BOOP! Lyrics – All Songs from the Musical

"BOOP! The Musical" – The Musical Guide & Song Meanings

Review

What do you do with a character who is famous for a face, a silhouette, and a wink? You give her a problem that a wink cannot solve. BOOP! treats Betty Boop’s “cuteness” like a job description, then asks what happens when she wants a day off from being a symbol. The lyrics lean into the central switch: ToonTown’s performative cheer versus New York’s speed, noise, and cynicism. In the best moments, the text isn’t trying to modernize Betty by sanding her down. It makes her contradictions the point.

Musically, David Foster writes pop-jazz that behaves like Broadway: clear hooks, clean setups, and an instinct for momentum. Susan Birkenhead’s lyrics often do their smartest work in the negative space, especially when a character admits they have no language for what they feel and uses music as the substitute. The show’s thesis keeps returning in different shapes: fame is not identity. Color is not freedom. Love is not rescue. Those are easy lines to say. BOOP! tries to sing them into something believable.

The production’s style matters to the lyric meaning. Tap, big chorus architecture, and quick comic turns keep insisting on joy, even when the book pulls toward moral fable. It’s a family musical with adult-level craft problems: how do you make a vintage figure feel emotionally current without turning her into somebody else?

How It Was Made

BOOP! took the long road. Public reporting around the show notes development stretching well over a decade, with the basic idea dating back to the mid-2000s, and the project finally landing as a Chicago world premiere in late 2023. That timeline shows up in the writing itself. The musical is constantly negotiating between brand iconography and human stakes.

David Foster’s transition from hit-maker and producer into theatre composer is part of the show’s DNA. His instincts are radio-friendly, but BOOP! is built for scene work, not singles. The clearest example is the handling of “Something to Shout About,” which Foster has described as a late-show anchor, strengthened and repositioned after the creative team decided it needed the kind of placement that changes the temperature of an act.

Jerry Mitchell’s approach is equally story-driven: the choreography doesn’t just decorate songs, it becomes the storytelling device that explains the dimension-hopping. When you watch the ensemble flip between worlds in seconds, it’s not only a technical trick. It’s the musical’s argument made visible.

Key Tracks & Scenes

"A Little Versatility" (Betty)

The Scene:

ToonTown. The light reads like grayscale glamour, with showbiz snap in the legs and a chorus line that feels like a studio-era machine. Betty is “on” before she has a chance to be “okay.”

Lyrical Meaning:

Betty’s brand is competence. The lyric sells ease, but you can hear the fatigue beneath the polish. “Versatility” becomes a warning: if you can be anything, you might become nothing.

"Ordinary Day" (Betty)

The Scene:

A pause inside the cartoon noise. The staging usually narrows the world. Fewer bodies. Softer edges. The feeling is private, even when the show refuses to be small.

Lyrical Meaning:

This is the emotional premise in plain language: a star wants anonymity, not because she hates fame, but because she can’t locate herself inside it.

"In Color" (Betty, Company)

The Scene:

Transition. The stage turns from controlled monochrome into a rush of modern New York brightness, helped by projections and design that fold animation into physical space.

Lyrical Meaning:

Color is framed as liberation, then immediately complicated. The lyric treats “newness” like oxygen, but the show hints that oxygen can still burn.

"I Speak Jazz" (Dwayne)

The Scene:

A present-day New York pocket of sound. Dwayne’s confidence is musical, not verbal. The lighting tends to isolate him like a club set inside a larger city.

Lyrical Meaning:

Dwayne uses jazz as identity and defense. The lyric makes romance feel like improvisation, which is charming, but also a way to avoid direct emotional claims.

"My New York" (Betty, Dwayne, Trisha, Company)

The Scene:

Betty lands in the middle of Comic Con and the city answers with spectacle. The ensemble becomes the crowd, then becomes the city itself. The pace feels like a grin that never stops.

Lyrical Meaning:

This is the show’s big love letter, but it’s also a trap. The lyric frames New York as possibility, while quietly admitting that possibility can swallow you whole.

"Where Is Betty?" (Company)

The Scene:

Act II opens as a search party. The company spins, flips, and snaps between black-and-white and color with a costume-and-lighting logic that changes on a beat. It’s a visual joke with real character stakes.

Lyrical Meaning:

The lyric is literal, but the subtext is identity panic: if Betty can cross dimensions, where does she belong? The number turns “missing person” into “missing self.”

"Why Look Around the Corner" (Betty, Dwayne)

The Scene:

A romantic pause where the city noise drops out. The lighting goes warmer and more human, as if the show is trying to persuade itself that tenderness is possible here.

Lyrical Meaning:

This is the musical negotiating optimism. The lyric argues for risk, but it’s also Betty testing whether she can want something without performing it.

"Something to Shout About" (Betty)

The Scene:

Late in Act II, after the story’s lessons start to feel unavoidable. Betty stands in full color, but the moment is not about spectacle. It’s about need. The belt arrives like a crack in a porcelain mask.

Lyrical Meaning:

The show finally lets Betty state the hunger underneath the iconography: she wants meaning, not applause. Placing it as the late-show peak makes it less like a cute “I want” and more like a demand.

Live Updates

BOOP! premiered in Chicago at the CIBC Theatre in late 2023, then transferred to Broadway’s Broadhurst Theatre, beginning previews March 11, 2025, opening April 5, and closing July 13, 2025. That short Broadway run matters for how people read the score now. The album became the primary way the show lived on, because the production itself disappeared quickly.

The Original Broadway Cast Recording arrived June 6, 2025 in digital and streaming formats, with physical editions also announced for the same date. Platform listings show an expanded track list beyond a simple handful of highlights, effectively functioning as the show’s audio document for listeners who never saw the staging.

As of the most recent official site updates, BOOP! is positioned to return as a tour-style run beginning in fall 2026, launching in Rochester, New York, described as the start of a lengthy itinerary. If that plan holds, the show’s next life will be regional audiences first, not New York critics. That changes everything. This is a musical built on visual invention, and tours force invention to be repeatable.

Notes & Trivia

• The world premiere ran at Chicago’s CIBC Theatre from November 19 through December 24, 2023, with an official opening on December 6.
• Broadway ran at the Broadhurst Theatre from March 11, 2025 (first preview) to July 13, 2025 (final performance), totaling 25 previews and 112 regular performances.
• The Act II opener “Where Is Betty?” was built around rapid visual switching between worlds, with reported transitions happening in seconds as lighting, costumes, and video cues align.
• A reported technical emphasis of the Broadway staging was the tight integration of projection, set architecture, and choreography to make ToonTown bleed into New York.
• “Something to Shout About” was publicly framed as a late-show peak, strengthened and repositioned by the creative team to hit with maximum impact.
• The cast album release date is June 6, 2025, with official announcements noting both streaming and physical formats.
• The official site has described a fall 2026 launch beginning in Rochester, New York, framing BOOP! as a show designed to keep traveling.

Reception

BOOP! was received as a high-craft spectacle with an unusually strong central performance, paired with debate about whether the story was substantial enough to justify the production’s scale. Critics consistently pointed to the black-and-white versus color concept as the show’s most legible metaphor, because it is staged, not explained. When the lyrics try to explain it anyway, the show can feel like it’s summarizing itself. When the lyrics stay character-first, the score lands.

“Jasmine Amy Rogers gives the most sensational star-making Broadway turn in years.”

“Rogers movingly converts Betty’s voice from the cutesy cartoon sound to a full-throated belt.”

“A bright, colorful extravaganza of nostalgic comedy, charming songs, and high-stepping choreography.”

Technical Info

• Title: BOOP! The Musical
• Year: 2023 (world premiere)
• Type: New musical comedy with pop-jazz score and classic Broadway dance language
• Book: Bob Martin
• Music: David Foster
• Lyrics: Susan Birkenhead
• Director / choreographer: Jerry Mitchell
• Premiere context: World premiere at CIBC Theatre (Chicago), Nov–Dec 2023
• Broadway context: Broadhurst Theatre; previews March 11, 2025; opened April 5; closed July 13, 2025
• Selected notable placements: ToonTown opening kickline (“A Little Versatility”); the portal-to-New-York color shift (“In Color”); Comic Con landing and city rush (“My New York”); Act II world-switching search (“Where Is Betty?”); late-show anthem placement (“Something to Shout About”)
• Album / label status: Original Broadway Cast Recording released June 6, 2025; label and rights listings reflect Melody Place Theatrical LLC
• Availability: Streaming and digital platforms; track listings also published via major music services
• 2026 update: Official site language describes a fall 2026 launch beginning in Rochester, New York

FAQ

Who wrote the lyrics for BOOP! The Musical?

Susan Birkenhead wrote the lyrics, with music by David Foster and a book by Bob Martin.

Is there a BOOP! cast recording?

Yes. The Original Broadway Cast Recording was released on June 6, 2025 in digital and streaming formats, with physical editions also announced.

What is the show’s core story hook?

Betty Boop leaves her black-and-white cartoon world and lands in modern New York City, searching for who she is when she is not performing “Betty.”

What is “Where Is Betty?” in the staging?

It is the Act II opener built as a visual and musical hunt for Betty, using rapid switching between black-and-white and color to represent the two worlds.

Is BOOP! still running on Broadway?

No. The Broadway run closed July 13, 2025, but the official site has described future plans beginning in fall 2026.

Key Contributors

Name	Role	Contribution
Bob Martin	Book	Builds the dimension-hop structure and gives Betty a “selfhood” problem instead of a nostalgia parade.
David Foster	Composer / album producer (credited)	Pop-jazz songwriting shaped for scene storytelling, plus stewardship of the cast recording.
Susan Birkenhead	Lyricist	Balances comedy and sincerity, often using self-aware character language to expose emotional gaps.
Jerry Mitchell	Director / choreographer	Turns the black-and-white versus color idea into choreography, not just concept art.
Finn Ross	Projection design	Helps blend animation language into live staging so ToonTown can “touch” the real world.
David Rockwell	Set design	Creates a flexible environment that can snap between dimensions and support large dance architecture.
Gregg Barnes	Costume design	Delivers the signature world-switch trick (half monochrome, half color) that powers Act II’s opener.
Jasmine Amy Rogers	Original Betty Boop	Anchors the show’s emotional credibility, shifting from cartoon persona into human longing.
Melody Place	Recording entity (credited in release info)	Rights and release framework for the Broadway cast recording on major platforms.

Sources: BOOP! The Musical (official site); Playbill; Deadline; Broadway In Chicago; The Washington Post; Slant Magazine; WhatsOnStage; Associated Press; People; 4Wall; Apple Music; Broadway News.