On December 9th, 2023, I was privileged enough to go see the Pre-Broadway tryout of “Boop!: The Musical.” If you’re wondering why the name sounds familiar, it is based on Betty Boop, the popular character of the 1930’s. Whether you have seen Betty Boop on a makeup pouch, purse or poster, this musical explores her in ways we have not seen before.

“Boop!” shows Betty Boop tired of the typical black-and-white cartoon world as she yearns to explore a reality different from hers. She decides to take her Grampy’s time machine and is transported to 2023 New York. As she explores contemporary New York, she encounters and befriends a young girl named Trisha and her brother Dwayne that Betty develops feelings for, all this while discovering things about herself along the way.

To be honest, when I heard that there would be a Broadway adaptation of Betty Boop, I rolled my eyes. Personally, I didn’t want to see another existing property be turned into a Broadway show, but I was proven wrong. Breakout star Jasmine Amy Rogers did such an amazing job as Betty Boop by not only capturing her mannerisms and her voice, but also her vulnerability as can be seen when she starts to develop feelings towards Dwayne and as she bonds with Dwayne’s sister.

Other standouts from the show include 16-year-old Angelica Hale as the feisty orphan, Trisha, who not only has great chemistry with Jasmine Amy Rogers, but also Ainsley Anthony Melham’s Dwayne.

The one critique I have about the musical is that I wish we could have seen more of  Betty Boop’s pet dog, Pudgy. It would have been entertaining to see him come to the modern world with her. Overall, this musical was very fun with not only amazing choreography but great songs, acting, and set designs.