How an NC native on Broadway felt ‘fated’ to help save a ‘Hadestown’ performance
Not all heroes wear capes. Sometimes they wear turbans.
Such was the case for Gastonia native T. Oliver Reid, who helped ensure the show would, indeed, go on the other week during a “fateful” day for the smash Broadway musical “Hadestown.”
Reid is in the ensemble as a swing on the show, alongside lead and former Charlottean Eva Noblezada. (A swing is a person who learns and can cover multiple roles in a show.)
And with COVID still ongoing, swings and understudies are more important than ever. Many Broadway shows have canceled performances due to the spread of the virus among cast and crew.
“Hadestown,” which tells the intertwined story of two Greek love affairs, was facing just that prospect of having to cancel its evening show March 9 because of too many absences.
That’s where Reid stepped in.
In his 13th Broadway show, he took over the role of one of the three “Hadestown” Fates, traditionally a trio of women. He threw on some makeup and false eye lashes, donned a turban, got help from the wardrobe team and went on stage, telling his Instagram followers, “Well it was apparently ... ‘fated.’ ”
Reid got lots of well-deserving praise on social media and even on the “Today” show.
Blumenthal Performing Arts also took note of what happened, and tweeted out, “ What you gonna do when the chips are down? It’s SWINGS to the rescue! BRAVO to @hadestown swing and GASTONIA native @Toliverreid who joined the sisterhood of The Fates last night on Broadway to save the show!”
As dance captain, Reid already knew all the moves. So a quick costume change, some fake eyelashes and voila — a (bearded) legend was born.
He would call himself “Auntie Fate.”
Acceptance from the audience
After the show, Reid spoke with Playbill, saying, “Before the show, I had a moment of concern ... when I come out as a Fate with this beard, am I going to get quizzical looks from the audience? But I have to tell you, it was like a kid on their birthday or Christmas, because I saw all these wide eyes and open mouths in the audience.
“It felt like there were people in the audience that were being seen in a way that maybe they had not been before. That there was an acceptance that they hadn’t seen before.”
More arts coverage
Want to see more stories like this? Sign up here for our free “Inside Charlotte Arts” newsletter. You can also join our Facebook group, “Inside Charlotte Arts,” by going here.
This story was originally published March 17, 2022 at 12:55 PM.
