The animated heroine Betty Boop was way ahead of her time, breezing through the years of America’s Great Depression with a message of positivity and a can-do spirit. She starred in 90 theatrical animated shorts in the 1930s, including Boop Oop a Doop (a title that became her signature catchphrase) and Betty Boop for President. A century later, this beloved character is coming to life on the Broadway stage in BOOP! The Musical, a dazzling new show from an all-star team of creators, with a charismatic title performance by Jasmine Amy Rogers. Broadway Direct recently chatted with four members of the team responsible for Betty’s transformation into a 21st-century Broadway star.
“We began with a character many people recognize and think they know, but we needed to give her a story that’s as full of joy as she is,” says two-time Tony Award winner Jerry Mitchell, the director and choreographer of BOOP! The Musical. During a development period that spanned more than 20 years, superstar pop composer and producer David Foster chose BOOP! The Musical as his first theatrical score. Having worked with the likes of Whitney Houston, Céline Dion, and Barbra Streisand, Foster understood how to create songs for a strong heroine, with lyrics by theater veteran Susan Birkenhead (Jelly’s Last Jam). Completing the team: book writer Bob Martin, a Tony-winning specialist in smart musical comedies, including The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom, and Elf.
Providing essential guidance was Mark Fleischer, chairman and CEO of Fleischer Studios and grandson of Max Fleischer, the visionary animator who created Betty Boop. “Betty embodies the values that unite us,” Mark says, “qualities people want to see in themselves: imagination, compassion, fun, sassiness, independence, and a willingness to step ahead of society’s norms when she sees a need. Keep in mind that Betty Boop was created a mere 10 years after women won the right to vote, and she does things that were unimaginable in those days. She was a lion tamer, a pilot, an animal activist. She ran for president. She not only survived, but thrived because she reflects the best of us.”
How to capture all those qualities in a splashy musical? The creators hatched an ingenious plan: Start the show with Betty Boop in the black-and-white world of the 1930s, then catapult her to color-soaked Manhattan in 2025, beginning at the fan convention Comic-Con. The idea of Betty straddling two worlds a century apart and finding herself — and love — in the process made the musical come together in an exciting way.
“It’s a story about what it means to be a person, and what it means to love another person,” says Martin. “We built the story around the essence of Betty, her strength, and the fact that she’s so full of life, so sensitive and kind and unabashedly sexy. One of the fun things about this project is how we move back and forth between the black-and-white Fleischer comic world and present-day New York. Sometimes black-and-white characters are on stage at the same time as modern people in full-color dress and makeup, so it’s a real visual feast.”
All these great ideas can only come to life with a sparkling performance in the title role, and the BOOP! The Musical team found their Betty in a Broadway newcomer named Jasmine Amy Rogers. “There is no better person to play this role,” declares Fleischer, who should know, having grown up with the character. “From the moment you see Jasmine as Betty Boop, you are on her side. She is a wonderful human being, and that shines through her performance.” Adds Martin, “Jasmine has a natural kind of joy that is infectious. She stepped up and made the part her own. And this is her Broadway debut! How remarkable is that?”
Speaking just before BOOP! The Musical previews began at the Broadhurst Theatre, Rogers marveled at the “total transformation” that happens when she puts on Betty’s iconic costume and makeup. “I love that she gets to become truly real,” the actress said, “and find her place in the world, while still getting to be the cartoon character we know and love.” Rogers skillfully walks that line, leaning into the qualities she admires about the Jazz Age heroine. “She’s just the sweetest, kindest little lady, but she has a full range of emotions and has always been unafraid to express herself. She’s a beautiful embodiment of what so many women are, from the 1930s to today.”
During the show’s 2023 pre-Broadway run in Chicago, the creators were delighted to discover that BOOP! appeals to all ages. “There’s some humor for adults,” notes Martin, “but it’s absolutely a very warm family show.” Mitchell told Broadway Direct that he’s dedicating his work to his young nieces, explaining, “I want them to see that you don’t have to give up being a woman to be independent and strong.” Rogers laughingly reveals that awestruck young theatergoers approach her in character as if she’s a princess. “This is the first show many of them have seen, which I love,” she says. “It means everything to me that women of all ages come with their daughters or sisters and leave feeling so happy and excited. It’s an absolute honor.”
Broadway audiences can look forward to the ultimate in theatrical razzle-dazzle. “Everything about the show is amazing,” promises Fleischer. “The costumes, the lighting, the production design, Jerry’s choreography, of course — people are in for one of the great treats of their lives.” Personally speaking, he adds, “It’s so moving to me to see my grandfather’s creation as a live human being in front of other human beings. This is a magical, inspirational moment.”
Summing up his ambition for BOOP! The Musical, Martin says, “I hope that, like Elf, it brings light and color into people’s lives. It’s a joyous, funny, vibrant show, and I really think audiences will feel unburdened after seeing it.”