A Date with The Devil: Jonathan Betchtel In Dolly and the Golden Tassel

When Dolly! first hit the Can Can stage, it quickly became a summer sensation. A glittering, high-camp fever dream that left audiences dazzled and gasping for more. Now, it’s back by popular demand, but this isn’t a simple encore. With updated designs, sharper jokes, and a few devilish surprises, the show has evolved into something even wilder. At the center of the chaos? Jonny Boy, performer, designer, and the man behind Burny, everyone’s favorite charmingly unhinged devil. We sat down with Jonny to talk about reviving the show, building thrones, and why playing the bad guy might just be the best gig in town.

thecancan.com: Dolly is back by popular demand—but this isn’t a repeat. As a creative and performer, how do you approach refreshing a show without losing what audiences loved the first time?

Jonny: I think the first year we do a show is always kind of a science experiment. It’s like, do these crazy ideas in our heads actually work? And once we know they do, the years that follow give us a chance to fine-tune things, and maybe explore the missed opportunities from that first run. There’s a certain magic and chaos to an opening year, but there's also this beautiful evolution that comes with understanding the show more deeply. We get to add more meat to the bones.

thecancan.com: You play Burny, the devil himself, in Dolly and the Golden Tassel. What’s your favorite part about stepping into that fiery role?

Jonny: Burny is hands-down the most fun character I get to play all year. I mean, it’s the devil, there are no rules. I get to say and do anything I want, and that kind of freedom is wildly fun. It’s a huge contrast from our next show, Hitchcock Hotel, where I play a 17-year-old virgin seduced by a haunted brothel. I don’t think I say one inappropriate word in that whole show. But with Burny, I get to be kind of a dick and it’s hilarious. It’s a fun social experiment for someone like me, who’s naturally more of a nice guy.

thecancan.com: Burny is equal parts charming and chaotic. What inspired your approach to playing him?

Jonny: The voice and tone definitely started with a southern drawl. I kept imagining John Goodman in O Brother, Where Art Thou? When he plays the Cyclops, just this big, verbose, slightly unhinged presence. Also, this is obscure, but there’s a UK artist named Ren; he has this wild seven-minute or so guitar solo where he does a whole back-and-forth monologue with himself about being the devil. It's bizarre and brilliant. That vibe definitely crept into my take on Burny.

thecancan.com: You don’t just perform, you also play a crucial role in set design. How do you balance practicality with theatricality when building something for a live cabaret performance?

Jonny: Oh yeah, that’s the eternal battle: what I dream up vs. what actually works in our space. First and foremost, it has to be functional—can it fit backstage, can we get it on and off stage quickly while the curtain is down? Sometimes we have just two feet of clearance back there, and it’s like solving a puzzle every night.

For Dolly, I wanted to build a devil throne. I started sketching ideas, then went into the shop to bend and weld metal. You build something, you put it onstage, and you hope it does what it’s supposed to do. Sometimes I’ll spend 100 hours on a piece and realize it can’t do what I wanted at all, but that’s part of the process. Luckily, the throne works great, and I haven’t hurt myself (too badly) on it yet.

thecancan.com: What’s the moment in this show that always gives you goosebumps, whether from the wings or center stage?

Jonny: My opening monologue, honestly. The audience comes in ready to see Dolly…and instead, they get me. I have to convince them, through this weird, wordy monologue, to come with me on this ride as the devil. I need them to root for Dolly, sure, but I also want them to kinda like me too. That balancing act is so fun to play with every night.

Also, when I reveal my tiny tassel. I won’t give too much away, but it makes me laugh every single time. We were in rehearsal, and the tassel was the same size as everyone else’s, and it just wasn’t funny. So I started snipping an inch off at a time until we hit the perfect level of absurd. It’s ridiculous, and it opens the door to so many great end-of-show jokes.