Filipino American father and daughter team up in Broadway's "Hadestown"

Jon Jon Briones and daughter Isa Briones share a moment during curtain call of Hadestown.

At a reent Tony-award winning Hadestown curtain call when the actors dropped their stage persona and became their real-worlds selves again, Isa Briones and Jon Jon Briones wound up in tears.

It was the first time the Filipino American father and daughter shared a stage.

“There’s just this pinch-me moment. I can’t believe I get to do this with a musical theater legend but also that legend is my father and also telling a beautiful, beautiful story,” Isa Briones tells the Associated Press.

Her father, Jon Jon Briones, the experienced professional, also succumbed to the emtional moment. “When we were rehearsing, I was crying watching Isa, and I would miss my cues because I was watching her,” he tells AP. “I’ve also learned to look relaxed for the cast because if one of their leads is nervous, that’s not good. But I lost it at curtain call. I lost it.”

Last March 19, Hadestown on Broadway added Olivier Award nominee Jon Jon Briones and daughter Isa Briones to the Broadway cast in the pivotal roles of ‘Hermes’ and ‘Eurydice,’ respectively. The father-daughter duo took over the roles played by Tony winner Lillias White and Lola Tung.

If you're anxious to see Filipino Americans on Broadway after the short-lived run of Here Lies Love with its all-Filipino cast, theatergoers will have a short chance of watching the Briones perform together beacuse the last performance for both father and daughter will be June 30.

Last seen on Broadway and in the West End as ‘The Engineer’ in Miss Saigon, and known for his various series regular roles on Ryan Murphy’s Ratched and Class of ’09, Jon Jon makes his return to Broadway. Isa, best known for her series regular roles on Star Trek: Picard and Goosebumps, makes her Broadway debut. 

Isa was. also in the natinoal touring company for Hamilton and off-Broadway prouction of Grease, but Hadestown is her debut on Broadway.

Written by Anaïs Mitchell and directed by Rachel Chavkin, Hadestown is currently playing at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 W 48th Street).

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