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Rogers Set to Amaze Audiences as Betty Boop
The actor Rogers has chosen to play the role of the iconic, flapper character Betty Boop in a new musical on stage, complete with a contagious sense of humor, hailing from Texas with a triple threat. Jasmine Amy Rogers will be performing in “Boop!” The Betty Boop Musical is set to kick off its debut in Chicago this fall with hopes of captivating Broadway. It will be hitting the Chicago Broadway stage for the first time from November 19th to December 24th.
credit: The Associated Press
“They are big shoes to fill, but I’m in excellent company. I have a lot of people around me who are helping me find her and bring her to life, and so it’s really exciting,” Rogers told the Associated Press before her official announcement on Wednesday.
The music direction and choreography have been handled by Jerry Mitchell, who discovered Rogers when he was directing the musical “Becoming Nancy” at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre in 2019.
“I remember even when he first auditioned for me, there was something about him – it’s ‘it.’ They come in and they’ve got ‘it,’ that thing. They have arrived and they have ‘it,’ and you see them, and you go, ‘That’s the person,'” Mitchell said.
Mitchell, a choreographer and director who has won two Tony Awards, is best known for his work on the Broadway productions of “Kinky Boots,” “Legally Blonde,” “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” “Hairspray,” and “La Cage aux Folles.”
“I was in search of Moxie. I was in search of excitement,” he said. “There’s a song at the end of the first act, and when she sang that song, she just tore me up, so much joy and so much style, brought me to tears. That was it. She won the role. She came in and she won the role.”
In addition, he added that Rogers has a sensitivity and infectious humor that sets her apart: “She has this crazy humor that just slays me.”
The music features several Grammy-winning composer David Foster, Tony-nominated lyricist Susan Birkenhead, and Tony-winning book writer Bob Martin (“The Drowsy Chaperone,” “The Prom”).
Betty Boop has been an animated cartoon character since 1930, known for her large eyes, strapless minidress, garter that peeks above the knee, and oversized hoop earrings in her ears. She charmed audiences in short films, delivering her signature “Boop-Boop-a-Doop” that resonated with a Depression-era audience.
The composers have crafted a story of empowerment for Betty. Mitchell said, “She’s one of those indomitable spirits that can’t be broken.”
“I don’t know what it is because she’s never experienced it in any of her shorts, so she goes on this journey to find it,” he added.
Rogers emphasized the importance of portraying Betty as a complete human being. She said, “I really hope that those young women who come to see it, that they leave inspired, that they see, love, and feel seen and heard.”
Rogers is one of many young actors taking on roles that don’t necessarily conform to traditional expectations for female characters. Mitchell said, “I’m casting Jasmine in this musical because she embodies what we’re telling in this story.” “And when you see the musical, I think you’ll immediately understand why I cast her.”
Rogers attended the Manhattan School of Music for two years and then ventured into full-time auditions. Along with her credits, she also appeared in “The Wanderer” at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey and as a 2017 Jimmy Award finalist. She was on tour as Gretchen Wieners in “Mean Girls.”
“I went to college for two years, and at that time, that really wasn’t the path for me. And I left, and I had no idea what was going to happen next. And then I immediately booked ‘Becoming Nancy,'” Rogers said. “So it’s always been a dream and now it’s finally happening. But I’m definitely, I’ve been working for it since I was 7 years old.”
Betty Boop has maintained a presence in popular culture, making appearances at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in 1995 and a brief cameo in the 1988 feature film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit.” Fleischer Studios, which created her cartoons, is supporting this new musical endeavor.
“I’ve always dreamt that I would get the opportunity to do something like this and bring such an iconic and beloved character to life, but I never dreamt in a million years that she would be Betty herself. So it’s really surreal,” Rogers said.