NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� The actor picked to play the iconic, baby-faced flapper Betty Boop in a new stage musical is a triple threat from Texas with a contagious laugh.
Jasmine Amy Rogers will star in 鈥淏OOP! The Betty Boop Musical鈥� making its debut this fall in Chicago with hopes that it can charm itself to Broadway. It first plays from Nov. 19-Dec. 24.
鈥淭hose are huge shoes to fill, but I鈥檓 in such a great company. I have so many people around me that are helping me find her and bring her to life, and so it鈥檚 really, really exciting,鈥� Rogers told The Associated Press before her official unveiling Wednesday.
The musical is directed and choreographed by Jerry Mitchell, who discovered Rogers while he was directing the musical in 2019.
"I remember even when she first auditioned for me for that there was something about her 鈥� that 鈥榠t鈥� thing. They walk in and they鈥檝e got that 鈥榠t鈥� thing and you watch them and you go, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 the person,鈥欌�� said Mitchell.
Mitchell is a two-time Tony Award-winning choreographer and director whose shows include 鈥淜inky Boots,鈥� 鈥淟egally Blonde,鈥� 鈥淒irty Rotten Scoundrels,鈥� 鈥淗airspray鈥� and 鈥淟a Cage aux Folles.鈥�
鈥淚 was looking for moxie. I was looking for effervescence,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a song at the end of the first act, and when she sang the song, she just made me cry, brought me to tears with so much joy and so much style. That was it. She completely won the role. She came in and won the role.鈥�
Plus, he added, Rogers has an ability to be vulnerable and a contagious laugh: 鈥淪he鈥檚 got that that crazy giggle that just makes me giddy.鈥�
The musical has songs by multiple Grammy Award-winning composer Tony Award-nominated lyricist Susan Birkenhead and a story by Tony Award-winning book writer Bob Martin (鈥淭he Drowsy Chaperone,鈥� 鈥淭he Prom鈥�).
Betty Boop has been a queen of animated cartoon characters since 1930, wearing round eyes, a strapless minidress, with a garter peeking out above her knee and large hoop earrings in her ears. She was introduced in short movies fluttering her lashes and trilling her signature 鈥淏oop-oop-a-doop,鈥� a Depression-era bad girl.
The musical's creators have crafted a story of empowerment for Betty. 鈥淭he character is one of those indomitable spirits that just can鈥檛 be broken,鈥� said Mitchell. 鈥淭here鈥檚 one thing missing in her life, and it鈥檚 love. And she doesn鈥檛 even know what it is because she鈥檚 never experienced it in any of her shorts. So she goes on this journey to find it.鈥�
Rogers said it is important for her to show Betty as a fully-fleshed human being. 鈥淚 really hope for young women that come to see it, that they they do leave feeling inspired, and they feel seen and loved and heard,鈥� she said.
Rogers is one of many young actors taking on roles that weren鈥檛 necessarily created with Black women in mind. 鈥淚鈥檓 basically casting Jasmine to fulfill the story that we鈥檙e telling in this musical," says Mitchell. "And when you see the musical, I think you鈥檒l immediately understand why I cast her.鈥�
Rogers attended the Manhattan School of Music for two years and left to begin auditioning full time. In addition to her credits are 鈥淭he Wanderer鈥� at the Paper Mill Playhouse in New Jersey and a spot as a 2017 finalist. She was on tour playing Gretchen Wieners in "Mean Girls.鈥�
鈥淚 went to college for two years and that really wasn鈥檛 the path for me at the time. And I ended up leaving and I wasn鈥檛 sure what was going to come next. And then I immediately booked 鈥樷�橞ecoming Nancy,'" says Rogers. 鈥淪o it鈥檚 been a dream forever and now it鈥檚 finally happening. But I鈥檝e definitely, I鈥檝e been doing it since I was 7, working really hard.鈥�
Betty Boop has maintained a role in popular culture, featuring in the 1995 Macy鈥檚 Thanksgiving Day Parade and the character made a brief appearance in the 1988 feature film 鈥淲ho Framed Roger Rabbit.鈥� which created her cartoons, is backing the new musical.
鈥淚 always dreamt that I would get to do something like this and bring to life somebody as important and as loved as Betty, but I never dreamt that in a million years that it would be Betty herself. So it鈥檚 really crazy,鈥� said Rogers.
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Mark Kennedy is at
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
