HERE’S THE SCOOP ON BOOP!
ENDEARINGLY CUTE, ASTUTE AND A HOOT
Some things are meant to last. Cartoon character Betty Boop has been around for 95 years and has just been rejuvenated—as youthful, spirited, spunky, sprightly, spit-curled and curvy as ever. The new Broadway musical, simply called BOOP!—which opened last night at the Broadhurst Theatre—presents the iconic character with affection, charm, and a wink, beginning with an homage to the black-and-white film animated film shorts of yore. This is done charmingly by incorporating their actual images in projections and introducing the title character with her head atop two-dimensional cut-outs of her body, as the audience also sees the scenery which duplicates the cartoons’ backgrounds in shades of gray, black, and white (David Rockwell, scenic design); props and costumes follow suit. In its own limited palette of hues it is as dazzling and eye-popping as the blinding explosion of Technicolor that follows when Betty, presented as a hard-working movie actress whose director has the cutie pie typecast in film after film, strutting and smiling and being chased around desks and things.
Jasmine Amy Rogers and Pudgy the Dog/Phillip Huber
Stephen DeRosa (Grampy), Jasmine Amy Rogers (Betty Boop), Phillip Huber (Pudgy)
Miss Boop is tired of all that. It’s exhausting. But she’s not too pooped to “boop-boop-a-doop” as she’s cheered by the happy company of her pet pooch Pudgy (a marionette who strings along with her and its human handler, Phillip Huber) and her grandfather with his grand inventions that make things possible, ranging from simple household chores to time travel. And so, in a flash, Betty is blasted into the future, landing in the New York City of today. It’s disorienting for her. And in those bright, bright unfamiliar colors. The poor overworked gal, a metaphorical fish out of water, hopes the change of place will provide a change of pace, but she learns that she is recognized and is a sought-after superstar. At first, she insists the resemblance is coincidental and she’s actually a woman named Betsy.
Angelica Hale
Directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, there’s an effervescence and a ton of dazzle with splashy, go-for-broke production numbers that don’t necessarily advance the plot or deepen characters, but audiences won’t come in expecting or demanding that for a show with a simple mission: To bring a two-dimensional cartoon character to life and ENTERTAIN. The production is generally high-spirited, but the high-heeled Betty is allowed breathing room to lament and reflect and feel restless and unfulfilled even as our eyes and ears are filled with fulfilling, thrilling, happy sensory overload.
Lizzy Tucker, Ricky Schroeder, Morgan McGhee, Anastacia McCleskey, Christian Probst
Jasmine Amy Rogers and cast
The show is well cast, with Jasmine Amy Rogers ideal in the title role, capturing the essence of all things Boop. She sparkles and her comic timing is spot on, with plenty of skill in the song and dance department, leading dance numbers in this tap-happy show. The songs (music by David Foster and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead) are often zingy and polished, although more direct homages to the chipper period pieces (then current, now nostalgic) in the 1930s cartoons would have added pastiche panache.
Stephen DeRosa, Faith Prince
Just because most of the stage time finds Betty thrown into a different time period doesn’t mean her musical sensibilities would shift. Perhaps the producers and writers (the book is by Bob Martin) have an eye on future productions and didn’t want the characters locked into a specific year such as 2025 with references to current events, politics, or pop culture that would feel dated or hazily remembered. So we’re in a generalized modern period in Manhattan, rather than an earlier (happier or more turbulent) decade which might have the advantage of its own built-in nostalgia, hindsight, or relevance to Betty’s concerns. For example, the story’s references to gender roles and smart, capable females not encouraged to assert themselves or seek political office might be a great match for the late 1960s/early 1970s when the women’s movement was changing the world and the counterculture revolution was questioning the status quo.
Jasmine Amy Rogers and Ainsley Melham
Erich Bergen and Jasmine Amy Rogers
Despite feeling put-upon and at loose ends, Betty’s potential as a strong female with her own mind is emphasized. The same can be said for the characters of Carol (Anastacia McCleskey), a campaign manager for a less admirable (notably, male) mayoral candidate and insecure Boop-admiring teen Trisha (Angelica Hale). Getting star-deserved entrance applause, the smile-inducing presence of Faith Prince is a peppy plus, even in a part that cries out for more potent plot connection and a solo number (or two).
Ainsley Melham, Jasmine Amy Rogers and cast
Jasmine Amy Rogers and cast
As for the males, Stephen DeRosa makes the quirky grandfather a pip, Erich Bergen is quite amusing in the second act as the self-involved mayoral candidate of limited smarts and integrity, and Ainsley Melham has appeal as Betty’s potential love match, although the decision to make him a jazz musician feels like just a convenient excuse for leading into swinging and singing in a nightclub setting. Aubie Merrylees as the movie director adds some comic verve in the black-and-white scenes.
Jasmine Amy Rogers and cast
Betty Boop is alive and well and you’d be well advised to catch the lively, lovable musical to put a song in your heart, a grin on your face, and a spring in your step.
Angelica Hale, Jasmine Amy Rogers, Ainsley Melham, and Ensemble
Boop!
Broadhurst Theatre 235 West 44th St
open run
for tickets, visit Boop the Musical
social media: @boopthemusical
