Episode 168 - Betsy Wolfe

Betsy Wolfe has established herself as one of the most versatile and keenly intelligent Broadway performers of her generation. She recently starred as Jenna Hunterson, the title role in the Tony nominated musical Waitress. Prior to that, she played Cordelia, one of the one of the lovable “lesbians from next door,” in the Broadway revival of Falsettos directed by James Lapine, which recently aired on PBS. She is perhaps best known for her critically acclaimed performance as Cathy in the off-Broadway revival of The Last Five Years.  In TV, she was most recently seen in a guest star role on season 2 of the CBS series INSTINCT. She also just wrapped the indie feature FIRST ONE IN with Georgia King.   Originally from California, Betsy received her BFA in musical theatre from the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music. At age twenty—prior to graduation and prior being able to legally drink or get a British pilot’s license—she made her Carnegie Hall debut with the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra under Maestro Erich Kunzel. After receiving her BFA, Betsy quickly starred in the San Francisco and Boston companies of The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Soon after, she made her Broadway debut in the revival of 110 in the Shade. Betsy started to gain attention for her next role in both the off-Broadway and Broadway productions of Sherie Rene Scott’s Everyday Rapture, where she played one of the two Mennonettes.   Only a few years later, Betsy would be Scott’s successor in one of contemporary musical theatre’s most challenging and well-known roles: Cathy in Second Stage Theatre’s revival of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years.  Her complex performance as Cathy was lauded by critics and audiences alike.   Betsy’s other Broadway credits include Ellen in the 2014 production of Bullets Over Broadwaydirected by Susan Stroman and Rosa Bud in The Mystery of Edwin Drood. She also appeared as Beth in the Encores! production of Merrily We Roll Along. She starred in the La Jolla Playhouse world premiere production of Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez’s new musical Up Here, and created the role of Mary Ann Singleton in ACT's world premiere of Tales of the City, a musical based on the Armistead Maupin novels.  Betsy made her Metropolitan Opera debut in Douglas Carter Beane’s adaptation of Die Fledermaus. She has been a guest artist for over 50 symphony, pops, and philharmonic orchestras across the U.S. and internationally including the New York Philharmonic and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. She collaborated with The New York Pops and played to sold-out crowds at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center with their Broadway Today and Women of Notesconcerts. Her recent collaboration with the BBC Orchestra and Jason Robert Brown ended up being recorded for Friday Music Nights for the BBC and can be heard on their channel.   She can be heard on the recordings of Falsettos, Bullets over Broadway, The Last Five Years,The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Everyday Rapture, Stage Door Canteen, 35MM, and Merrily We Roll Along. She can also be seen in the film adaptation of The Last Five Years. Betsy is currently mini- touring with her one woman show ALL BETS ARE OFF and primarily lives in New York with her husband.  She is so very proud to have created and co-founded the program Broadway Evolved, which has revolutionized the summer camp for both theatre students and educators alike. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices