Following a critically acclaimed engagement in Chicago last year, BOOP! The Musical will be presented on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre from March 2025, starring leading Australian performer Ainsley Melham as Dwayne, alongside Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop and Tony Award®-winner Faith Prince as Valentina.
The principal cast of BOOP!, who also featured in the Chicago pre-Broadway run last year includes, Erich Bergen as Raymond, Stephen DeRosa as Grampy, Anastacia McCleskey as Carol, Angelica Hale as Trisha, Phillip Huber (Pudgy the Dog), and Aubie Merrylees as Oscar. Additional casting will be announced soon.
Melham, who previously starred on Broadway as Aladdin in Disney’s Aladdin, as well as the Australian National Tour, is well known in his home country for his recent performances in Wicked (Fiyero), Pippin (Pippin), and Rodger’s & Hammerstein’s Cinderella (Prince Topher).
Melham’s credits also include Kiss of the Spiderwoman (Molina), Merrily We Roll Along (Charley Kringas), The Normal Heart (Felix), Xanadu (Sonny), Watershed: The Death of Dr. Duncan (Lost Boy) and Hi-5 (host).
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 colour, music, and finding love in New York City – one that reminds her and the world, “You are capable of amazing things.”
Tony Award®-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell (Kinky Boots) brings the Queen of the Screen to the theatre 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).
“I am over the moon that our Chicago principal cast will be joining us on the journey to Broadway,” said director and choreographer, Jerry Mitchell. “Everyone embodies the infectious positive spirit of Betty Boop, and I can’t wait to get back in the rehearsal room to bring BOOP! to Broadway.”
BOOP! The Musical will begin previewing at Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre on 11 March, ahead of its official opening night on Saturday 5 April 2025. For more information, visit: www.boopthemusical.com for details.
Image: Ainsley Melham as Dwayne and Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop in BOOP! The Musical (Chicago, 2023) – photo by Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman