The first round of casting for the upcoming Broadway run of BOOP! The Musical, set to take over the Broadhurst Theatre beginning March 11, 2025, ahead of an April 5 opening night, has been revealed. Tony winner Jerry Mitchell is directing and choreographing the new musical, featuring a book by Bob Martin, music by David Foster, and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.
The complete principal cast from the musical's 2023 Chicago world premiere will continue with the show to the Main Stem, including Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop, Tony winner Faith Prince as Valentina, Ainsley Melham as Dwayne, Erich Bergen as Raymond, Stephen DeRosa as Grampy, Anastacia McCleskey as Carol, Angelica Hale as Trisha, puppeteer Phillip Huber as Pudgy the Dog, and Aubie Merrylees as Oscar. Additional casting, by Tara Rubin and Kevin Metzger-Timson, is to be announced.
The show follows Betty as her dream of an ordinary day off from being a super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to an adventure of color, music, and love in New York City—one that reminds her and the world, “You are capable of amazing things."
Introduced in 1930, Betty Boop initially appeared as a dog-like stage performer who sang and danced with another dog-like character, Bimbo. Inspired by the Jazz Age flappers and entertainers of the 1920s, Betty evolved into a full-fledged human character, and by 1932 she was the only female animated screen star in the world. Voiced by Mae Questel, Betty starred in more than 100 cartoons, 90 of which are included in the official Betty Boop series, which ended in 1939.
READ: How the Boop! Team Took the Retro Betty Boop Cartoon and Created an Original, Modern Musical
As previously announced, the full creative team from the world premiere run will reprise their work on the Main Stem, including scenic designer David Rockwell, costume designer Gregg Barnes, lighting designer Philip S. Rosenberg, sound designer Gareth Owen, projection designer Finn Ross, hair and wig designer Sabana Majeed, makeup designer Michael Clifton, illusion designer Skylar Fox, marionette designer The Huber Marionettes, music supervisor and arranger Daryl Waters, orchestrator Doug Besterman, and dance music arranger Zane Mark. Rick Fox will music direct, stepping in for the previously announced Andrew Resnick. Broadway vets Rachelle Rak and Jon Rua will serve as associate choreographers, with DB Bonds as associate director.
Visit BoopTheMusical.com for tickets.
See photos from the 2023 Chicago world premiere below: