BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical - Pre-Broadway Chicago- Page 10

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 6:54pm

 

[Globefan]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 8:54pm

I'm loving hearing about all the changes 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 9:31pm

Lola Getz2 said: "Have they changed Faith’s costume and wig yet?"

No, and I have to believe the wig/costume designers have it out against her. In fact, I believe Jerry Mitchell cast Prince because he hates her, it is such a thankless role. I love faith prince and so desperately want to see her back on broadway, but this is not it. Very akin to how wasted Jason Danieley was in pretty woman.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 12/2/23 at 10:37pm

I always appreciate BalconyClub's meticulous reports out of Chicago out-of-town runs. It can be fascinating stuff. Keep it up as long as the time & wallet allows!

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 11:50am

Call_me_jorge said: "Lola Getz2 said: "Have they changed Faith’s costume and wig yet?"

No, and I have to believe the wig/costume designers have it out against her. In fact, I believe Jerry Mitchell cast Prince because he hates her, it is such a thankless role. I love faith prince and so desperately want to see her back on broadway, but this is not it. Very akin to how wasted Jason Danieley was in pretty woman."

I seriously doubt they are deliberately trying to make Faith look bad. If they dislike her so much, why cast her at all?
All of the costumes for this show are so great with this one exception. The character is supposedly a very successful scientist who worked for NASA for years, she looks like a frumpy housewife who hasn’t seen a hairdresser or even been to Macy’s since she last saw Grampy. She should look like a professional woman of a certain age. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 12:13pm

She's one of the modern day characters, so it's not like she can really get all that interesting with her costumes.

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 3:48pm

Boop's Instagram story shared an audience member's post that there are 2 new songs since that person last saw the show.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 4:55pm

Hearing the entire Faith role might be cut......

[Globefan]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 5:16pm

If Valentina is cut from the show, what would they replace her with? 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 6:26pm

She's great, but the show doesn't really need that subplot. They've already got the weird political mayor thing. And if anything, they need to focus on Betty's relationship with her man and less on Gramp's situation. I don't think the audience really cares. 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 7:09pm

Saw today’s matinee preview. Jasmine Amy Rogers is a star. She carries a first act that “borrows” heavily from Disney’s “Enchanted.” But everything falls apart in act two.

• Betty’s tired of fame. She visits NYC for an “ordinary day.” But learns in act two that every New Yorker knows who she is. I don’t buy that.
• The little girl thinks Betty’s a bigger feminist icon than Wonder Woman. She wants to be Betty. Betty wants her to just be herself. I don’t buy that either.
• Betty gets sexually harassed in the real world. And realizes that this has been happening in all her cartoons. She declares she’ll never make another film where she “gets chased.” Now that’s an interesting idea. The show could really unpack this. Though it may be darker than the tone they want.
• Betty also gets saddled with a boring love interest. I needed more contrast between how he treats her and how the jerks who harass her do.

The current ending robs Betty of all agency. Spoilers:

 

Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content

Grampy yanks her back to cartoon land to stop it collapsing. (Something they never attempt to visualize or invest us in.) Betty sings she wants "Something to Shout About." A lyric that tells us nothing. Then Faith Prince brings her human friends to cartoon land for a “visit” with no apparent consequences. Confetti! Bows! The end?

 

Updated On: 12/3/23 at 07:09 PM

[Globefan]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 7:32pm

RippedMan said: "She's great, but the show doesn't really need that subplot. They've already got the weird political mayor thing. And if anything, they need to focus on Betty's relationship with her man and less on Gramp's situation. I don't think the audience really cares."

A lot of the problems would be resolved if Betty's storyline got more room to breathe 

[Lola Getz2]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 7:41pm

Loved seeing Faith, but yes, the storyline and songs would not be missed. 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 7:48pm

For contrast. Both Seussical and Spongebob the Musical get me invested in a cartoon town that's about to be destroyed. Rumbling sound effects. Terrified villagers. Etc. All Betty's cartoon world has are chorus dancers and the two gay film directors. The show keeps flashing back to them for exposition. But there's never any sense that they're in danger of vanishing due to Betty's absense. 

[Call_me_jorge]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 8:23pm

MrsSallyAdams said: "But there's never any sense that they're in danger of vanishing due to Betty's absense."

Hadn’t thought about this, but you’re entirely right! I feel like they can easily add a scene of the Trisha character watching a Betty Boop cartoon and the world is falling apart and everyone doesn’t know where boop is.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 10:13pm

QueenAlice said: "Robbie2 -- Why is having somebody post all the changes being made on a production during its out of town tryout a bad thing? It becomes part of searchable record and in years to come, I assure you will be of continued interest. I hate to be that person, but if it bothers you, skip the update posts!"

Asked a simple question to balconydude if he was an usher or invoved with the production as his comments-notes were extensive from many previews that's all and if not, why so obsessed? Didn't realize that this is his thing he does with Chi tryouts. Far from bothering me but he has not responded just others to his defense for some reason? Moving on

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 12/3/23 at 11:37pm

We’re good Robbie. Just a frequent ticket buyer.

In Sunday night’s show, I heard a new brief musical nod to Bombay in one of the opening Boop shorts.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 12/4/23 at 11:01pm

BalconyClub said: "We’re good Robbie. Just a frequent ticket buyer.

In Sunday night’s show, I heard a new brief musical nod to Bombay in one of the opening Boop shorts."

Balconyclub that's so cool and must say you have a real talent for your descriptive notes-comments on changes being made from one preview to another. It's an art what you're doing........Hope you plan to utilize this skill some how in what you plan to do in the theater world or? It's your thing and I can tell you LOVE doing it by just reading through all your posts! 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 12/5/23 at 11:08am

Dear Balcony Club, I'm curious about the subplot for the two gay film directors. On Sunday they started singing about Betty ("She's sunlight") but ended up holding hands with each other. They held hands again in the finale. Has there been more or less of their relationships in previews? I appreciate sneaking some m/m rep in for LGBTQ+ audiences. But right now, it feels timid. Especially compared to Faith Princes' overt horniness. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/5/23 at 12:03pm

I didn’t get any gay vibes from them at all nor do I think that was the intention? But maybe it went over my head. 

[MrsSallyAdams]

Posted: 12/5/23 at 12:21pm

It may be something they're still toying with. There wasn't a lot of emphasis on it.

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 12/5/23 at 12:48pm

My hunch is that the Director and Assistant Director are under-the-gaydar fanboys of Boop. Near the start of Sunlight, the Director places his hand on the shoulder of the Assistant Director. Then slowly, the Assistant Director raises a hand to the Director’s arm.

But this is easily readable in either direction - are they budding directors with benefits, or simply appreciating the light and glow of Boop.

Their brief duet in the finale - on the stairs surrounded by the Ensemble - was added Nov 30 or Dec 1.

Updated On: 12/5/23 at 12:48 PM

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 12/5/23 at 12:50pm

[BETTY22]

Posted: 12/5/23 at 4:42pm

It looks gorgeous!!!

[RippedMan]

Posted: 12/5/23 at 5:35pm

I don’t feel like we really needed their characters or at least their characters to sing, but it’s fine. 
 

Also those pictures make it look like there is more there than it is since it’s mostly projections.