Geno Segers Will No Longer Join Hadestown as Hades After Producers Reverse Casting

The Broadway production says Segers and producers mutually agreed he would not join the musical, with a replacement Hades still to be announced.

Hadestown is searching for a new Hades after producers announced on Aug. 2 that Geno Segers will no longer join the Broadway production. The change comes only days after Segers was announced as part of a new principal cast scheduled to begin performances at the Walter Kerr Theatre on Sept. 1.

In a statement provided to entertainment outlets, the production said the producers of Hadestown and Segers had “mutually agreed” that he would no longer join the show and that additional casting would be announced. Entertainment Weekly reported the production’s statement on Sunday.

Segers had been announced as the musical’s next Hades

Segers was expected to take over the role of Hades as part of a broader Broadway cast change planned for Sept. 1. The incoming principal lineup also includes Amber Iman as Persephone, Kayko as Orpheus, Jasmin Savoy Brown as Eurydice and Norbert Leo Butz as Hermes.

The bass-voiced actor has previously appeared in television projects including Banshee, Yellowstone and Disney XD’s Pair of Kings. He also performed as Mufasa in a touring production of Disney’s The Lion King. The Internet Broadway Database lists his earlier professional stage credits through the Broadway industry’s official archive.

His planned Hadestown engagement would have placed him at the center of one of Broadway’s most recognizable contemporary musicals.

The casting drew criticism over past online videos

Following the original casting announcement, social media users circulated videos and posts attributed to Segers that contained commentary about transgender people and other social issues. Entertainment Weekly and The Hollywood Reporter reported on the criticism surrounding those materials.

Because the producers did not publicly state that those posts were the reason for the casting change, the criticism and Segers’ departure should be treated as related in timing rather than presented as a confirmed cause-and-effect determination.

The production’s official statement was deliberately narrow. It confirmed only that Segers would not join the show and that a replacement would be announced later.

Amber Iman addressed the change publicly

Iman, who is scheduled to play Persephone in the incoming cast, posted publicly after the change and indicated that she had raised concerns away from social media before the decision was announced.

Her comments added another dimension to the discussion because Persephone and Hades are paired throughout the musical’s story. However, neither Iman nor the production disclosed details of any private conversations surrounding the casting decision.

No statement from Segers explaining the departure was available in the initial reporting.

Hadestown will announce a new Hades

The immediate production question is now who will fill the role before the new cast begins performances on Sept. 1.

The official Hadestown website continues to provide ticketing and production information for the Tony Award-winning musical, which reimagines the Greek myths of Orpheus and Eurydice and Hades and Persephone.

As of the Aug. 2 statement, producers had not identified Segers’ replacement or indicated whether the casting change would affect the scheduled start of the incoming company.

The announcement arrives during a high-profile period for the musical, which continues its Broadway run while also drawing renewed attention through its filmed stage presentation.

The next announcement will determine the revised principal cast

For now, Segers’ departure is the only confirmed change to the incoming principal lineup. Kayko, Brown, Iman and Butz remain attached to their announced roles.

The production has said additional casting information is coming, making the identity of the next Hades the central unresolved question.

Until that announcement is made, it would be premature to speculate about who will take over the role or whether a current or former Hadestown performer could return.

The verified development is narrower but significant: Segers will not make the planned Broadway debut in Hadestown, and the production now has less than a month to complete its revised principal cast ahead of the Sept. 1 transition.