To kick off the start of the MLB's spring training and the possibility of Broadway's triumphant return, the company of the Broadway show Hadestownand the MLB players teamed up on June 30th for a quarantine - style performance of the show's ballad, Wait For Me.
Wait For Them.. They're Coming!
Who says you can't bring Broadway and @MLB together? Join members of the cast of #Hadestown alongside @Pirates pitcher @SquidBrault and other MLB superstars, for a Broadway-rendition of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game"! ⚾️🎭 pic.twitter.com/ejmUA5wzuq
— Hadestown (@hadestown) June 30, 2020
BroadwayWorld revealed that from the Hadestown company, Hadestown composer Anaïs Mitchell and cast members Reeve Carney, Andre Dé Shields, Jewelle Blackman, Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer, Kay Trinidad and the Hadestown band took part in the celebration. They were joined by Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Steven Brault, Pittsburgh Pirates first baseman and MLB All-Star Josh Bell, MLB Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, New York Yankees legend and World Series Champion Bernie Williams, and MLB All-Star and World Series Champion Nick Swisher. Sharon Robinson (the daughter of baseball legend Jackie Robinson) also took part in the collaboration on June 30.
Where The Inspiration Came From
WATCH: Pittsburgh @Pirates pitcher @SquidBrault's theatre background takes center stage in this @hadestown collaboration and on his new album A Pitch at Broadway. https://t.co/vxUW1b0dt4 pic.twitter.com/tnmG8xF9oi
— Playbill (@playbill) June 30, 2020
BroadwayWorld also revealed that the collaboration was inspired by Brault's album A Pitch at Broadway, which was released this spring and features some of the greatest songs from top Broadway musicals including the Hadestown anthem "Wait for Me." When both baseball and Broadway shutdown due to the COVID-19 crisis, the teams got to work to celebrate these great American institutions and their devoted fans.
Brault revealed the inspiration for the collaboration, saying:
"I've always loved Broadway and when I heard that my cover of 'Wait For Me' had caught Anaïs' attention, I was floored."
De Shields backed up Brault's statement, saying:
"Steven Brault made a pitch at Broadway, and I knocked it out of the park. It was a match made in heaven, or rather Hadestown, since we both have Damn Yankees on our résumés, he as the young Joe Hardy in a high school production, and I as Mr. Applegate in a regional one. I hope the fans have as much fun watching the videos as we had making them."
See How Wonderful Hadestown Can Be!
Broadway Musical Home gave a synopsis of the show, which is:
"In the warmth of summertime, songwriter Orpheus and his muse Eurydice are living it up and falling in love. But as winter approaches, reality sets in: these young dreamers can't survive on songs alone. Tempted by the promise of plenty, Eurydice is lured to the depths of industrial Hadestown. On a quest to save her, Orpheus journeys to the underworld where their trust is put to a final test."
The storyline and its music have been proven to be very popular amongst Broadway fans. BroadwayWorld revealed that the new musical is the winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Hadestown was preparing to mark its first anniversary on Broadway at the Walter Kerr Theatre when the COVID-19 crisis forced the shutdown of all Broadway theaters. The Original Broadway Cast Recording of Hadestownhas been streamed over 100 million times.
Get tickets for Hadestownhere!
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