Betty Who is in hell — well, “Hadestown”: The pop star's Broadway debut is a 'full-circle moment'
Betty Who has had a standing offer to Broadway producers for years: "Listen, your girl's open for business. I want to be in a show. Somebody give me a call, I'm down."
On Sept. 5, the "Somebody Loves You" singer finally got her wish, stepping into the role of Persephone in the Tony- and Grammy-winning musical Hadestown. She stars opposite Tony nominee Phillip Boykin as Hades in the folk- and jazz-infused musical, which also tells the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice.
Sitting in the front row of the Walter Kerr Theatre on a recent Tuesday afternoon, the pop star spoke to EW about making the role her own, the pain of wearing Persephone's heels, and what's next now that she's crossed Broadway off her bucket list.
Matthew Murphy Betty Who in 'Hadestown'
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Congrats on your Broadway debut. What made this the right show to join?
BETTY WHO: I have always loved this show. One of my friends, [John Krause,] was in the original Broadway cast [as an ensemble member and Orpheus understudy], and so I've seen it many times with him in it. And so to get the call to be in this show was kind of a crazy full-circle moment. I'm still on the phone to my agents texting my friend John, being like, "You'll never believe what show that I just got asked to do."
I think the number one thing that love about this show — and that makes a lot of sense for me to be in it — is that it was written by a songwriter, [Anaïs Mitchell,] who's not necessarily a musical theater songwriter. And that's also such a crazy full-circle moment for me because I love Anaïs' music. I had one of her songs on my eighth grade playlist that was on repeat forever and ever. In that sort of generation of Ingrid Michelson and Anaïs Mitchell, like a Grey's Anatomy music era. Do you know what I mean? That was a really powerful time in my life.
Matthew Murphy Betty Who and Phillip Boykin in 'Hadestown'
The current cast looks very different from the original Broadway cast...
I'm so grateful to be part of a show that defies norms. I think of the generosity of spirit that everybody has who has put this show together to put us in, to cast these people who are totally different from the original Broadway cast — to let us all have these different iterations of the show. I think the show can sustain it. It's literally a myth of epic proportions. And so to see really different takes of the characters, it only deepens and it makes the show more exciting to me.
You have some very famous covers. Did you see parallels in the way you tackled music covers versus tackling a role originated by someone else?
For me, the thing that has always worked best is trying to bring as much of myself to this thing as I can. So, "How can I make it more me?" as opposed to "How can I fit myself into somebody else's perception of what this is meant to be?" It's like, "What is the most me version of this thing and then let me massage that." That applies to the "I Love You Always Forever" cover as well as bringing myself into the shoes of this role that has been portrayed very differently historically to how I'm portraying it.
Philip and I, as a team, very much have been working on our version of this show and our relationship because I think that that's really what the show lives and dies by: These two people are in a fight of such epic proportions that it is literally ending the world as we know it. And that's a misunderstanding, that's love, that's relationships — and it feels really human even though these two are gods.
Matthew Murphy Phillip Boykin and Betty Who in 'Hadestown'
Unlike your concerts where you come out and perform, Persephone spends a lot of time on stage watching other scenes play out. Was that a mental adjustment?
I'll tell you what, I stand for a long time in this show — and in heels. Let me tell you, my friend, I'm not really a heel girly these days, or a nail girly. But her wardrobe and lifestyle choices have seeped into my own experience now. My feet hurt all the time because I'm wearing heels for three hours a day. [laughs]
I think that one of the notes that I got in rehearsals was that I'm actually a lot more grounded when I have a scene partner. So much of the experience as a solo pop artist is experienced solo, and the stakes are on your shoulders alone and you have support and people around you, but at the end of the day, it's your name, it's your face. If there aren't butts in seats, that's your fault.
I think the experience of being a part of something that lives and dies not by my part in it is actually really refreshing. It has come at a time in my life that I think I really needed to have that experience, to not be in charge of literally every single part of this. It's good. My control issues are really receding. It's really nice.
So now that you've achieved your Broadway dream, anything else you want to manifest into your future?
Oh, man. I think I really have fallen in love with acting. I mean, I have enjoyed this show so much because I really believe it is an actor's show. I think that I'm ready to be a movie star, daddy! I'm ready for whatever's next. I'm telling the Lord herself to reign blessings down upon me. [laughs] No, doing this has really shown me that I know literally nothing about what I'm supposed to be doing and where I'm supposed to be.
And I also really loved hosting the dating show The One That Got Away, that was so fun. It was some of the funnest work I've ever done. And I was like, "Oh, this is what it's like to have fun at work and not be stressed about the creative of it? There are smarter people who know how to make a TV show and I get to show up and be like, 'Ashley, how did that make you feel?'" I had the time of my life. I'm like, I'll host anything. I think that I've spent a lot of time in music and I'm ready for some other things to sort of come about. I'm opening myself up to the universe to go, "Sister, wherever you think I'm meant to be next, show me what is next and I will embrace it and throw myself into it."
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