Review Roundup: BOOP! THE MUSICAL on Broadway

Betty's on Broadway! Animation icon Betty Boop leaps off of the screen and takes the stage live in living color in BOOP! The Musical, opening tonight at the Broadhurst Theatre. Read reviews for the production below!

For almost a century, Betty Boop, created by animation pioneer Max Fleischer, has won hearts and inspired fans around the world with her trademark looks, voice, and style. Now, in BOOP! The Musical, Betty's dream of an ordinary day off from the super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to an extraordinary adventure of color, music, and finding love in New York City — one that reminds her and the world, “You are capable of amazing things.” 

The principal cast of BOOP!, who received critical acclaim in the Chicago pre-Broadway run last year, is headed by Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop and Tony Award®-winner Faith Prince as Valentina, Ainsley Melham as Dwayne, Erich Bergen as Raymond Demarest, Stephen DeRosa as Grampy, Anastacia McCleskey as Carol Evans, Angelica Hale as Trisha, Phillip Huber as Pudgy the Dog, and Aubie Merrylees as Oscar Delacorte.

The cast also includes Lawrence Alexander (Follies), Courtney Arango (Broadway debut, A Chorus Line National Tour), Colin Bradbury (Elf), Tristen Buettel (Bad Cinderella), Joshua Michael Burrage (Cats), Victoria Byrd (Back to the Future), Dan Castiglione (Broadway debut, The Tick), Rebecca Corrigan (Broadway debut, In the Heights film), Ian Gallagher Fitzgerald (Kinky Boots), RJ Higton (The Outsiders), Nina Lafarga (In the Heights), Morgan McGhee (Jelly’s Last Jam), Ryah Nixon (The Great Gatsby), Christian Probst (Bad Cinderella), Ricky Schroeder (Broadway debut, Kinky Boots National Tour), Gabriella Sorrentino (Hamilton), Derek Jordan Taylor (The Great Gatsby), Lizzy Tucker (Broadway debut), Amy Van Norstrand (Holiday Inn), Damani Van Rensalier (Hadestown), and David Wright Jr. (Aladdin).

Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots) brings the Queen of the Screen to the theater in BOOP! The Musical, with celebrated multiple Grammy Award-winning composer David Foster (“You’re The Inspiration,” “I Will Always Love You”), Tony Award-nominated lyricist Susan Birkenhead (Working, Jelly’s Last Jam) and Tony Award®-winning book writer Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone). 

Jesse Green, The New York Times: But none of that explains or justifies the show’s existence. Nor, despite enormous effort, can the book by Bob Martin. In building a case for a vintage piece of intellectual property — Betty was born as a half-dog in 1930 — Martin winds up replicating the kind of musical he roasted in ‘The Drowsy Chaperone’... That show’s imaginary ‘Eleanor! The Eleanor Roosevelt Musical,’ is no less ludicrous than the real-life ‘Boop! The Musical.’

Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune: Director Jerry Mitchell’s sing-and-smile-along production of ‘Boop! The Musical’ is like gulping a glass of fizzy sangria after a rough day, heck, after a rough three months and counting of stress and strife.

Matt Windman, amNY: Yes, it’s kid-friendly. Yes, it’s visually slick. But it’s also toothless. A show about a boundary-pushing cartoon icon shouldn’t feel this safe or generic. Betty Boop may be ready for her close-up, but this isn’t the vehicle she deserves. You are better off watching the original animated shorts on YouTube.

Frank Rizzo, Variety: “Boop!” shows that cartoon makeovers may be an enticing novelty, but to really succeed it first needs to be well drawn.

Johnny Oleksinki, The New York Post: There’s ​such a ​throwback showbiz energy to discovering a major talent like Rogers that makes the marquee lights twinkle a bit brighter as you ​b​oop out ​o​f the theater and off to Sardi’s.

Adam Feldman, Time Out New York: This musical will not change your brain in any way, but it delivers what it promises: a big Broadway production that leaves you grinning, and a star performer with the poise, charm and chops to make you believe that what the world needs now might be, of all things, a little more Betty Boop.

Bob Verini, New York Stage Review: The proceedings, all in all, are rather schizoid. Those seeking a smart night out, with sharply-delineated themes, are likely to react with a weary ‘Boop-Boop-a-Droop.’ There’s always the danger of showstopper fatigue setting in, as if you’ve eaten eight or nine hot fudge sundaes in a row. But as a respite from present-day realities and woes, and you know the ones I mean, Boop! could just be the tonic the doctor ordered.

Frank Scheck, New York Stage Review: Much of the credit for that goes to Jasmine Amy Rogers, making a Broadway debut that rivals Peggy Sawyer’s in 42nd Street. Playing the title character, this winsome performer is so talented, so appealing, so utterly adorable, that if you’re not thoroughly enchanted by her you need to check your pulse. She’s single-handedly responsible for that fourth star you see in the box above this review.

Robert Hofler, The Wrap: Foster and lyricist Susan Birkenhead load ‘Boop!’ with so many anthems they appear to be auditioning for some new ‘I Love NY’ ad campaign. As for Foster’s tunes, you will leave the Broadhurst humming them, because you’ve heard them all before, whether it is caterwauling gospel or anemic jazz or the ubiquitous female power ballad.

Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater: Little of it feels original, and none of it feels necessary. But just like actual Betty Boop merchandise — the many toys, t-shirts, scrunchies and socks covered with her image – ‘Boop!’ doesn’t have to feel necessary; it’s fun. And the main reason for that is Jasmine Amy Rogers.

Thom Geier, Culture Sauce: But when Rogers returns, with a raised eyebrow and a c*ckof her bobble-sized head, all’s forgiven. Whether in trousers or a skirt, she shows enough versatility to cement her status as a major new Broadway talent. And she proves that even after nearly a century, Betty Boop still deserves a place in the spotlight.

Allison Considine, New York Theatre Guide: BOOP! The Musical proves that bringing Betty Boop to life on stage is a worthy endeavor, even if only for the spectacle of it all.

Juan A. Ramirez, Theatrely: Hurtling towards us through metaphysical universes and a sometimes bumpy production, Rogers arrives fully-formed: a star.

Dan Rubins, Slant Magazine: But even if Boop! delivers a low-key #DeepMessage, it’s mainly just a rollicking good time that earns the confetti cannon that goes off in the show’s final moments. Director-choreographer Jerry Mitchell’s exorbitantly exuberant production numbers fuse old-school tap excess with a bit of hip-hop fluidity. Finn Ross’s projections design playfully incorporate glimpses of the original Boop animation throughout David Rockwell’s set. And for its sense of childlike wonder and whimsy, Gregg Barnes’s show-stopping costume designs for the second-act opener, in which half-black-and-white, half-color outfits allow the ensemble to swap between ToonTown and the real world from beat to beat, ought to melt the hearts of even the steeliest theater critics.

Tim Teeman, Daily Beast: The world of today doesn’t really offer an escape from attention and judgments, Betty discovers when she finds out how iconic she has remained. But in the world she eventually chooses to occupy, the excellent Rogers shows how Betty—emboldened by the love and appreciation women have for her in the modern world—finds a sense of her own power, and an ability to insist upon what she wants. That turns out to be not just good for Betty herself, but the inspiration for one final zesty explosion of color and dance.

Naveen Kumar, The Washington Post: Fortunately, the new musicals built around their legacies are, first and foremost, splendid showcases for powerhouse performers. As the cartoon vixen sprung to life in “Boop!,” Jasmine Amy Rogers gives the most sensational star-making Broadway turn in years — funny, captivating, a total knockout. It would be impossible to take your eyes off her if the rest of the production, directed and choreographed with maximalist razzle-dazzle by Jerry Mitchell, weren’t such an eye-popping spectacle.

Average Rating: 71.3%