by Conor Moroney. @conorseamusactor.
Jersey City, NJ - Betty Briscoe, a musical theatre actor with more than a dozen regional credits to her name, has decided to retire from the stage to focus on the more stable career of being a Musical Theatre TikToker.
“After six years of toiling away in the treacherous jungle that is the American musical stage I have decided to step away,” Briscoe stated in a press conference, which was in fact her first TikTok. “Though I've enjoyed my time in the spotlight, I will have to fall back on the more steady career of singing songs and offering my influential takes on the state of Broadway and beyond. It was not an easy decision, but I feel this will finally give me the security I’ve so craved, once I receive my first BetterHelp sponsorship.”
Alexandra Santos, Briscoe’s YouTuber roommate, weighed in on the up-and-coming influencer’s decision to abandon treading the boards to offer her interpretations on the hottest musical numbers right now.
“It was a shock at first, but I completely get it,” Santos said, taking a break from editing a video on how closing the 2014 revival of Les Miserables brought about the apocalypse. "She had been working in Summer Stock seasons and the occasional Regional Rest season. She must've realized there was far more security working in front of a ring light and belting out a number from one of the many dream roles you felt you were cheated out of because of ‘the system.’ With her new venture, and the guarantor of our apartment, we are now ready to take on the jungle of New York together until we get our Hello Fresh money.”
Lucas Earlman, the Founder/Artistic Director of Supercilious Theatre Co. who also moonlights as a Sondheim Medium for Briscoe, also gave insight into the thespian's transition into content creator.
“Betty had approached me with this suggestion and I was intrigued,” Earlman said, whilst in the middle of signing a formal declaration of war against Mischief Theatre Company. “So many people have been putting on lavish productions of the cookie cutter Broadway fare; thank goodness for go-getters like Ms. Briscoe, simply putting the best bits onto a social media app and telling the masses ‘yay or nay’ on whether to see a production. It’s the best way to revolutionize the craft since my devised Manscaped commedia piece.”
At press time, Betty’s account has grown to a whopping 200 followers, leaving her confident that her “Old Man River as Sung by Various Broadway Divas” will help it climb to that all powerful 250.