Photos: Go Behind the Scenes with Zachary James in Hadestown on the West End

Overnight, James (who is also an opera singer) had to uproot his entire life in New York and move to London. It was a change, and while the Grammy winner misses his friends in New York, his fiancé (fashion designer) Manuel Tiscareno was able to come and live with him. And he found some restaurants he loves.

James, who also won a Grammy Award for his role in Philip Glass’ opera Akhenatenends his stay in London. His last day in Hadestown City is October 13th (James is currently directing a film he wrote called This time, (which stars such familiar theatre faces as Marin Ireland and Melanie La Barrie). Thankfully, James’s work on the show will be preserved: the entire original West End cast (including absent principal actors Dónal Finn and Grace Hodgett) have recorded an album. A release date has not been set, but as James says, “It’s been an exciting experience and we can’t wait to share it with the world.” There are currently no plans for James to play Hades on Broadway, although, he says, “I definitely hope to play Hades again in the future.”

Before he leaves the West End Underground, James takes Playbill readers backstage to his dressing room at Hadestown Citywhere he shares his pre-show ritual, his favourite London haunts, the differences between the West End and Broadway, and some valuable advice from original Broadway Hades Patrick Page. Scroll down to read James’ thoughts and exclusive photos (by Adrian Lourie and Lina Klimova) from backstage at the Lyric Theatre.

What he does behind the scenes in his dressing room.

“I love my dressing room, Hades Lair, and I spend a lot of time there, vibing. I love my espresso backstage. It’s what keeps me going. I spend a lot of time lying on the floor, which is my favorite way to check my body before and during a show. What no one knows is that during breaks I take off my costume and paint. I live above an art shop and have been painting since I moved to London, and I really like the space it puts me in. I usually play music, anything from Beyoncé to Muddy Waters to Dolly Parton to Charli XCX, depending on my mood.”

The learning curve when you’re an actor on Broadway and you’re performing in the West End.

“It’s similar in many ways, but there are enough differences that it feels like a completely new experience. I thought it would be quite familiar, but it’s a completely different culture. A lot of things have different names here than in the U.S. The simplest example is that a break is called an interval. The assistant stage manager is called an assistant stage manager, but what we call a sub (a musician who plays in place of the original band member or orchestra when they’re not in the show) is called a dep. Instead of “spot,” they say “beginner’s call,” which I’ll never get used to. In a West End show, we have a band manager who’s in the building all the time and oversees every detail, whereas a band manager on Broadway means something completely different and you might only see him once a month, if that.

“Broadway has a props crew; in the West End, the stage managers are in charge of the props. I once had a problem with a prop and told the stage manager and they took the prop away from me and changed it. I gasped because on Broadway they wouldn’t be allowed to do that, and someone on the props crew would be in charge of the service. The other big difference here in the West End is that we have to attend a group warm-up and ‘parish notes’ led by the company management 90 minutes before curtain call. I’m so used to showing up 30 minutes before the show and doing my own warm-up, as is the custom in the US, that after more than 20 years of doing the same thing, showing up an hour and a half before the show still feels strange. There are a lot of differences backstage, but from an audience perspective, Broadway and the West End are basically the same. The caliber of stage work and the expectation of excellence are the same.”

What he learned from playing Hades.

“Hades is a very unique role, vocally. I sing the highest and lowest notes I’ve ever sung in public, just a few minutes apart in ‘Chant II.’ Stylistically, there are operatic moments, there’s jazz, there’s folk, there’s blues. It’s a rollercoaster ride. The challenge was to make it all seem like it’s coming from the same voice. There’s spoken word, there’s falsetto, there’s vocal fries. I brought every trick in the bag to the role. I’m grateful to the team that allowed me to explore and come up with my own interpretation of Hades. Those are big shoes to fill… Patrick Page. Huge. I wrote to Patrick as soon as I was cast, and he was very generous in telling me that I had to make Hades my own. That was what I needed to hear, and he was right.

“I’ve played a lot of villains, and the more I play them, the more I realize they’re just wounded creatures doing what they think is best. Hades has a bad reputation. I really wanted to make him a likeable character. I felt that if the audience rooted for him, even a little bit, then it was a successful interpretation. I’m really proud of what we’ve created and really touched by the audience’s response.”

Finding a support network far from home.

“I was lucky enough to have my fiancé here with me most of the time. He’s a fashion designer and travels a lot, so there were some long periods of time apart, but he was a huge support system through the experience. My cast is my family here – it’s a very special group of people. It can also be quite lonely being away from all your close friends. I miss my people a lot. The biggest surprise for me has been making friends with so many people who work in Soho, where I live. There’s a restaurant here called Bantof that I go to a lot. When Manuel and I went there for dinner in December, they took the time to get to know us and even brought us a cake with a candle to welcome us to the area. Since then, we’ve become really close with everyone there and I come and hang out a few times a week – it just feels like a home away from home – you can always expect a warm welcome and incredible hospitality.”

How Hadestown City changed him as an actor.