''Boop! The Musical'' is a musical based on the animated character
Betty Boop
Betty Boop is a cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer. She originally appeared in the '' Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pic ...
, with music by
David Foster
David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian record producer, composer, arranger, and musician. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His career began as a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark in the early 1970s befor ...
, lyrics by
Susan Birkenhead
Susan Birkenhead is an American lyricist.
Birkenhead made her Broadway debut as one of a team of songwriters contributing to '' Working'' (1978), for which she received her first Tony Award nomination. Her second was earned for ''Jelly's Last J ...
, and a book by
Bob Martin.
Betty leaves the black-and-white world and finds colorful adventures and romance with Dwayne, a jazz musician boyfriend in present-day New York City, where she is surprised to find that her fame has preceded her;
Grampy and Valentina follow her to the real world and also find romance, while superfan Trisha helps and a mayoral candidate is an antagonist.
The musical premiered in
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
, Illinois, running from November to December 2023, with
Jasmine Amy Rogers
Jasmine Amy Rogers (born March 9, 1999) is an American actress and singer. She began her professional career in 2019 in musical theatre roles and first worked with director Jerry Mitchell when she created the dual role of Frances Bassey and Donna ...
starring in the title role.
[Nahoom, Belle]
"In ''Boop! The Musical'', a Nostalgic Story Leaps to the Stage"
''The Chicago Maroon
''The Chicago Maroon'', the independent student newspaper of the University of Chicago, is a biweekly publication founded in 1892. During the academic year, ''The Maroon'' publishes every other Wednesday. The paper consists of seven sections: ...
'', February 8, 2024 ''Boop!'' began preview performances on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
at the
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...
on March 11, 2025, and opened officially on April 5.
[ Reviews were mixed-to-positive. It was nominated for 11 ]Drama Desk Awards
The Drama Desk Awards are among the most esteemed honors in New York theater, recognizing outstanding achievements across Broadway, Off-Broadway, and Off-Off-Broadway productions within the same categories. The awards are considered a signific ...
, the most of any 2025 production, winning 3,[ and was nominated for three ]Tony Awards
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cere ...
.[ It is set to close on July 13, 2025.
]
Synopsis
Act One
In the animated black-and-white cartoon world, the star of "ToonTown", Betty Boop, performs one of her shorts ("A Little Versatility"). After the performance has wrapped, an interviewer asks Betty a question that makes her reflect: "Who is the real Betty Boop?" Betty replies, "Whoever you want me to be!" At Betty’s house, Grampy is cooking dinner in one of his great inventions. Another of Grampy's inventions is a teleporter to the real world. Betty wishes to go there, but Grampy refuses to send her. After Grampy falls asleep, Betty wishes for a world where no one would recognize her ("Ordinary Day"). Betty uses Grampy's invention to travel to the real world and ends up at New York Comic Con
The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,00 ...
.
She meets Dwayne, commenting on his bright blue eyes. Betty, confused by all the colors, starts to learn about them ("In Color"). She next meets and befriends Trisha, a Betty Boop superfan, dressed in Betty's style. Betty is surprised that people know her and finds that she is as famous here as at home. Betty takes on the name Betsy Crampwhiler to disguise her true identity. Back in ToonTown, Grampy discovers that Betty is gone and has used his invention. He laments about what will happen to ToonTown without Betty ("Get Her Back!"). Grampy and Pudgy, Betty's dog, use the invention to follow Betty to the real world to search for her.
At Trisha's house, Betty reunites with Dwayne, who lives with Trisha. Betty reveals that she is a jazz singer, and Dwayne demonstrates that he is a jazz musician ("I Speak Jazz"). Meanwhile, Raymond Demarest is running for mayor of New York with his slogan, "You can Do Do it!" In Trisha's room, Betty asks why Trisha likes Betty so much. Trisha says that she wishes she could be as confident as Betty ("Portrait of Betty"). Betty then confides that she is the real Betty Boop, not Betsy.
Alternating between ToonTown and New York, the Director, Assistant Director and Dwayne explain that Betty (Dwayne still knows her as Betsy) is the sunlight in their lives ("Sunlight"). Betty and Trisha meet Dwayne at the red steps in Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...
; Dwayne shares the story of his life in New York ("My New York"). Grampy reunites with Valentina, a NASA scientist who had an affair with Grampy. Grampy gets a "Love Sneeze" and refuses to believe he still loves her, but Valentina knows that there is no cure for love ("A Cure for Love"). Nelly's Place, a club where Dwayne wishes to perform, invites Betty (as Betsy) to sing onstage. When Betty shocks everyone with how much she sounds and looks like Betty Boop, they chant "That's Betty Boop!" and Betty says she is right where she wants to be ("Where I Wanna Be!").
Act Two
After Betty has revealed that she is alive and in New York, she wishes she had kept it to herself. The people in ToonTown hope she will come back to them ("Where is Betty"). Raymond uses Betty as his campaign manager but refuses to let her speak ("Where is Betty" (reprise)). At Nelly’s, Dwayne laments that he loves Betty so much, but she is not a real person ("She Knocks Me Out"). Trisha thinks she is not good enough and has to dress up as Boop to feel confident. Betty tells her that she doesn't have to be Betty to be confident and that Trisha is her hero ("My Hero").
At Valentina's apartment, Grampy and Valentina realize that they are meant for each other ("Whatever It Takes"). At Raymond's office, Raymond hits on Betty and tries to take advantage of her, so she hits him in the face with a lamp ("Take It to the Next Level"). Betty, realizing what a jerk Raymond is, declares that Carol, Raymond's campaign manager and Trisha's foster mom, should run for mayor. Carol agrees ("The Campaign").
Dwayne and Betty comment that we shouldn't think and wish for the future, but instead focus on the present. Betty starts to fall in love ("Why Look Around the Corner"). Suddenly, Grampy bursts in and declares that Betty must return to ToonTown or it will disappear. Betty, while traveling, laments that she has nothing left to amuse her. She almost knew what she wanted, but now it is gone ("Something to Shout About"). Back in ToonTown, Betty declares she is done running away from men. Grampy, Valentina, Trisha and Dwayne appear in Toontown because Valentina figured out a way to travel to both dimensions safely. Dwayne and Betty share a kiss and the world starts to turn to color ("Color of Love").
Development and production
The idea for a Betty Boop
Betty Boop is a cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer. She originally appeared in the '' Talkartoon'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pic ...
musical first arose in 2004.
The musical premiered at the CIBC Theatre
CIBC Theatre is a performing arts theater located at 18 West Monroe Street in the Chicago Loop, Loop area of downtown Chicago. It is operated by Broadway In Chicago, part of the Nederlander Organization. Opened in 1906 as the ''Majestic Theatre' ...
in Chicago, Illinois, with previews from November 19, opened on December 6 and closed on December 24, 2023, starring Jasmine Amy Rogers in the title role.[ The production was directed and choreographed by ]Jerry Mitchell
Jerry Mitchell is an American theatre director and choreographer.
Early life and education
Born in Paw Paw, Michigan, Mitchell later moved to St. Louis where he pursued his acting, dancing and directing career in theatre. Although he did not ...
. It featured set designs by David Rockwell
David Rockwell (born July 21, 1956) is an American architect and designer. He is the founder and president of Rockwell Group, a 250-person cross-disciplinary architecture and design practice based in New York City with satellite offices in Madrid ...
, costumes by Gregg Barnes
Gregg Barnes is an American costume designer for stage and film. Barnes is a three-time winner of the Tony Award for Best Costume Design in a Musical for his work on the Broadway productions of ''The Drowsy Chaperone'' (2006), ''Follies'' (2011) ...
, lighting by Philip S. Rosenberg, sound by Gareth Owen, and projections by Finn Ross
Finn Ross (born 1982) is a Scottish video designer working internationally. He works primarily on stage productions in the London's West End and on Broadway in the USA. He has also worked extensively in opera throughout Europe and has collabor ...
; The show's musical arrangements were by Daryl Waters. About the modern relevance of Betty Boop as the subject of "a big budget 21st Century Broadway musical", Rogers said, " e is a feminist icon ... from the 1930s, but she still upholds a lot of the same ideals that we want. She’s just a woman that wants to do what she wants ... freely, passionately, with love, and with joy. ... are still ightingfor full equality, and ... Betty is supposed to represent ... everything that women are capable of."
The show began previews at Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
** Broadway Theatre (53rd Stre ...
's Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Opened in 1917, the thea ...
on March 11, with an official opening on April 5, 2025.[Broski, Jennifer]
"Photos: ''Boop! The Musical'' Cast Takes First Bows"
BroadwayWorld, March 12, 2025 Mitchell is again directing and choreographing, with the Chicago principal cast and creative team on board. A cast album was released in June 2025.
Musical numbers
;Act I
*"A Little Versatility" – Betty Boop, Ensemble
*"Ordinary Day" – Betty Boop
*"In Color" – Betty, Ensemble
*"Get Her Back" – Grampy, Ensemble
*"I Speak Jazz" – Dwayne, Ensemble
*"Portrait of Betty" – Trisha
*"Sunlight" – Dwayne, Oscar Delacorte, Clarence
*"My New York" – Dwayne, Betty, Trisha, Ensemble
*"A Cure for Love" – Valentina, Mascots
*"Where I Wanna Be" – Betty, Ensemble
;Act II
*"Where Is Betty?" – Grampy, Valentina, Ensemble
*"Where Is Betty?" (reprise) – Raymond Demarest
*"She Knocks Me Out" – Dwayne, Ensemble
*"My Hero" – Trisha, Betty
*"Whatever It Takes" – Valentina, Grampy
*"Take It to the Next Level" – Raymond
*"The Campaign" – Company
*"Why Look Around the Corner" – Dwayne, Betty
*"Something to Shout About" – Betty
*"The Color of Love" – Company
Cast
Reception
Reviews for the Chicago production praised the show's music, choreography, and cast, Rogers in particular, but thought the story and characters needed additional development.
On Broadway, the production received mixed-to-positive reviews. While Rogers was widely praised for her charismatic and vocally strong performance as Betty Boop, and the production values, including Mitchell's choreography and Rockwell's scenic design, were acknowledged for their energy and polish, reviewers questioned the musical’s story, overall purpose and execution. Jesse Green of ''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' criticized the show as a "why?" musical, suggesting it felt more like a brand extension than a fully realized artistic endeavor. ''TheWrap
''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...
'' observed the show's lack of conflict and emotional depth, calling it a "Pooph-worthy" attempt to modernize an outdated cartoon icon. Even among more favorable reviews, such as in the ''New York Post
The ''New York Post'' (''NY Post'') is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative
daily Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid newspaper published in New York City. The ''Post'' also operates three online sites: NYPost. ...
'', the critics conceded that the plot was thin and derivative. Critics generally cited the show's predictable storyline, over-reliance on nostalgia, and marketing-heavy tone as a major shortcoming.
Awards and nominations
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://boopthemusical.com
"The Surprising History of Betty Boop"
''The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
''
2023 musicals
American musicals
Betty Boop
Musicals based on animated films
Musicals set in the 21st century
Musicals set in New York City