Nathan Lee Graham returned to the stage as Hermes in Hadestown
Hellish Pride
For Hadestown actor, Pride is about showing up
RICH LOPEZ | Staff writer
rich@dallasvoice.com
The Tony-winning musical Hadestown returns to North Texas this month, coming to Bass Hall in Fort Worth. This time around, Nathan Lee Graham has taken on the role of Hermes who acts as sort of narrator for the show.
Graham is a queer actor following in the footsteps of André De Shields, the queer actor who originated the role and who won the Tony for Hermes, and queer actor Levi Kreiss, also a Tony winner, who was Hermes in the touring production when it appeared in Dallas last year in January.
Now, in his return to the stage, Graham brings his own sensibilities to the role.
Graham’s career had veered into more television and film, but he longed to be back onstage. And he got some advice on why he should do it from one famous friend: “I always wanted to be back [on stage]. I’m getting older, so I wanted to see if I could do it and where my stamina was,” he said by phone. “Judith Light said to me, ‘You have to be onstage once a year or you lose that muscle.’”
Graham was last onstage for The View Upstairs in 2017-18, but he had to leave that show. Then the pandemic happened which delayed any type of stage work. But, Graham said, the shutdown, ironically, prepared him for this role as Hermes.
“The shutdown readied me for this kind of lifestyle. I’m kind of isolated, and I just have to be quiet most of the time,” he said. “To prepare for this role each night, I have to be alone.”
Nathan Lee Graham, center, is Hermes in Hadestown
Hadestown, winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best Musical, centers on the mythology of Orpheus and Eurydice and the relationship between King Hades and his wife, Persephone.
The show takes a turn into the underworld and back. And along the way, there’s Hermes.
The show is a monster of a production, and Graham’s character serves as a prominent part of the storytelling. Taking on this role — and in a touring production at that — as his return might be a brave choice. Graham is a more-than-capable actor, but still, it can be a lot.
“Touring is a completely different beast,” he explained. “It’s been exciting and challenging because I do so much onstage for those two-and-a-half hours.”
He chuckled, and added, “Now, I don’t know if I’m gonna do it again.”
But, Graham said, each time he is onstage, it is his own way to celebrate Pride. At the time of this interview, Pride Month was a few days in.
When asked how he was celebrating, Graham said he thought his “celebration” sounded boring. But truly, it sounded more profound: The HRC Visibility Award recipient declared that his own Pride is perpetual.
“By me showing up and being around — even to the annoyance of some, I’m sure — and always being present visually and doing the best job I can, that is part of my joyful resistance, and that makes me very proud,” he said. “My Pride happens 365 days a year — 366 on a leap year — and I’m proud to say I ain’t going nowhere.”
Hadestown runs June 27-July 2. For tickets, visit BassHall.com.