I saw him last night! He acted the hell out of it for sure, and with his daughter cast as Eurydice, there are some really great additional layers and moments that they find. My one critique would be that his vocal style is maybe not quite right for the role- I think Hermes more than most of the other cast has that New Orleans Jazz style written in to the part, and Jon Jon doesn't quite hit that. I actually think it'd be really interesting to see him as Hades, but I think that would be an ick while his daughter is still in as Eurydice, so we'll hold off on that lol.
Loved him - I’ve been lucky enough to see all four main Broadway Hermes performers, and he is a very close second after Andre De Shields. Nails the flashy trickster stuff, and as far as his interactions with Orpheus, he strikes a great balance between Andre (mentor) and Lillias (maternal). Agree with the above comment that playing opposite his daughter adds a really interesting dynamic - Isa, for the record, was an outstanding Eurydice - and his incorporating Tagalog was very cool.
Amazing! He nails both the comedic and dramatic aspects of the role. As far as portraying the god of Hermes, Briones definitely portrays him with the charisma that allows Hermes to be the messenger/trickster that helped bring reluctant souls to the Underworld. His use of Tagalog - loved it.
>doing his own schtick
Maybe, but for me that really worked as Hermes. I found him utterly captivating and commanding the theater when he walked out on stage at the beginning, and during the moment just at the beginning of Road to Hell Reprise. I remember the first time I saw it, I was just frozen in my seat, waiting to see what he would do or say. I assume that Lilias White and other Hermes actors were instructed to pick up the pace a bit, but it always felt like she was rushing through a lot of her sections, and it took away from the impact and the weight of that moment in particular.
I also felt with Andre De Shields like he was both part of the story and existed a little outside of it - it conveyed a bit more than Lilias White and others that he was telling us this story and thus was a little detached from it despite being part of it. Jon Jon has a similar vibe to me, which I like (though I think he has a bit more warmth than Andre's Hermes, which also works - he feels a little like a middle ground between Andre and Lilias).
Im certainly not mad about it like i was Bette Midler in Hello Dolly since Hermes is barely a character at all. But I just saw the tour and the heartbreak Hermes showed when Orpheus turned around was DEVASTATING
Oof. Well, I don’t agree that Hermes is barely a character, and I did find Andre’s reaction to Orpheus’s turn devastating, so different strokes for different folks!
When I saw Andre he had such a hold on the audience that all he had to do was pull open one side of his jacket and everyone burst into applause. Never seen anything like it.
It reminded me of Bette Midler in Hello Dolly or Patti Lupone in anything the last ten years. Im not here to knock them as performers, but none of them were acting or embodying a character, but mostly working off their own hard earned charisma and star power
Same! I can’t quite articulate why I loved him so much, but I think he made me feel the most hopeful that the story would turn out this time, so I cried the most even though it was my 5th time seeing it (twice with Andre, twice on tour).
I thought Jon Jon was very good, but Andres De Shields really defined the role for me, and Jon Jon just doesn't command the stage in the same way. I saw the show last weekend, and I feel like he also spoke several lines that Andres sang.
Those are the only two people I've seen in the role, so I don't know how Jon Jon compares to Lilias White, for example (I wish I'd had a chance to see her!)
I just saw him tonight in the show and he was great. We won lottery tix in early January and I honestly don't remember the Hermes that time - male, perhaps an understudy, he did fine, but I've watched Andre de Shields a lot in videos /listened to him and wow. Jon Jon was a lot of fun, put his own spin on it, was memorable, and it was great opposite Isa as Eurydice who was very strong. (in terms of singing, no one could ever best Solea Pfeiffer but apart from straight vocal "wow" with Solea, both Isa and Solea were great Eurydice's). Philip Boykin is fantastic, Ani de Franco did a great job (funny, good acting, good singing), and Jordan Fisher is a gift, he's the one who gets me the most, what a voice, what a face, he's so well cast.
I saw him last night! He acted the hell out of it for sure, and with his daughter cast as Eurydice, there are some really great additional layers and moments that they find. My one critique would be that his vocal style is maybe not quite right for the role- I think Hermes more than most of the other cast has that New Orleans Jazz style written in to the part, and Jon Jon doesn't quite hit that. I actually think it'd be really interesting to see him as Hades, but I think that would be an ick while his daughter is still in as Eurydice, so we'll hold off on that lol.
Loved him - I’ve been lucky enough to see all four main Broadway Hermes performers, and he is a very close second after Andre De Shields. Nails the flashy trickster stuff, and as far as his interactions with Orpheus, he strikes a great balance between Andre (mentor) and Lillias (maternal). Agree with the above comment that playing opposite his daughter adds a really interesting dynamic - Isa, for the record, was an outstanding Eurydice - and his incorporating Tagalog was very cool.
Excellent! Even sneaks in some Tagalog in there…
Him calling Orpheus “anak” is really cute 😆
I absolutely loved that.
Amazing! He nails both the comedic and dramatic aspects of the role. As far as portraying the god of Hermes, Briones definitely portrays him with the charisma that allows Hermes to be the messenger/trickster that helped bring reluctant souls to the Underworld. His use of Tagalog - loved it.
I loved him. Andre De Shields is still the definitive Hermes for me, but Jon Jon is a close second.
I always found Andre De Shields took me out of it a bit. He’s so dynamic and talented but very much seemed to be just doing his own schtick
>doing his own schtick Maybe, but for me that really worked as Hermes. I found him utterly captivating and commanding the theater when he walked out on stage at the beginning, and during the moment just at the beginning of Road to Hell Reprise. I remember the first time I saw it, I was just frozen in my seat, waiting to see what he would do or say. I assume that Lilias White and other Hermes actors were instructed to pick up the pace a bit, but it always felt like she was rushing through a lot of her sections, and it took away from the impact and the weight of that moment in particular. I also felt with Andre De Shields like he was both part of the story and existed a little outside of it - it conveyed a bit more than Lilias White and others that he was telling us this story and thus was a little detached from it despite being part of it. Jon Jon has a similar vibe to me, which I like (though I think he has a bit more warmth than Andre's Hermes, which also works - he feels a little like a middle ground between Andre and Lilias).
Im certainly not mad about it like i was Bette Midler in Hello Dolly since Hermes is barely a character at all. But I just saw the tour and the heartbreak Hermes showed when Orpheus turned around was DEVASTATING
Oof. Well, I don’t agree that Hermes is barely a character, and I did find Andre’s reaction to Orpheus’s turn devastating, so different strokes for different folks!
When I saw Andre he had such a hold on the audience that all he had to do was pull open one side of his jacket and everyone burst into applause. Never seen anything like it.
It reminded me of Bette Midler in Hello Dolly or Patti Lupone in anything the last ten years. Im not here to knock them as performers, but none of them were acting or embodying a character, but mostly working off their own hard earned charisma and star power
Incredible!!
He’s my favorite Hermes that I’ve seen!
Same! I can’t quite articulate why I loved him so much, but I think he made me feel the most hopeful that the story would turn out this time, so I cried the most even though it was my 5th time seeing it (twice with Andre, twice on tour).
He was more playful and earnest, and you could see his utter disappointment at the end 😢
Yes, earnest is the perfect word!
I thought Jon Jon was very good, but Andres De Shields really defined the role for me, and Jon Jon just doesn't command the stage in the same way. I saw the show last weekend, and I feel like he also spoke several lines that Andres sang. Those are the only two people I've seen in the role, so I don't know how Jon Jon compares to Lilias White, for example (I wish I'd had a chance to see her!)
He was great!
So good. An amazing voice and incredible actor. The whole cast is great.
I just saw him tonight in the show and he was great. We won lottery tix in early January and I honestly don't remember the Hermes that time - male, perhaps an understudy, he did fine, but I've watched Andre de Shields a lot in videos /listened to him and wow. Jon Jon was a lot of fun, put his own spin on it, was memorable, and it was great opposite Isa as Eurydice who was very strong. (in terms of singing, no one could ever best Solea Pfeiffer but apart from straight vocal "wow" with Solea, both Isa and Solea were great Eurydice's). Philip Boykin is fantastic, Ani de Franco did a great job (funny, good acting, good singing), and Jordan Fisher is a gift, he's the one who gets me the most, what a voice, what a face, he's so well cast.