individual experience, which is great.
DP: Can you tell us a bit more about your characters?
AL: Oh gosh, which one? (Laughs). I am an offstage swing and the Assistant Dance Captain for the show. I cover all the workers that you see on stage, which is our ensemble. That’s about five different tracks, in addition to two of the Fates, as well as Eurydice. It is so challenging, but so much fun. Being able to step into each of these shoes and live a different perspective every single time I’m on, it definitely doesn’t get boring at all. It keeps your mind very equipped to fill into any puzzle piece where you’re needed. The two Fates that I cover in particular are Fate 3 and Fate 2. Fate 2 plays the tambourine and cymbals, while Fate 3 plays the accordion, which is a monster of an instrument! But it’s always fun.
DP: Is there a certain song within the show that is your absolute favorite?
AL: One of my classmates asked me this for a takeover, but I was so stressed that I just shouted the last thing I heard. I’m glad I get some time to redeem myself! All the music is so good, but if I had to choose, I would say “If It’s True.” I can hear “If It’s True” every single day and hear it differently, and what I think is so wonderful about the piece as well is that when we do have different understudies and covers go on, including the Chibueze Ihuoma who is our Orpheus, there’s just something different about each of the tellings from each individual. It’s something that is a call to action; a call to arms. We need to be working unified against this person who has lost their way, and I feel like a lot of that is very reflective in our history. Unfortunately, it’s still very present today. So, yeah, “If It’s True” always hits me. Anytime somebody sees me crying, they’re like, Alex is probably listening to “If It’s True” again (laughs).
DP: Have you always had a passion for acting and performing?
AL: Yeah, I have. Like I’m sure many of us were, I was a very highly energetic kid, and my parents were like, what are we going to do? I think I always had a passion for creating things, as well as being super charismatic and wanting to put on plays. I actually attended the Broadway Center’s performing arts project as a younger artist, and that really helped me form my education and what I wanted to do, continuing to NYU Tisch. It’s something that’s always been with me, and I’m so thankful I’ve made a career out of this because there were times I felt like this wasn’t going to work. I’m so happy the universe gave me this.
DP: Doing my research for this interview, I saw that you were also involved with the Rent 20th Anniversary Tour. What was that like?
AL: Oh, my gosh. I felt like a rock star! I was also an understudy there as well, however, I did not cover as many tracks as I do now. I was part of the ensemble playing Alexi Darling, which is the character that calls Mark and annoys the crap out of him, and then I understudied Mimi as well, which I got to perform a couple times. There’s truly nothing like Rent, and I feel very similarly about Hadestown because these are two completely complex and contemplative shows that really reach and touch everybody. I think the great thing about being a part of both of them is that I’ve seen across the country how many people reflect with what we’re doing, and I was kind of worried when I left Rent. I was like, is there going to be anything as good as Rent? I didn’t know, but I feel like Hadestown has been the perfect marriage of all that. It’s great to be a part of the lineage of something, but now I’m truly beginning the family tree of something. It’s been very cool.
DP: Are there any dream roles you would like to play someday?
AL: I always give the very meta answer, being like, the dream role that I’m looking for hasn’t been written yet, which I think in some ways is definitely true. I am definitely interested in more trans and nonbinary tellings, which I’m hopeful. I was recently part of a theater festival where all the creators were trans, nonbinary, and two-spirit people. It was wonderful, so I’m very excited to see what the next developments of that are going to be. Also, I’ve been obsessed with Fun Home for awhile, so I’m like, I’ll play anyone! Then you know, who wouldn’t want to be in Wicked?
DP: What are some other future goals you hope to accomplish with your career?
AL: Oh, good question. I would love to be able to return to Miami and hopefully work with my community and continue to give back to it because it gave me everything. I would also love to work in queer spaces and with our youth who don’t have the accessibility to theatre arts. I remember in high school, I didn’t even have a theater program until I was going to graduate. It would be wonderful to be a part of the developmental progresses of those things, as well as seeing them through to the end. Then in other worlds, I would love to continue my acting career on screen and TV and be a part of some really cool A24 projects, and hopefully I can continue working on developmental musical theater works like Hadestown and Rent, which both started at New York Theatre Workshop and became these huge titans of theater today. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to be in those rooms
Stay up-to-date and connect with Lugo by following them on Instagram @AlexMariaLugo, or visit their official website, AlexMLugo.com.
