Currently, Zachary James is starring as Hades in Hadestown at London West End’s Lyric Theatre, and performed alongside the cast at the Big Night of Musicals at the AO Arena in Manchester, with the show booking until the end of the year. Zachary is holding his first solo show in London on 15th July at the Crazy Coqs, which he has developed and performed over the last ten years in the USA, including in Hawaii and Alaska, and he won the BroadwayWorld Performer of the Decade award for 2010-2020. Last year saw Zachary in the world premiere of Jen Silverman’s Spain off-Broadway, and in September/October, he performed at the Denver Center in A Little Night Music, and whilst in the show, he recorded his latest album release Song of Myself. Since being in the original production of Philip Glass’ Akhnaten in 2016 for English National Opera, Zachary has performed all over the world with the show for the last eight years with more to be announced in the future, and at the 2022 Grammy Awards, Akhnaten won Best Opera Recording. Answering our questions, Zachary talks about starring as Hades in Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, his first solo show in London at the Crazy Coqs on 15th July and performing in Philip Glass’ Akhnaten.
You are currently starring as Hades in the West End production of Hadestown at the Lyric Theatre, how is the run going so far?
Fantastic! Most nights are completely sold out which is really exciting, and so great to see how much people love the show!
How is it getting into character as Hades and what is he like to play?
I decorated my dressing room to reflect his inner life and that really zaps me right into character as I get dressed. We step out on stage and greet the audience and the show just happens, it doesn’t feel like acting really. It is an unusual experience.
Was there anything that drew you to Hadestown and how has it been seeing the fan response to the musical in London?
I do it for the fans. They are everything. They lift me up constantly and the love and support and appreciation is unlike anything I have experienced. Hadestown is a perfect show and Hades is a dream role as a low voiced person. It is rare to have the opportunity to sing with my whole range and Hades takes me to my highest high note and lowest low note and everything in between with a beautiful character arc.
What was it like performing at the Big Night of Musicals at the AO Arena in Manchester?
Wild! The arena was HUGE and the crowd was screaming for us in a way I have never heard before. It was our first public outing and so fun to break out on the scene with that performance.
Is there anything you are enjoying most about being in the cast of Hadestown as Hades and what are you looking forward to for continuing in the show?
I just love playing Hades. He is so cool, and yet is also a surprisingly complex character given his passionate but volatile relationship with his wife, Persephone. I really appreciate the freedom and encouragement I have been given to make him my own and not harken previous interpretations. It feels like a new show to me and like I created this character.
You have announced that you will be holding your first solo show in London at the Crazy Coqs on 15th July, what can the audience expect from the performance?
Yes! I cannot wait. I am bringing my solo show to London, a show I have developed and performed over the last ten years all over the United States, even in Hawaii and Alaska. It is all familiar material I love, but every time I do it I add new songs and stories. It’s special to me as it won me the BroadwayWorld Performer of the Decade award for 2010-2020 and I love, love, love sharing these songs and stories with audiences in an intimate setting where I just be myself and connect with people.
Last year, you were part of the world premiere of Jen Silverman’s Spain off-Broadway, can you tell us about this?
We developed this work for two years and it was fantastic to bring it to life with such an incredible cast and team. It was thrilling really. I love working on new works and Jen is a legend.
How was it playing Count Carl-Magnus Malcolm in A Little Night Music at the Denver Center in September/October?
So fun! This role was on my list for so many years, I even named my cat after him in college. It was a terrific cast and to be surrounded by that music every day was perfection. It is a perfect score and show.
Having been involved with Philip Glass’ Akhnaten since the original production for English National Opera in 2016, what is the opera like to perform in and what are some of your stand-out highlights from working on the show?
It is my favourite thing I have ever done and a tremendous honour to be given such an enormous responsibility to carry that show along with Anthony Roth Costanzo. We have been doing it together all over the world for eight years now and the journey continues with more productions in the next two years. I could do this show happily for the rest of my life and also could retire happily having accomplished what we did just with that production.
How did you find the experience attending the 2022 Grammy Awards and how was it collecting your award for Best Opera Recording?
My two favourite days of my life are attending the Grammys and proposing to my fiancĂ©. The Grammys were sooooo cool. I felt like I finally found my community, being in a huge auditorium with all the nominees and winners, all of whom were nerdy music kids just like me who stuck to it and pursued this as a career. It was very emotional to win. I was overcome with emotion and disbelief and awe – and also the feeling of validation and reward for so many years of toil and sacrifice.
What do you remember most from making your professional operatic debut with Philip Glass’ The Perfect American in 2013 and what was it like creating the role of Abraham Lincoln?
I remember the makeup! It took forever. But the transformation was well worth it. We premiered at the Teatro Real in Madrid and it was daunting to go from working on Broadway singing with a microphone over a 12-piece orchestra to an 80-piece orchestra without a microphone but I worked hard and made it work and was very proud of what we accomplished. It was my first of many collaborations with Philip Glass and the greatest honour of my career.
Do you have any favourite memories from your time as Lurch in the original Broadway cast of The Addams Family in 2010 that you can share?
I was working with my heroes: Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, Carolee Carmello, Jackie Hoffman, Terrence Mann… it was amazing. A dream.
Can you tell us about some of the other theatre, opera and TV shows you’ve worked on over your career so far, which have included Breaking the Waves, South Pacific, Sweeney Todd, Law & Order: Organized Crime and 30 Rock?
Yes! I love to genre hop and am fortunate to have done theatre, opera, TV, film and recording. I also have directed quite a bit and love that. 30 Rock was my first TV gig and I got to play in scenes with Steve Martin and Tina Fey. It was a dream. I’ve been really lucky to have done some of the biggest TV shows out of NYC while also working on Broadway and the Metropolitan Opera. People sometimes ask why I like juggling so many genres and how I manage to balance it all, but to me it is all just storytelling. I love switching it up and being in an opera and a TV show at the same time. I am always eager to continue growing, developing and honing my skills and it’s a wonderful challenge to work across genres. Law & Order was also a life-long dream and such a fun experience.
In September 2023, you released your latest album Song of Myself, can you tell us about the album and what was it like to record?
Yes! I have many albums but this was a special one as it was my coming out as a composer. I wrote a song cycle based on the poetry of Walt Whitman, scored for piano, guitar, cello, percussion and voice. It was deeply personal and vulnerable and I am very proud of it. I recorded it in Denver, Colorado while working on A Little Night Music.
Where does your love of acting and performing come from and how did you get started in the industry?
I have always been playing dress up and rehearsing death scenes since I was a kid. I was and remain an eccentric fella. I was born into showbiz as my dad is a musician and the plan was that I would be a musician also, which I am, but acting was the surprise plot twist. I started in high school and eventually went to college to study musical theatre. I attended three colleges and had four majors but finally found solid ground and a direction which I have stayed on since my professional debut in 2003 playing Abner Yokum in Lil Abner at the Bucks County Playhouse in Pennsylvania.
What are some of your favourite theatre shows to watch and which would you like to see that you haven’t done so as yet?
I am very eager to get to Cabaret and Moulin Rouge!. I love attending the theatre and being on the audience side. It is just as important as performing. It is a practice to be an audience member. I think it is very important to support our community by attending and celebrating the work of others. Also, going to admit I have never seen Wicked or The Lion King and I need to change that.
How do you like to spend your time away from your career?
My favourite thing to do is to travel the world with my beautiful fiancé, Manuel Tiscareño. We have the same sense of adventure and spontaneity and he is a dream of a partner. Back in NYC I have a garden attached to my Harlem apartment and that is a very happy place for me to be whether planting, weeding, watering, I can spend entire days out there. I love the outdoors. I also love making things. Manuel is a well-known fashion designer and I get a lot of joy out of being around his process and lending a hand with embroidery and fabric selection. We both paint and I am a writer. Being an artist never ends really, it is reflected in everything I do and how I live my life.
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