Betty Who Scores Leading Role In Broadway Musical 'Hadestown'
"To have arrived at this place in my life, making my Broadway debut (!!!!!!!!!!!), I am just completely overwhelmed and excited."
Betty Who (Source: Supplied)
Australian-American musician Betty Who has just landed her Broadway debut, slated to play Persephone, Queen Of The Underworld, in the 2023 run of the musical Hadestown.
Hadestown will enter New York’s Walter Kerr Theatre on Tuesday, 5 September. Betty Who will face off against Tony nominee Phillip Boykin, who plays her husband, Hades, with the pair replacing Jewelle Blackman and Tom Hewitt after they depart their roles on 3 September.
Rachel Chavkin will direct Hadestown in collaboration with writer, singer and songwriter Anaïs Mitchell.
Betty Who has found chart success with her 2014 single, Somebody Loves You, before soundtracking the Netflix Queer Eye reboot with All Things. “The opportunity to play Persephone in this incredible show is a dream come true,” Betty Who said in a statement, per Broadway World.
“Musical theatre was one of my first loves - one of the main reasons I wanted to sing in the first place. So, to have arrived at this place in my life, making my Broadway debut (!!!!!!!!!!!), I am just completely overwhelmed and excited.”
Hadestown is a big deal, having swept up an incredible eight awards at the 2019 Tony Awards, including the prestigious Best Score and Best Director. Hadestown’s interpretation of an ancient story defies all expectations of what a musical can be, infusing modern American folk music with New Orleans-influenced jazz music to help tell the tale.
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In October 2022, Betty Who unleashed her joyous fourth album, BIG!, which followed the artist as she told a story of endurance, self-love and acceptance.
“I have spent so long running away from my size. I’m 6’2”. That's capital 'T' tall,” Betty Who joked in a statement. “I've always been the big goofy girl who’s making the jokes. It's always been a source of pain or insecurity for me. And a huge part of that is tied into my gender identity and how I’ve been playing dress-up in a 5'2”, hundred-pound woman’s world for my entire life.
“I hit 6' when I was 12 years old. But it’s not about just being tall – it’s about being different. So, now I’m just trying to make music for that girl, 'cause she really needed it'.” You can listen to BIG! here.
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