Created by Max Fleischer and introduced by Fleischer Studios in 1930, as part of the world’s first animated talkies, or Talkartoons, distributed by Paramount Studios, Betty Boop, an icon of the Depression Era inspired by Jazz Age flappers and performers of the Roaring Twenties (though initially drawn as an anthropomorphic dog with long floppy ears), appeared in more than one hundred cartoons, most famously voiced by Mae Questel, through 1939. Nearly a hundred years later, the premiere female animated screen star is now the subject of BOOP! The Musical by Bob Martin (book), David Foster (music), and Susan Birkenhead (lyrics), playing at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre following its debut at Broadway in Chicago’s CIBC Theatre in 2023.
Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, the high-spirited musical-comedy extravaganza follows Betty’s journey from the black-and-white animated world of the ‘30s to her colorful adventure in present-day NYC. All she wants, and sings about, is an “Ordinary Day” away from her exhausting schedule and the constant pressure of her inescapable fame, so she sits in Grampy’s upholstered chair, equipped with a time/space machine to transport cartoon characters into the real world, and finds herself in the current Big Apple, where she discovers – along with her continuing recognition, exploitation, and sexual harassment – the joys of love, friendship, new music, female empowerment, and validation through the uplifting message, “You are capable of amazing things.”
In a stellar Broadway debut, Jasmine Amy Rogers stars as Betty Boop, bringing the sweet and sexy, strong and sassy cartoon character to life with irresistible charm, recreating her familiar voice, moves, and demeanor, capturing her moments of uncertainty, confusion, and vulnerability in post-modern New York (e.g., she doesn’t have a clue who Obama is or why it’s not okay to knock out a man making inappropriate advances, since she does it all the time in her cartoons), and bringing her tap-dancing skills and powerhouse vocals to Foster’s original numbers (with music direction by Rick Fox, music supervision and arrangements by Daryl Waters, orchestrations by Doug Besterman, dance music arrangements by Zane Mark, and clear sound by Gareth Owen), including the showstopper “Where I Wanna Be,” which closes Act I with vibrant singing, scatting, and positive energy (the only other song I would have liked to hear in the production, composed by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, is the 1928 classic “I Wanna Be Loved by You,” with Boop’s signature “Boop-Boop-a-Doop” tagline).
Rogers’ star-is-born performance is supported by a sensational featured cast and company of triple threats (Lawrence Alexander, Colin Bradbury, Tristen Buettel, Joshua Michael Burrage, Victoria Byrd, Dan Castiglione, Rebecca Corrigan, RJ Higton, Nina Lafarga, Morgan McGhee, Ryah Nixon, Christian Probst, Ricky Schroeder, Gabriella Sorrentino, Derek Jordan Taylor, and Lizzy Tucker) in dazzling production numbers that recall the Golden Age of Broadway, and an adorable marionette of the heart-stealing dog Pudgy (designed by The Huber Marionettes), masterfully manipulated by puppeteer Phillip Huber with completely realistic movements and behavior, from licking and tail-wagging to carrying a newspaper. Along with Pudgy, Angelica Hale as Trisha, an aspiring but not yet confident teen artist and Boop super-fan Betty meets upon landing in NYC’s ComicCon, and Ainsley Melham as Dwayne, a blue-eyed jazz singer and trumpeter who watches over Trisha and by whom Betty is instantly lovestruck, become closest to her in her new world of color, providing some major storylines and touching songs (Trisha’s idolizing “Portrait of Betty” and Dwayne’s romantic duet with Boop, “Why Look Around the Corner”).
Bringing the big laughs are Stephen DeRosa as the sneezy eccentric inventor Grampy, who, after transporting himself to NYC to find Betty and bring her back to the 1930s and the cartoons that are centered on her and need her (“Where Is Betty?”), also has some tender times in New York with Valentina (portrayed by the ever excellent Faith Prince), after unexpectedly running into the scientist he met 40 years ago, when he first tested his invention; Aubie Merrylees as Fleischman Studios’ over-the-top director Oscar Delacorte, who fully embraces the cartoonish existence of his character with hysterically exaggerated gestures and voice and the show’s best sight gag, and also does some impressive tap dancing and singing of the tuneful trio “Sunlight” (with his attentive assistant Clarence, played by Ricky Schroeder, and Dwayne); and the hilarious Erich Bergen as the corrupt mayoral candidate Raymond Demarest, who uses Betty’s fame to advance his campaign, then tries to “Take It To the Next Level” in a riotous vintage-style song-and-dance routine in his office. And Anastacia McCleskey as Carol, Trisha’s caretaker and Raymond’s campaign manager, ranges from very professional to totally exasperated, ultimately taking charge and making a powerful feminist statement, as inspired by Betty.
An eye-popping artistic design, with illusions by Skylar Fox, brings both eras to life, from the black-and-white cut-outs, furnishings, and props of David Rockwell’s cartoon-like set, Finn Ross’s backwall projections, and Philip S. Rosenberg’s focused lighting of then, to the burst of rich saturated colors in the transition to New York now, including the illuminated red stairs at Duffy Square. Costumes by Gregg Barnes, with hair and wigs by Sabana Majeed and make-up by Michael Clifton, recreate the famous look and style of Betty Boop and the other monochromatic cartoon characters, the updated clothing worn in our present-day city, and the magnificent sparkling theatrical attire of the singing and dancing company, with the added surprise of clever two-sided outfits (one in black-and-white and one in a rainbow of hues) to represent the shifts between decades.
As a devoted fan of Betty Boop from as early as I can remember (I even named my first cat Miss Booper after her), I never stopped smiling through the entire show. BOOP! The Musical is a delight from start to finish, with a top-notch cast, a fabulous artistic design, breathtaking production numbers, and a feel-good spirit of non-stop fun and vitality that permeates the stage and the house. If there’s any question about whether or not you should see it, my best advice is boop-boop-a-DO!
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission.
BOOP! The Musical plays through Sunday, July 13, 2025, at the Broadhurst Theatre, 235 West 44th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $58-256, including fees), call (212) 239-6200, or go online.
