While hiding in plain sight, she quickly discovers she’s still famous in the land to which she escaped. Stephen DeRosa (left) as Grampy, Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop, and Pudgy (controlled by puppet artist Phillip Huber) in Boop! The Musical, now playing with Broadway in Chicago at the CIBC Theatre Credit: Matthew Murphy and Evan ZimmermanĪlthough Betty feels like she’s anonymous, she’s not. Soon the supporting cast goes into a very cute number (“In Color”) where Betty is surrounded by notable cartoon characters like the Ninja Turtles, Velma, Superman, and even Pikachu. To Comic Con of all places! This is a city of bright colors and even louder sounds, and Betty is perplexed. Using some smart special effects within the set design (David Rockwell created the sets, with projection design by Finn Ross), Betty gets transported from her black-and-white, Great Depression-era world to the radiant universe of NYC in 2023. She desperately wants some time to herself, away from her celebrity, but gets more than she bargained for. Tired of fulfilling a fantasy all day, every day, Betty decides to test out her scientist grandfather’s invention: a transdimensional something-or-other. A star in every aspect and a humongous talent, Boop is overworked and overrun by the film industry and men who just wanna chase her around for kicks, or more. She’s an object of desire and the pride of her production company, but she’s exhausted. Boop has been revived time and again-icons will be icons.īoop! The Musical begins with big pressure for our protagonist. (Not to mention a quick cameo in the animated-and-live-action fantasy film Who Framed Roger Rabbit). By the 60s she got colorized and by the 90s there were VHS collections and cable stations selling and airing the cartoons. This lasted for a number of years, but by 1955 the original Boop cartoon shorts were sold for syndication to a subsidiary of Paramount Pictures, and she was again sprinkled into popular culture. By 1934 the motion picture industry was under strict guidelines for decency vis a vis the Hays Production Code, and the overtly sexual nature of the Boop cartoons was effectively censored, giving Betty a sort of makeunder. This holiday season, save a space for local journalism.Īs far as the case, the judge ultimately found insufficient evidence to support Helen Kane’s claims, and she lost. We won’t get into the neoteny, but Betty Boop is, to some, feminist canon: a no-nonsense gal who didn’t take shit from dudes (she was constantly using violence to fend them off), stood up for others, spoke her mind, and followed her heart. Over time she developed into a red-dress-donning, hoop-earring-wearing, curlicued vixen, complete with a coquettish yet sometimes juvenile disposition. In her first cartoon appearance ( Dizzy Dishes, 1930) she wasn’t even a woman-she was originally created as a dog with human emotions. Monroe,, $30-$103īetty Boop is a feminist, even though I’m sure she probably wouldn’t describe herself that way. Through 12/24: Tue and Thu-Fri 7:30 PM, Wed 2 and 7:30 PM, Sat 2 and 8 PM, Sun 2 PM: also Sun 12/10 7:30 PM CIBC Theatre, 18 W. With a spunky new theatrical treatment featuring a book by Tony Award-winning Bob Martin ( The Drowsy Chaperone), music by Grammy Award-winning composer David Foster, lyrics by Tony Award nominee Susan Birkenhead ( Working, Jelly’s Last Jam), direction and choreography by two-time Tony Award-winning Jerry Mitchell ( La Cage aux Folles, Kinky Boots), and performances by a magnificent ensemble cast, Boop! makes a strong case for contemporary theater based on beloved (and updated) childhood characters. who knew she was Black? In Boop! The Musical she is-and somehow the original cartoon character created by Max Fleischer in the 1930s remains as coy and relevant as ever. Who knew Betty Boop had imposter syndrome and was tired of being such a generational baddie? Also. Best of Chicago 2022: Sports & Recreation.Click here to join the Reader Membership Community today! Close
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