‘BOOP!’: Jasmine Amy Rogers. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

BOOP! THE MUSICAL
Based on characters created by Max Fleischer
Book by Bob Martin
Music by David Foster
Lyrics by Susan Birkenhead
Directed & choreographed by Jerry Mitchell
Broadhurst Theatre
235 West 44^th Street
https://boopthemusical.com/

By Scott Harrah

The iconic cartoon character Betty Boop was created by Max Fleischer in 1930. Now, the creative team of book writer Bob Martin (The Drowsy Chaperone), composer David Foster, lyricist Susan Birkenhead and the always-brilliant director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell have brought everyone’s favorite animated Jazz Age flapper to vivid life in Boop! The Musical. Betty Boop’s heyday was the 1930s, a time when her black-and-white cartoons brought levity and escapism to people during the Great Depression. Now, in 2025, she’s live, in color and being portrayed by the effervescent “triple threat” Jasmine Amy Rogers—one of the most exciting newcomers to hit the Broadway stage in ages.

A tonic for troubled times

I heard mixed things about the show before seeing it. One friend who caught an early preview said he loved it, while another said it “wasn’t my cup of tea.” Another friend told me she thinks it’s the “type of show America needs right now,” with the unstable economy, a volatile stock market and a tense, divided political temperature nationwide. I agree with the latter sentiment because Boop! Is certainly a tonic for troubled times.

Time machine nonstop to NYC

The musical opens as Betty fantasizes about leaving her make-believe comic world, one in which she is a superstar and faces all the trappings and downsides of fame. She mostly lives with her dog Pudgy (portrayed onstage with a clever marionette controlled by artist Philip Huber). With the help of Grampy (Stephen DeRosa) and his time machine, she’s transported nonstop to 2025 New York City, in living color. She soon experiences everything the modern-day city has to offer, from music to romance.

She is immediately beamed to the Comic Con convention in Manhattan. Here, she meets young Trisha (Angelica Hale), an adorable Betty Boop fangirl. The fan introduces Betty to the charming, handsome Dwayne (Ainsley Melham), an aspiring jazz musician. Dwayne takes care of Trisha and works for her busy aunt, Carol Evans (Anastacia McCleskey). Her aunt works for an unscrupulous mayoral candidate, Raymond Demarest (Erich Bergen).

Lighthearted & a delightful diversion

The ensuing plot is silly and full of color characters, including Valentina (Faith Prince), an astrophysicist who wears a lot of funky outfits and has romantic designs on Gramps. Most of the story line is lighthearted fluff, an excuse to showcase lavish production numbers featuring Jerry Mitchell’s visually appealing choreography, David Rockwell’s gorgeous scenic design and whimsical, outrageous costumes by Gregg Barnes. Lighting designer Philip S. Rosenberg adds more optical treats with glittering projections, lights and digital confetti that bathe the cast and the stage in multiple colors.

Book writer Bob Martin has created Betty as a feminist heroine—perhaps to add a touch of 21^st century verisimilitude—but don’t go searching for any profound meaning or message here. Yes, the show makes some important statements about sexual harassment and the dark side of city politics, but Boop! is hardly an intellectual musical. I don’t think it’s intended to be anything but a delightful diversion to make theatergoers forget their troubles and watch a glitzy spectacle. Isn’t that the main purpose of any Broadway musical?

Score, lyrics & cast

Composer David Foster (with 16 Grammy Awards, one Emmy, one Golden Globe and three Oscar nominations) and lyricist Susan Birkenheard (Jelly’s Last Jam) pack the score with such peppy songs as “Ordinary Day” and “Where I Wanna Be” to “Where is Betty?” and “Something to Shout About.”

Although not all the songs are memorable, the gifted cast does a superb job in nearly all production numbers. Let’s start with the supporting characters first.

Seeing Broadway veteran Faith Prince back on the New York stage is a treat, and long overdue. She gives everything she’s got to Valentina, the astrophysicist who dabbles in vaudeville. Her zest and witty spirit add much humor to the character. Her love interest Gramps is splendidly portrayed by Stephen DeRosa and the two are lots of fun on their duet “Whatever It Takes.”

Broadway newcomer Angelica Hale is sweet and engaging as Trisha. Anastacia McCleskey is equally compelling as Trisha’s aunt Carol Evans and the campaign manager for the unsavory mayoral candidate Raymond Demarest (played by the marvelous Erich Bergen, who seems to be having a blast playing the despicable character).

Aubie Merrylees is a hoot as Oscar Delacorte, Betty’s director in the cartoon world, while Ainsley Melham plays the perfect heartthrob as Dwayne, Betty’s love interest. Kudos also go out to Phillip Huber, the marionette artist who brings Betty’s pooch, Pudgy, to life.

Jasmine Amy Rogers & Jerry Mitchell

Boop! may not have been as enjoyable without a star like Jasmine Amy Rogers. She is the consummate Betty with her infectious energy, great vocals, and a nice combination of spunk and vulnerability. Director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell has created his best, most colorful musical since Kinky Boots. Boop! is not a perfect show, but it’s a family-friendly gem and one of the most enjoyable musical comedies on Broadway this season.

Published April 20, 2025
Reviewed at press performance on April 10, 2025

‘BOOP!’: The cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BOOP!’: Jasmine Amy Rogers & cast. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BOOP!’ Angelica Hale & Jasmine Amy Rogers. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BOOP!’: Stephen DeRosa, Jasmine Amy Rogers & Phillip Huber (marionette artist for Pudgy). Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BOOP!’: (Photo, left) Anastacia McCleskey & Erich Bergen. (Photo, right): Stephen DeRosa & Faith Prince. Photos: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

‘BOOP!’: Ainsley Melham & Jasmine Amy Rogers. Photo: Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman.

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‘DISASTER!’: Roger Bart & Kerry Butler. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

DISASTER!
By Seth Rudetsky & Jack Plotnick
Choreographed by JoAnn M. Hunter
Directed by Jack Plotnick
Nederlander Theatre
208 West 41st Street
(877) 250-2929, http://www.disastermusical.com/

By Scott Harrah

The 1970s disaster movie genre could easily be mined for a spoof. From The Poseidon Adventure and The Towering Inferno, created by the “Master of Disaster” Irwin Allen to Earthquake and the many Airport films, the movies were so over-the-top with their special effects, soapy subplots and all-star casts and cameos that they sometimes seemed like parodies themselves. So it is puzzling why Seth Rudetsky and Jack Plotnick took such a great topic for a satire and did so little with it in Disaster!

Back in 1980, Airplane! hilariously roasted the Airport franchise with slapstick humor that skewered everything about the movies, with visual and sight gags and raunchy jokes. The movie was a mega-hit because it was silly and clever while sending up the plots of not only Airport and Airport 1975 but also the 1957 film Zero Hour. Here, Mr. Rudetsky and Mr. Plotnick have taken plot elements from Earthquake, The Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure and set the scene in 1979 on Barracuda, a floating disco/casino on the Hudson River, with characters loosely based on those in the movies it mocks, but with no quick-witted humor or anything truly ingenious. Instead, the creators insert snippets of old 1970s pop radio standards like “Knock on Wood,” “Sky High,” “I Am Woman,” “Hot Stuff,” “Torn Between Two Lovers” and more ad nauseam, for no apparent reason other than to pad out an already overlong show. The result is many strained laughs in a jukebox musical without much context, like watching one of those kitschy old K-Tel pop music compilations come to life on the stage. Instead of giving us a solid plot and exquisitely jabbing the satirical needle into the genre, Mr. Rudetsky and director Jack Plotnick give us a lazy series of lame, half-baked skits that aren’t funny and serve no purpose.

We have many of the characters from a pastiche of 1970s disaster films, but few are well-developed composites of the people from the wonderfully tacky epics of yesteryear.

There are many Tony-nominated and Tony-winning stage veterans in the show, but their talents are mostly wasted on the thin material. Roger Bart annoyingly hams it up as Tony, the sleazy owner of the casino. Faith Prince and Kevin Chamberlin portray Shirley and Maury, a wisecracking New York Jewish couple obviously modeled after Shelley Winters and Jack Albertson in The Poseidon Adventure. Kerry Butler is Marianne, a reporter and the ex-fiancee of waiter Chad (Adam Pascal). Rachel York plays Jackie, a sexy lounge singer that’s obviously a cross between Carole Lynley’s Nonnie and Stella Stevens’ Linda Rogo in Poseidon. .

Max Crumm (best known for the 2007 Grease revival with Laura Osnes) plays Scott, a waiter, a nod to Roddy McDowell’s character Acres in Poseidon. Newcomer Lacretta Nicole is Levora, the spandex-clad, African-American disco diva who hasn’t had a hit in a while, and her main purpose here seems to be to belt out disco golden oldies like “Never Can Say Goodbye.” Mr. Rudetsky himself plays Professor Ted Schneider, the “disaster expert” who is hell bent on warning everyone about the doom that awaits them because the casino’s structure was built on a fault line (a Manhattan pier).

The true standout performances in the show, however, are given by lesser-known actors. Young Baylee Littrell is outstanding in the dual role of Ben and Lisa, singer Jackie’s identical twins. Jennifer Simard is a total scene stealer as Sister Mary Downy, a nun with a gambling addiction who loves to strum her guitar and screech out an atonal version of Sister Janet Mead’s infamous 1974 rock rendition of “The Lord’s Prayer.” The first-rate Ms. Simard displays the perfect mix of piety and spunk—a glorious homage to Helen Reddy’s singing nun in Airport 1975—and she gets the show’s most sincere and well-deserved laughs.

Disaster! is disappointing because of what it could have been. It started out Off Broadway at the St. Luke’s Theatre three years ago, but the Broadway production should have been more polished. Co-author Jack Plotnick also directs the show, and that is a problem here because an objective party was desperately needed to fine-tune things. In many cases, there should be a law on Broadway that writers of shows should not be allowed to also direct their works, because a more focused director and script doctor might have been able to save this Disaster! from sinking by cutting out the many pointless song snippets, tightening the narrative, and keeping the jokes on-target.

Edited by Scott Harrah
Published March 15, 2016
Reviewed at press performance on March 14, 2016

DISASTER!: (left to right) Faith Prince, Kevin Chamberlin & Kerry Butler. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

‘DISASTER!’ Jennifer Simard as nun Sister Mary Downy. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

DISASTER!: Adam Pascal & Kerry Butler. Photo: Jeremy Daniel

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