David Foster Confirms BETTY BOOP Musical is Aiming For a Pre-Broadway Run in Chicago in 2023

The new musical based on the cartoon character Betty Boop, long in the works, is now aiming for a run next year!

David Foster, who wrote the music for the upcoming production, appeared on Live With Kelly and Ryan yesterday with wife and performer Katharine McPhee, where he confirmed that Betty Boop is coming to the stage soon!

"It's coming, 2023, finally," Foster said. "All of the pieces are in place and we hope to be in Chicago in the fall and then, God-willing, Broadway!"

He did not reveal further details about exact dates or a theater planned for the Chicago run, but stay tuned for more information!

Watch the full episode of Live With Kelly and Ryan below:

The musical based on the iconic cartoon character has been in the works for several years. In 2018, he shared, "I want to try and conquer Broadway, it's not an easy thing to do, but it's a transition I'm trying to make...I'm spending a lot of time in New York so that I can ensconce myself in the world of Broadway."

Earlier this year, a casting notice confirmed that the new musical will continue development in 2022.

It was then that the musical's creative team was confirmed to include book writer Tony Award-winner Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone, The Prom) and lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Jelly's Last Jam, High Society).

In 2019, Foster released a song for the show titled 'Something to Shout About', sung by McPhee, which can be seen below:

The name and talent of David Foster as one of music's most acclaimed songwriters and producers is the stuff of legend. Having spent the last four decades creating hits for stars including Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Josh Groban, Earth, Wind + Fire, Chicago, Andrea Bocelli, Michael Buble' and scores of others, this 45-time Grammy nominee, three-time recipient of The Grammy® Producer of the Year and Academy Award nominee has achieved extraordinary levels of success.

Betty Boop is one of the most iconic animated creations of the 20th century. First introduced in the 1930s, Betty Boop was created by Max Fleischer for his "Talkartoons" series, the first "talkies" of animation, which Max's company, Fleischer Studios, produced for Paramount. Mae Questel provided Betty's distinctive voice. By 1932 Betty, considered to be the first and only female animated screen star, had taken the country by storm. Betty starred in more than 100 cartoons, 90 of which are included in the official "Betty Boop" series, which ended in 1939. Since then, Betty has appeared in dozens of hit movies, television specials and commercials. She was the first cartoon character to be profiled by A&E's "Biography" series.