Sometimes it's best to leave on a high note.
After nearly three years of chart-topping success, many of the original & Juliet stars are moving on to new adventures. Betsy Wolfe, the longtime star of the hit Max Martin jukebox musical, played her final performance as Shakespeare's wife, Anne Hathaway, October 20 (Alison Luff will take over the role beginning October 22). The show was a momentous one for Wolfe—not only was it the longest production she's ever been in, she also received her first Tony nomination from it. But she's not the only one departing. Her original cast costars—Justin David Sullivan, Ben Jackson Walker, and Philippe Arroyo—will play their final performances October 27. Paolo Szot will depart January 19.
Before she left, Wolfe caught up with Playbill where she reflected on her momentous journey with the show, its impact on her personal life, and the item she just might swipe from backstage on her way out the door.
How are you feeling?
Betsy Wolfe: EmotionaI. I've never done a show for this long, and this role has coincided with such a special time in my personal life. My daughter was 18 months old when I first knew that I was going to be involved with this project. So much of the show has become synonymous with my complete happiness: having the best kid, forming my family, and just loving this job. This period of my life has truly sparked joy, and this show is a hard one to say goodbye to.
It’s bittersweet because for my daughter, this show is the one thing she knows her mommy does. She very obviously equates my work with this joyous show. I'm looking forward to beginning a different chapter of our lives, but it's been such a special thing to share this with her at this age.
When you do a show for this long, a family atmosphere forms backstage as well. What is it like for you to be leaving alongside so many of your longtime castmates?
You know, it's funny. We have now known each other for three-plus years. We’ve spent three birthdays together. We've seen each other's lives evolve. It's so special to get to share such a meaningful amount of time with people, and now to move into our next chapters together. I think that this cast has really formed some very special relationships, and I'm excited to see what everyone does.
Are you going to miss your English Rose tattoo?
I love my tattoo! I might have to take a couple, and just put them on randomly in my real life. It's so funny, I don't even notice it anymore. It’s kind of been the best-case scenario; I got to try out a very realistic, semi-permanent tattoo for two and a half years. I now know what it's like. I will definitely miss many things about Anne, the tattoo being one of them.
How has your relationship to the character of Anne Hathaway changed over the years?
Anne is so much a part of me now. Betsy is Anne, Anne is Betsy. I know her so well, and I have loved her over the past couple of years. She has become even more free, even more bold, and in many ways, more subtle, because of just the nature of doing something for so long.
When you're in rehearsal, it's such a gift to be able to take ideas and bring them to life. Something that's really challenging about a long run, which I have been privy to for the first time on this show, is that as a creative being, you don't just stop creating. You can't. You must not, because the second that it becomes dull and routine for you, the audience is going to know that and pick up on that. Luckily, this role is so joyous and the writing is so clever that it affords us opportunities to constantly be rediscovering moments that we never knew were there.
It certainly helps when you have a fresh co-star to play off of.
Oh, absolutely. I think I've had seven Shakespeares at this point, including covers. Four regular ones who did it long term. Having someone new opposite you to work off of totally brings joyous new moments.
Anne has this beautiful, glorious moment in the form of “That’s The Way It Is” in Act 2. I know you're a huge Celine fan. What has it been like for you to do that song eight times a week, and see the way people react to it?
I feel so loved. It is essential to the story to see this woman being very powerful and having agency, and it is in that moment that we see her at her most vulnerable. And I think that's also a gift to Juliet, to show that we don't always have things figured out. It is natural to be vulnerable, it's normal to question things and reevaluate and reassess and change and make different choices than you've made in the past, even if it feels very scary. To be able to share that moment on stage… I hope it is a gift for every little girl in that audience and, quite frankly, every adult that is thinking, "Is it too late for me to be bold and make my life as incredible as it could be?"
And to do it with that song?! I couldn’t want anything more than that. It never ceases to amaze me how impactful that moment is. And I hear it at the stage door, I hear it in letters, and I am so lucky that I have a platform that allows me to be part of so many people's epiphanies. I don't take it for granted.
Do you have any advice for Alison Luff, or anyone who may play Anne in the future?
Close your mouth when you throw the glitter! That is very important.
Oh god, I’m sure the glitter gets everywhere. Where is the weirdest place you’ve found it?
I have found glitter in so many places. I found glitter in my parents' house in California. I have found it underneath the insoles of all of my family's personal shoes. I don't even understand how it gets there, but I will probably be finding that biodegradable glitter for the rest of my life.
So that’s your advice? No accidental glitter ingestion?
Here’s a serious one: I think it can be easy to get excited about the comedic component of this role. And I think that it can be tempting to just want to play the laughs for laughs. Certainly, it's very fun. But I always have to remember the big picture of this story, and the big picture of the message that we're telling. Shakespeare and Anne, there's a real relationship there, and it is so much bigger than just April being written into the story.
The way that we're introduced to Anne is very unassuming. And by the end, she has this incredible, beautiful monologue where it's just Anne and Shakespeare on the stage, and she's saying everything that, in the beginning of the show, she couldn't say. I think the most important thing to remember is that the whole show is a journey from that first moment to that last moment. And it's so important that Anne is threading the needle.
Where can we find you now that you’ve moved out of the Sondheim?
It sounds silly, but everyone's known my every move for two and a half years, you know? For two and a half years, I've been burning the candle at every end to be as good of a mom and as good of a working person as I can be. For the near future, I am going to be doing bedtimes with my daughter, which is something I've been really looking forward to doing. I’ve missed spending the night with my girl. And trust me, the second that I am ready to take on my next special project, I will gladly share.
Betsy Wolfe
Company of & Juliet
Betsy Wolfe
Company of & Juliet
Company of & Juliet
Company of & Juliet
Company of & Juliet
