I was there last night. Was pleasantly surprised that the show started on time (even more so than most non-first-preview shows these days). Lights dimmed at 8:02, Jerry Mitchell gave brief remarks about shutting off phones but fine to have them out for the curtain call and mentioned all the cast members making their Broadway debuts, then it started. Bows by 10:35.
I had no idea what the story was going in, and it's basically just Enchanted but with Betty Boop. (I guess I'm old since Enchanted is the reference that came to mind--cartoon character arrives in NYC, dance numbers in the city, love interest, motherless child--though the Barbie reference others have made is probably more accurate for the show's aspirations.) I wish it were anywhere near as good as either of those, but it's not.
This works best as a series of big, splashy, fun musical numbers performed by a very talented and likeable cast. They’re so energetic and happy that the show is hard to dislike…even when the story and book test that. The book has some good lines and moments, but it gives too little reason to care about any of these characters or this story. The characters are barely there and largely depending on the charisma of the performers to carry the load. The political subplot is dreadful, and too much of it doesn’t make sense (why would Carol be working as the campaign manager to such a clearly terrible person? Why would we like or respect her for doing so? Why not have him seem decent to begin with and then have the turnaround with Betty seem like a surprise?) Most of the book scenes just lay there, and are full of odd choices…and then there’d be another musical number, and it would be fun and happy and energetic and exactly what a Broadway musical should be (or at least a Broadway musical about a cartoon character should be). I can’t say I had a bad time or didn’t get my money’s worth, largely due to the cast and the musical numbers. But nearly everything in between those numbers was something to be tolerated until the next one began.
Jasmine Amy Rogers is good, but there's a weird lack of material for the Betty character that doesn't allow her to really shine. She gets the two opening numbers, which are fine but nothing special, finally gets another big number in the Act 1 closer (which felt like it should have been bigger and longer), then there's an 11 o'clock number that's basically Generic David Foster power ballad (really, it sounds like a castoff unworthy for Whitney to sing in The Bodyguard movie) that lets her belt her face off. She got a standing ovation that rivals what Nicole got at Sunset when I saw that. But the show takes time to give each of the minor characters their own numbers, and there are several group numbers for the ensemble, but while she's there most of the time, the character feels strangely underserved. The show is about her, but focuses more (or too much) on everyone else’s reactions to her than on her. Also, Giselle and Barbie had clearly defined characters that allowed for their arcs to work. Betty...doesn't. She's kind of a nonentity. Rogers is clearly very talented and very likeable onstage, but she's undercut by the show that doesn't give her nearly enough, or good enough, material.
The biggest surprise for me was Ainsley Melham, who I'd never heard of and had no expectations for the male love interest in a show like this. Which may have been why I was so impressed. He was great. He had two big solo numbers, both of which killed, and a romantic number with Rogers, with whom he had great chemistry. Great singing, great dancing. I didn't necessarily want more of him (for a love interest, there's just enough of him) but was always happy to see him.
Erich Bergen seems wasted until he gets his own number, which he is terrific in. Faith Prince—also wasted until a duet she pulls off well enough, but the character seems entirely unnecessary.
If all you’re looking for in a Broadway musical is big, dazzling, exciting, fun, splashy musical numbers performed by a stellar cast, then this is probably sufficient. But for anyone who cares about the story in a musical (and wants one that isn’t...well, dumb), this isn’t it.
Updated On: 3/12/25 at 12:34 PM
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