The cartoon character has finally made it to Broadway – but how have critics been reacting to her arrival?
WhatsOnStage: “Boop! is a testament to the joy that Fleischer’s creation has given us over the years, and just as she helped get folks through hard times before, she’s ready to do it again now. Boop-oop-a-doop.“
Variety: “Rogers is a delightful embodiment of Betty, a cartoon that she makes just human enough with warmth, vulnerability and pluck. (Credit also goes to Sabana Majeed’s spit-curl wigs and hair design, Michael Clifton’s make-up and Gregg Barnes’ costumes.)”
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.’”
amny.com: “Mitchell delivers some clever staging — most notably at the top of Act Two, which features a visually striking chorus line that cleverly bridges the cartoon and real worlds, with every other ensemble member costumed in reverse: black-and-white on the front and color on the back, or vice versa. When viewed as a line, the alternating effect creates a seamless transition between the two worlds. But elsewhere, the choreography leans heavily on empty movement and high-energy group numbers that do little to move the story forward.”
The New York Post: “Most impressively for the newcomer, she’s handed the tricky task of bringing to life a silly and largely irrelevant cultural icon — the 1930s cartoon character Betty Boop — and turning the flirty Jazz Age creation into a relatable human.”
Time Out: ” above all, savor this show’s red-hot cinnamon heart: Jasmine Amy Rogers, making a sensational Broadway debut as the 1930s animated-short icon Betty Boop.”
New York Stage Review: “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.”
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.”
New York Theater.me: “What’s most fun about “Boop!” is the interplay between the color and black-and-white worlds, achieved through a collaboration of designers. The work of costume designer Gregg Barnes shines, for example, in the musical number at the top of Act II, “Where is Betty?” Each member of the ensemble is wearing a costume that’s in color in front, and black-and-white in back (or vice-versa) which, in coordination with Jerry Mitchell’s choreography, allows the scene, and everybody in it, to turn from color to black-and-white and back again in an instant.”
New York Theatre Guide: “While the songs (by composer David Foster and lyricist Susan Birkhead) are toe-tapping, they’re often unmemorable. But Angelica Hale as Trisha, a Betty Boop-obsessed teen from New York who becomes Betty’s friend, elicits cheers for every musical number with her powerhouse voice.”
Slant Magazine: “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.”
To find out more visit: https://boopthemusical.com/