History Characters / Hadestown

In her shoes, in her skin\\

* AdaptationPersonalityChange: One of the biggest ones between stagings, Chris Sullivan's Hermes at the New York Theatre Workshop was a younger man with the mien of a carefree drifter, while André De Shields's version is more of an older gentleman with a royal air, being played by the original actor who played ''Theatre/TheWiz''.

* GutturalGrowler: Due to being a bass, much of Hades's music isn't sung so much as spoken like this.

* GutturalGrowler: Amber Gray famously plays Persephone this way on several of her lines, showing an earthy, animal side to the goddess and giving the impression that she's a heavy drinker and smoker.

* NeverMyFault: In the early versions of "Chant (Reprise)", he refuses to recognize his materialism and cruelty are what are driving Persephone away from him, blaming it all on how "seasonal" women are. Even earlier, when she explicitly tells him to his face that she doesn't like what he's done with Hadestown and it's only making things worse, he just calls her ungrateful.

->'''Played by:''' Miriam Bernardo (Vermont), Music/AniDiFranco (concept album), Amber Gray (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Gloria Onitiri (London understudy), Lana Gordon, Jewelle Blackman, Jessica Anne "Betty Who" Newham (Broadway), Jewelle Blackman, Afra Hines, Kimberly Marable, Tara Jackson, Soara-Joye Ross, Shea Renne, Brit West, Lindsey Hailes (Broadway understudies), Kimberly Marable, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Lana Gordon, Lindsey Hailes, Brit West (National Tour), Shea Renne, Lindsey Hailes, Nyla Watson, Racquel Williams, Marla Louissant (National Tour understudies), Gloria Onitiri (West End)

->'''Played by:''' Anais Mitchell (Vermont, concept album), Nabiyah Be (NYTW production), T.V. Carpio (Edmonton production), Eva Noblezada (London and Broadway productions), Josie Richardson (London understudy), Solea Pfeiffer (Broadway), Jessie Shelton, Khaila Wilcoxon, Grace Yoo, Sojourner Brown, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, Alex Lugo (Broadway understudies), Morgan Siobhan Green, Hannah Whitley, Amaya Braganza (National Tour), Sydney Parra, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Courtney Lauster, Belén Moyano, KC Dela Cruz (National Tour understudies), Grace Hodgett Young (West End)

->'''Played by:''' Ben Campbell (Vermont), [[Music/BonIver Justin Vernon]] (concept album), Damon Daunno (NYTW production), Creator/ReeveCarney (Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Creator/JordanFisher (Broadway), Adam Gillian (London understudy), Jordan Dobson (Broadway, limited engagement), Ahmad Simmons, John Krause, Trent Saunders, Sayo Oni, Anthony Chatmon II, Chibueze Ihuoma (Broadway understudies), Nicholas Barasch, Chibueze Ihuoma, J. Antonio Rodriguez (National Tour), Chibueze Ihuoma, Nathan Salstone, J. Antonio Rodriguez, Jordan Bollwerk, John Krause, Colin Lemoine, Daniel Tracht, Timothy H. Lee (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Anais Mitchell (Vermont, concept album), Nabiyah Be (NYTW production), T.V. Carpio (Edmonton production), Eva Noblezada (London and Broadway productions), Josie Richardson (London understudy), Solea Pfeiffer (Broadway), Jessie Shelton, Khaila Wilcoxon, Grace Yoo, Sojourner Brown, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, Alex Lugo (Broadway understudies), Morgan Siobhan Green, Hannah Whitley, Amaya Braganza (National Tour), Sydney Parra, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Courtney Lauster, Belén Moyano, KC Dela Cruz (National Tour understudies)

[[folder:Persephone]]
!!Persephone
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/persephone_8.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"Who makes the flowers bloom again, in spite of a man?"'']]

->'''Played by:''' Miriam Bernardo (Vermont), Music/AniDiFranco (concept album), Amber Gray (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Gloria Onitiri (London understudy), Lana Gordon, Jewelle Blackman, Jessica Anne "Betty Who" Newham (Broadway), Jewelle Blackman, Afra Hines, Kimberly Marable, Tara Jackson, Soara-Joye Ross, Shea Renne, Brit West, Lindsey Hailes (Broadway understudies), Kimberly Marable, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Lana Gordon, Lindsey Hailes, Brit West (National Tour), Shea Renne, Lindsey Hailes, Nyla Watson, Racquel Williams, Marla Louissant (National Tour understudies)

-->''"And on the road to Hell there was a railroad line\\
And a lady steppin' off a train\\
With a suitcase full of summertime\\
Persephone, by name!"''

The Goddess of Spring, an outdoorsy girl married to Hades. She relishes the six months she's allowed to be aboveground and gets increasingly annoyed when her husband comes to bring her home early, since it's putting the seasons out of joint and the workers of Hadestown are suffering.

* AdaptationalAngstUpgrade: In the myths, Hades and Persephone were HappilyMarried by Greek standards. Not the case here, where Persephone laments that their marriage is on the rocks.
* TheAlcoholic: Drinks to cope with her situation in Hadestown and with her husband.
* BenevolentBoss: Unlike her husband, she refers to the workers of Hadestown as her equals and makes their lives a little less miserable by inviting them to her speakeasy and letting them consume contraband from the upper world.
* BlackAndGrayMorality: As suits the FilmNoir-inspired setting of Hadestown itself. Hades is obviously the bad guy, but Persephone, in explicit contrast to her [[GoodFortuneFromGod giving away her bounty for free]] Up Above, ''charges'' for the drinks and drugs as Our Lady of the Underground. It's implied that she ''has'' to do this in order to keep her operation running — but obviously this means that the workers have to work harder to scrape together currency in order to afford her prices, and her speakeasy is just as much a part of the system keeping people trapped as everything else in Hadestown.
* BrokenBird: Her marriage to Hades, and the continual viewing of people suffering as he attempts to please her, makes her incredibly jaded, both with herself and their marriage.
* CharacterCatchPhrase: "Anybody want a drink?"
* CompositeCharacter: Of both the original Persephone and her mother, Demeter, the goddess of Agriculture, whose sorrow from missing her daughter is what caused the barrenness of winter. The way she leads the party in the first act has her fill the role of Dionysus as well, who in the Orphic versions of the myths was her son. (This is TruerToTheText when it comes to Roman mythology rather than Greek, where Proserpina was one aspect of Libera, the goddess of wine and of freedom, just as this show's version of Hades takes a lot of inspiration from Pluto, who was a god of wealth.)
* FlowersOfNature: Associated with them as the goddess of springtime, and a consistent contrast to the "necropolis" that is Hadestown. The concept album and the workshop version utilize much floral imagery while describing how the dour and serious industrialist Hades fell in love with her.
* GodIsGood: Unlike her husband, she has a love for humanity, and deplores to see the suffering of those in Hadestown, doing her part to make their lives a little less hellish when she can.
* GutturalGrowler: Amber Gray famously plays Persephone this way on several of her lines, showing an earthy, animal side to the goddess and giving the impression that she's a heavy drinker and smoker.
* HardDrinkingPartyGirl: ''And how'' — any BrokenBird tendencies of hers are deeply buried under this persona. She's very much the ideal of a free-spirited 1930s jazz singer.
* IHaveManyNames: True to the nature of classical deities. "Our Lady of the Underground" goes through several of her epithets, "Our Lady of the Underground", "Our Lady of Ways", "Our Lady of Means", "Our Lady of the Upside-Down". Apparently in Hadestown, unlike Up Above, everyone is afraid to say her actual name, "Persephone", out loud, until she says it herself.
* LadyDrunk: Persephone spends a good portion of her time completely wasted. How much varies from actress to actress — Amber Gray plays her as frequently failing to even stand all the way upright, while Jewelle Blackman plays her as what would be adorably tipsy if it weren’t her default mode.
* MayDecemberRomance: Severely downplayed, as she and Hades are both Really700YearsOld and were both still relatively young together at the start of their romance, but there still seems to be a good two decades between them in terms of their physical appearances.
* MediumAwareness: Enough to pause mid-song to [[BreakingTheFourthWall introduce the in-house band to the audience]], at least.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Lana Gordon's Persephone goes along with Hades to a greater degree and is completely shocked at herself and her complicity by the end of "If It's True."
* NeutralNoLonger: While Persephone complains about Hadestown and runs her speakeasy, she spends her time up top in denial and party mode, lets Hades dismiss her complaints and shut her down, and stands and watches as Orpheus is beaten in "Papers" despite thinking about intervening. Once Orpheus sings "If It's True," she realizes how much she's let Hades get away with and confronts him in "How Long?", then prevents him from stopping Orpheus's song early in "Epic III."
* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: It's far from an actual impression of her, but Amber Gray and the rest of the creative team have long said Persephone's personality, style and stage presence are based on Creator/DollyParton in her prime.
* PimpedOutDress: Persephone wears multiple gowns throughout the show, but the most iconic one — her bright green summer dress she wears when she first appears Up Above — is a design with hugely extravagant puffed shoulders that Amber Gray said reminded her of a "gangster's wife", which helps immediately establish Persephone's flamboyant personality and the world of wealth she comes from.
* PhysicalGod: The spring and summer arrive and leave with her.
* Really700YearsOld: She is an immortal Goddess, after all. It's not clear how long ago it was when she and Hades were young, but in the NYTW version of "Chant (Reprise)", she says it was "in another world" and they were married since time began.
* SignificantWardrobeShift: Aboveground, she wears a bright green dress, symbolizing how she brings warmth and bounty. When she's stuck in Hadestown in the second act, her dress switches to black and gray.
* SilkHidingSteel: Sweet and pretty, and willing to stand up for those she believes in.
* StepfordSmiler: Outwardly, she's a party girl and the fun and friendly owner of a speakeasy in Hadestown. Inside, she laments her failing marriage, Hades' industry, and the effect on the mortals. This is emphasized in Jewelle Blackman's portrayal, where she literally makes herself smile when she points out to Hades that he's come early to bring her away. Lana Gordon's portrayal is similarly fake-happy, carrying the party energy for much of the show until she's forced to confront her complicity as well as Hades'.
* {{Technophobia}}: As the Goddess of Spring, she is decidedly unimpressed with the industrial pollutant-spewing "neon necropolis" that is Hadestown, decrying it as unnatural.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Hades]]
!!Hades
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hades_22.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"I got walls to build, I got riots to quell\\
And they're giving me hell back in Hades."'']]

->'''Played by:''' David Symons (Vermont), Greg Brown (concept album), J. Bernard Calloway, Lee Edward Colston (NYTW final weeks), Creator/PatrickPage (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Shaq Taylor (London understudy), Tom Hewitt, Phillip Boykin (Broadway), Timothy Hughes, T. Oliver Reid, Alex Puette, Max Kumangai, Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Broadway understudies), Kevyn Morrow, Matthew Patrick Quinn (National Tour), Jamari Johnson Williams, Will Mann, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, Marquis Wood, Jamal Lee Harris, T. Oliver Reid, Shavey Brown, Sevon Askew (National Tour understudies)

-->''"If you ride that train to the end of the line\\
Where the sun don't shine and it's always shady\\
It's there you'll find the king of the mine\\
Almighty Mr. Hades!"''
-->-- '''Hermes'''

The King of the Underworld, and Persephone's husband. Rich and powerful, he rules over the industrial dystopia of Hadestown, forcing his workers to build a never-ending wall to keep trespassers out and his workers in. Fearful of losing Persephone's love, all of Hades' efforts are to cage her and make her stay with him.
----

[[folder:Hermes]]
!!Hermes
[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hermes_3.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''"With all your heart?\\
Well, that's a start."'']]

->'''Played by:''' Ben T. Matchstick (Vermont), Ben Knox Miller (concept album), Chris Sullivan (NYTW production), Matthew Saldivar (NYTW final weeks), Kingsley Leggs (Edmonton production), André De Shields (London and Broadway productions), Joseph Prouse (London understudy), T. Oliver Reid, Lillias White (Broadway), Anthony Chatmon II, Ahmad Simmons, T. Oliver Reid, Trent Saunders, Will Mann, Max Kumangai, Malcolm Armwood, Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Broadway understudies), Levi Kreis, Nathan Lee Graham, Will Mann (National Tour), Will Mann, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, Ian Coulter-Buford, Shavey Brown, Sevon Askew (National Tour understudies)

-->''"Now on the road to Hell there was a railroad station\\
And a man with feathers on his feet\\
Who would help you to your final destination\\
Mr. Hermes — that’s me!"''

The Messenger of the Gods and the play's narrator. He raised Orpheus after he was abandoned by his mother, and conducts the train ferrying souls to Hadestown.

->'''Played by:''' Sarah-Dawn Albani, Lisa Raatikainen & Nessa Rabin (Vermont), Petra, Rachel, & Tanya Haden (concept album); Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, & Shaina Taub (NYTW production); Erica Sweany (NYTW final weeks); Jewelle Blackman, Kira Guloien, & Evangelia Kambites (Edmonton production); Carly Mercedes Dyer, Rosie Fletcher, & Gloria Onitri (London production); Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzales-Nacer, & Kay Trinidad (Broadway production), Aiesha Pease (London understudy), Mariand Torres, Jessie Shelton, Soara-Joye Ross, Amelia Cormack, Shea Renne, Brit West, Lindsey Hailes (Broadway), Kimberly Marable, Khaila Wilcoxon, Emily Afton, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, T. Oliver Reid, Tomás Matos, Tara Jackson (Broadway understudies), Belen Moyano, Bex Ordoriso, Shea Renne, Dominique Kempf, Nyla Watson, Marla Louissant, Lizzie Markson, Hannah Schreer (National Tour), Lindsey Hailes, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Sydney Parra, Tyla Collier, Will Mann, Cecilia Trippiedi, Courtney Lauster, KC Dela Cruz, Racquel Williams (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Ben Campbell (Vermont), [[Music/BonIver Justin Vernon]] (concept album), Damon Daunno (NYTW production), Creator/ReeveCarney (Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Creator/JordanFisher (Broadway), Adam Gillian (London understudy), Jordan Dobson (Broadway, limited engagement), Ahmad Simmons, John Krause, Trent Saunders, Sayo Oni, Anthony Chatmon II, Chibueze Ihuoma (Broadway understudies), Nicholas Barasch, Chibueze Ihuoma, J. Antonio Rodriguez (National Tour), Chibueze Ihuoma, Nathan Salstone, J. Antonio Rodriguez, Jordan Bollwerk, John Krause, Colin Lemoine, Daniel Tracht (National Tour understudies)

* CatchPhrase: In the Broadway version, a rousing "A'ight!" aimed at the audience.

* CatchPhrase: "Anybody want a drink?"

->'''Played by:''' Ben Campbell (Vermont), [[Music/BonIver Justin Vernon]] (concept album), Damon Daunno (NYTW production), Creator/ReeveCarney (Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Adam Gillian (London understudy), Jordan Dobson (Broadway, limited engagement), Ahmad Simmons, John Krause, Trent Saunders, Sayo Oni, Anthony Chatmon II, Chibueze Ihuoma (Broadway understudies), Nicholas Barasch, Chibueze Ihuoma, J. Antonio Rodriguez (National Tour), Chibueze Ihuoma, Nathan Salstone, J. Antonio Rodriguez, Jordan Bollwerk, John Krause, Colin Lemoine, Daniel Tracht (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Anais Mitchell (Vermont, concept album), Nabiyah Be (NYTW production), T.V. Carpio (Edmonton production), Eva Noblezada (London and Broadway productions), Josie Richardson (London understudy), Solea Pfeiffer (Broadway), Jessie Shelton, Khaila Wilcoxon, Grace Yoo, Sojourner Brown, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, Alex Lugo (Broadway understudies), Morgan Siobhan Green, Hannah Whitley, Amaya Braganza (National Tour), Sydney Parra, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Courtney Lauster, Belén Moyano (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Ben Campbell (Vermont), [[Music/BonIver Justin Vernon]] (concept album), Damon Daunno (NYTW production), Creator/ReeveCarney (Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Adam Gillian (London understudy), Jordan Dobson (Broadway, limited engagement), Ahmad Simmons, John Krause, Trent Saunders, Sayo Oni, Anthony Chatmon II, Chibueze Ihuoma (Broadway understudies), Nicholas Barasch, Chibueze Ihuoma, J. Antonio Rodriguez (National Tour), Chibueze Ihuoma, Nathan Salstone, J. Antonio Rodriguez, Jordan Bollwerk, John Krause, Colin Lemoine (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Miriam Bernardo (Vermont), Music/AniDiFranco (concept album), Amber Gray (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Gloria Onitiri (London understudy), Lana Gordon, Jewelle Blackman, Jessica Anne "Betty Who" Newham (Broadway), Jewelle Blackman, Afra Hines, Kimberly Marable, Tara Jackson, Soara-Joye Ross, Shea Renne, Brit West, Lindsey Hailes (Broadway understudies), Kimberly Marable, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Lana Gordon, Lindsey Hailes, Brit West (National Tour), Shea Renne, Lindsey Hailes, Nyla Watson, Racquel Williams (National Tour understudies)

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: In the NYTW and London productions, and to a lesser extent Edmonton, Orpheus projected an air of confidence and self-assuredness that was at least partly a facade; he only felt truly confident when around Eurydice, and privately felt lonely despite having crowds around him.

->'''Played by:''' Anais Mitchell (Vermont, concept album), Nabiyah Be (NYTW production), T.V. Carpio (Edmonton production), Eva Noblezada (London and Broadway productions), Josie Richardson (London understudy), Solea Pfeiffer (Broadway), Jessie Shelton, Khaila Wilcoxon, Grace Yoo, Sojourner Brown, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, Alex Lugo (Broadway understudies), Morgan Siobhan Green, Hannah Whitley (National Tour), Sydney Parra, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Courtney Lauster, Belén Moyano (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Ben T. Matchstick (Vermont), Ben Knox Miller (concept album), Chris Sullivan (NYTW production), Matthew Saldivar (NYTW final weeks), Kingsley Leggs (Edmonton production), André De Shields (London and Broadway productions), Joseph Prouse (London understudy), T. Oliver Reid, Lillias White (Broadway), Anthony Chatmon II, Ahmad Simmons, T. Oliver Reid, Trent Saunders, Will Mann, Max Kumangai, Malcolm Armwood, Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Broadway understudies), Levi Kreis, Nathan Lee Graham (National Tour), Will Mann, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, Ian Coulter-Buford, Shavey Brown, Sevon Askew (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Sarah-Dawn Albani, Lisa Raatikainen & Nessa Rabin (Vermont), Petra, Rachel, & Tanya Haden (concept album); Lulu Fall, Jessie Shelton, & Shaina Taub (NYTW production); Erica Sweany (NYTW final weeks); Jewelle Blackman, Kira Guloien, & Evangelia Kambites (Edmonton production); Carly Mercedes Dyer, Rosie Fletcher, & Gloria Onitri (London production); Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzales-Nacer, & Kay Trinidad (Broadway production), Aiesha Pease (London understudy), Mariand Torres, Jessie Shelton, Soara-Joye Ross, Amelia Cormack, Shea Renne, Brit West, Lindsey Hailes (Broadway), Kimberly Marable, Khaila Wilcoxon, Emily Afton, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, T. Oliver Reid, Tomás Matos, Tara Jackson (Broadway understudies), Belen Moyano, Bex Ordoriso, Shea Renne, Dominique Kempf, Nyla Watson (National Tour), Lindsey Hailes, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Sydney Parra, Tyla Collier, Will Mann, Cecilia Trippiedi, Courtney Lauster, KC Dela Cruz, Racquel Williams (National Tour understudies)

* AdaptationalJerkass: Mildly so, he's still a good and kind man, but his preoccupation with his song instead of providing for his wife is what drives Eurydice to Hadestown after being promised a better life there by Hades, unlike the original where she simply dies at their wedding after being bitten by a snake.

* WritersBlock: His inability to finish his song and fixation on doing above all else so drives Eurydice away.

->'''Played by:''' Ben Campbell (Vermont), [[Music/BonIver Justin Vernon]] (concept album), Damon Daunno (NYTW production), Creator/ReeveCarney (Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Adam Gillian (London understudy), Jordan Dobson (Broadway, limited engagement), Ahmad Simmons, John Krause, Trent Saunders, Sayo Oni, Anthony Chatmon II (Broadway understudies), Nicholas Barasch, Chibueze Ihuoma, J. Antonio Rodriguez (National Tour), Chibueze Ihuoma, Nathan Salstone, J. Antonio Rodriguez, Jordan Bollwerk, John Krause, Colin Lemoine (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Anais Mitchell (Vermont, concept album), Nabiyah Be (NYTW production), T.V. Carpio (Edmonton production), Eva Noblezada (London and Broadway productions), Josie Richardson) London understudy), Solea Pfeiffer (Broadway), Jessie Shelton, Khaila Wilcoxon, Grace Yoo, Sojourner Brown, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, Alex Lugo (Broadway understudies), Morgan Siobhan Green, Hannah Whitley (National Tour), Sydney Parra, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Courtney Lauster, Belén Moyano (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Miriam Bernardo (Vermont), Music/AniDiFranco (concept album), Amber Gray (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Gloria Onitiri (London understudy), Lana Gordon, Jewelle Blackman, Jessica Anne "Betty Who" Newham (Broadway), Jewelle Blackman, Afra Hines, Kimberly Marable, Tara Jackson, Soara-Joye Ross, Shea Renne, Brit West (Broadway understudies), Kimberly Marable, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Lana Gordon, Lindsey Hailes, Brit West (National Tour), Shea Renne, Lindsey Hailes, Nyla Watson, Racquel Williams (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' David Symons (Vermont), Greg Brown (concept album), J. Bernard Calloway, Lee Edward Colston (NYTW final weeks), Creator/PatrickPage (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Shaq Taylor (London understudy), Tom Hewitt, Phillip Boykin (Broadway), Timothy Hughes, T. Oliver Reid, Alex Puette, Max Kumangai, Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Broadway understudies), Kevyn Morrow, Matthew Patrick Quinn (National Tour), Jamari Johnson Williams, Will Mann, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, Marquis Wood, Jamal Lee Harris, T. Oliver Reid, Shavey Brown (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Ben T. Matchstick (Vermont), Ben Knox Miller (concept album), Chris Sullivan (NYTW production), Matthew Saldivar (NYTW final weeks), Kingsley Leggs (Edmonton production), André De Shields (London and Broadway productions), Joseph Prouse (London understudy), T. Oliver Reid, Lillias White (Broadway), Anthony Chatmon II, Ahmad Simmons, T. Oliver Reid, Trent Saunders, Will Mann, Max Kumangai, Malcolm Armwood, Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Broadway understudies), Levi Kreis, Nathan Lee Graham (National Tour), Will Mann, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, Ian Coulter-Buford, Shavey Brown (National Tour understudies)

->''"The enemy is poverty!\\
And the wall keeps out the enemy!\\
And we build the wall to keep us free!\\
That’s why we build the wall!\\
We build the wall to keep us free!"''

->'''Played by:''' Anais Mitchell (Vermont, concept album), Nabiyah Be (NYTW production), T.V. Carpio (Edmonton production), Eva Noblezada (London and Broadway productions), Josie Richardson) London understudy), Solea Pfieffer (Broadway), Jessie Shelton, Khaila Wilcoxon, Grace Yoo, Sojourner Brown, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, Alex Lugo (Broadway understudies), Morgan Siobhan Green, Hannah Whitley (National Tour), Sydney Parra, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Courtney Lauster, Belén Moyano (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Anais Mitchell (Vermont, concept album), Nabiyah Be (NYTW production), T.V. Carpio (Edmonton production), Eva Noblezada (London and Broadway productions), Josie Richardson) London understudy), Jessie Shelton, Khaila Wilcoxon, Grace Yoo, Sojourner Brown, Yael "[=YaYa=]" Reich, Alex Lugo (Broadway understudies), Morgan Siobhan Green, Hannah Whitley (National Tour), Sydney Parra, Kimberly Immanuel, Alex Lugo, Courtney Lauster, Belén Moyano (National Tour understudies)

* TheIngenue: Orpheus is a male example in the Broadway production. He's innocent, naive, and sees the best in the world and people while also appreciating the world for what it is. He falls in love with Eurydice at first sight and asks her to come home with him before even knowing her name, and is confident he can finish a song to bring back spring to the harsh world.

->'''Played by:''' Miriam Bernardo (Vermont), Music/AniDiFranco (concept album), Amber Gray (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Gloria Onitiri (London understudy), Lana Gordon, Jewelle Blackman, Jessica Anne Newham (Broadway), Jewelle Blackman, Afra Hines, Kimberly Marable, Tara Jackson, Soara-Joye Ross, Shea Renne, Brit West (Broadway understudies), Kimberly Marable, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Lana Gordon, Lindsey Hailes, Brit West (National Tour), Shea Renne, Lindsey Hailes, Nyla Watson, Racquel Williams (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' Miriam Bernardo (Vermont), Music/AniDiFranco (concept album), Amber Gray (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Gloria Onitiri (London understudy), Lana Gordon, Jewelle Blackman (Broadway), Jewelle Blackman, Afra Hines, Kimberly Marable, Tara Jackson, Soara-Joye Ross, Shea Renne, Brit West (Broadway understudies), Kimberly Marable, Maria-Christina Oliveras, Lana Gordon, Lindsey Hailes, Brit West (National Tour), Shea Renne, Lindsey Hailes, Nyla Watson, Racquel Williams (National Tour understudies)

->'''Played by:''' David Symons (Vermont), Greg Brown (concept album), J. Bernard Calloway, Lee Edward Colston (NYTW final weeks), Creator/PatrickPage (NYTW, Edmonton, London, and Broadway productions), Shaq Taylor (London understudy), Tom Hewitt (Broadway), Timothy Hughes, T. Oliver Reid, Alex Puette, Max Kumangai, Eddie Noel Rodríguez (Broadway understudies), Kevyn Morrow, Matthew Patrick Quinn (National Tour), Jamari Johnson Williams, Will Mann, Eddie Noel Rodríguez, Marquis Wood, Jamal Lee Harris, T. Oliver Reid, Shavey Brown (National Tour understudies)