Hadestown Overlord Phillip Boykin Takes a Walk to His Broadway Kingdom

You could say Phillip Boykin, with his basso profundo and imposing stage presence, was born to play a mythological villain—and he wouldn't argue with you. "There are several roles that I think were written for me long before I was even created," Boykin told Broadway Show correspondent Charlie Cooper in the heart of Times Square: "Joe in Show Boat, Tonton in Once on This Island, and now, Hades in Hadestown." 

He's come a long way since his childhood days as the "Little Tone Deaf Boy," and even has the fan club to prove it—a coterie of "Hades Ladies" who like to greet him at the stage door. "That was really special," he said, remembering his first face-to-face with his admirers. "Every time I come out to sign autographs, to hear the crowd of people cheering and roaring about little old me, it's a wonderful thing." 

Watch the Broadway Show segment below.