Broadway Review: Boop! The Musical

EXTRA EXTRA: Betty Boop Saves The Musical

BY CHRISTOPHER BYRNE

Betty Boop, the iconic cartoon character from the 1930s, was—at least in the pre-Production Code days—was a spunky flapper who always seemed to know what she wanted and could always solve problems and emerge as the hero. In approximately 90 short films from Fleischer Studios from the 30s on, she became a darling of the silver screen and today is a beloved icon.

Yet is that enough to build a musical around in 2025? After all, while Betty has legions of fans, it’s mostly for the cute design that appears on all kinds of products, and while fandom is big business, let’s just say Betty hasn’t been at the top of the ComicCon circuit.

Well, anyone who had any concerns about whether or not Betty could make the jump from swag to Broadway should be prepared to have any skepticism blown away by the absolute explosion of creativity, talent, joy—and tap dancing—that has brought the classic musical back to Broadway.

Boop! The Musical is simply brilliant. It’s cut from the template of the musicals of the Golden Age of musicals (roughly 1940 to the mid-1960s), with a knowing wink and an abundance of love for the form. (Even down to the exclamation point in the title!) Boop! both recalls that structure—cute couple, cuter second bananas, lots of breaks for dancing, a simple storyline with a happy ending—and makes it resonant for a contemporary audience without seeming labored.

In fact, Betty may be the perfect character for a contemporary musical.  She was a confident, attractive and sexual (just enough and in a good way) woman in a world dominated by men. With her wits, her grit, and her enormous heart, she’s exactly the kind of heroine we need today.

Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom) knows his way around a musical comedy book, and he’s crafted an inspired device where we meet Betty in the 1930s and then, through the magic of cartoons and imagination, brings her to 2025.  I won’t tell you how he did it, but when she made the trip from black-and-white cartoon to colorful, real world NYC, the audience applauded and whooped with delight. (Me too.) The story takes off, and Betty has a wonderful time in the Big Apple, changes lives, and falls in love for real—all while trying to find out “who I really am.” It’s the kind of classic, madcap, fish-out-of-water plot that was very common in musicals in the 1930s and before, and the best advice is to just go with it and revel in it all.

David Foster who wrote the music and Susan Birkenhead who wrote the lyrics have created a score that can only be called “contemporary pastiche.” The tuneful songs include echoes of earlier musicals and turns of phrase that will make you smile. In fact, when was the last time you left the theater saying, “I can’t wait to get the cast album?”  If that’s your thing, you’ll want this one.

The company is nothing short of spectacular. The hard-working ensemble is incredible with athleticism, classic tap and soft shoe, and they fill the stage with infectious energy.

Angelica Hale is Trisha, the 17-year-old, 2025 Betty Boop fan who teams up with her idol (I knew you were real!) on her own adventure to find herself and go after her dream of being an artist. Hale is a dynamo, and she plays Trisha with nuanced levels of fandom and self-doubt that make her so appealing.

Ainsley Melham is Dwayne, a guy who loves jazz but lacks the confidence to go for it. Melham has a great voice and a warm presence—not at all like the men who chase Betty around desks in the films. No wonder she falls for this kind, talented man.

And, of course you can see where this is going. When Betty shows up, she inspires Dwayne and Trisha to go after their dreams—and we want to go along, too.

Speaking of Betty, Jasmine Amy Rogers is that elusive thing: a great big Broadway star. She radiates charisma. She can put over a power ballad or a more sentimental song, and whenever she’s onstage—which is virtually the entire show—she just shines. She’s the kind of star who comes along every decade or so, and what a joy she is.

In the second banana roles, Stephen DeRosa as Grampy, Betty’s grandfather, is hilarious. He has the comic moves of the 1930s down pat, as well as the comic expressions of love from the cartoons. He had been in New York once 40 years earlier and fell in love with a girl named Valentina. When he comes back to find Betty, he meets up with Valentia again for what is now an age-appropriate relationship. The great Faith Prince is Valentina, and who wouldn’t fall in love with her? Her comic timing is impeccable, and their de rigeur comic duet, “Whatever it Takes” is pure musical comedy gold.

All of this is under the perfect, precise and preternatural genius of director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell. It’s dazzling from beginning to end. David Rockwell did the incredible sets. Best of all are the outstanding costumes by Gregg Barnes. From the black-and-white beginning and homage to the original cartoons to the oh-so-now looks of New York ablaze in color, the clothes are classic musicals taken way beyond the next level. (Even the quick changes get applause.)

For years, musicals got serious, epic, dark, perhaps a bit self-important. Or perhaps they were afraid to pull out all the stops and just deliver a whiz bang, couple of hours of pure escapism and joy. In many ways it was that type of entertainment that helped people get through the Great Depression. Today, there’s room for all kinds of shows, and when Boop can take a classic form and infuse it with new life, that’s something truly remarkable.

What’s more, there’s no denying that there are elements of our world that are dark and foreboding these days. Yet, when a show like Boop! The Musical can make you forget your troubles, touch your heart, and take you away from reality for a few hours; that’s sometimes exactly what we—and the world—needs.

Boop! The Musical
Broadhurst Theatre
235 West 44th Street, New York
Tues, Fri 7 p.m.; Weds, Thurs, Sat 2 p.m. & 8 p.m.; Sun 3 p.m.
$58-$256 via Telecharge
2 hours, 3o mins, 1 intermission

Production photos by Matthew Murphy @MurphyMade and Evan Zimmerman @EvZMM

Posted April 14, 2025