Pretty much everybody knows Betty Boop, or at least has seen her: the coquettish cartoon, known for her pin curls and tiny dress, is one of the most recognizable animated characters ever. Few know, however, that Betty, an intentionally sexual symbol of the swinging Jazz era, is primarily based on a Black woman performer of the day, Esther Jones. Of course, given that Jones made her mark some 100 years ago, there’s not exactly a trove of videos to see and hear her performances. But thanks to a new Broadway musical, we can get close to seeing Betty–– and the pioneering woman who inspired her–– live as “BOOP! The Musical” brings the beloved character to life. 

“One of the things about Betty is that she can be any woman, but I think it's really powerful to play Betty as a Black woman and have us be seen in that way,” says Jasmine Amy Rogers, who embodies the timeless chanteuse on stage. “It’s amazing playing a character that's so iconic in the history of jazz, and going back to her roots in that way.” Following a short run in 2023 in Chicago, “BOOP!” opened on Broadway in April, and it’s already causing a stir; 26-year-old Rogers has been nominated for a Best Leading Actress in a Musical Tony award.  “I get to [perform] this full-out, loud belt that I think has been so iconic in the Black community for so long. It’s important to me that people are starting to relearn the name Esther Jones, because she didn't get credit for a very, very long time.” 

The “BOOP!” story is pretty simple, and good cheeky fun: Betty, the biggest star in the world, has been dazzling audiences in her black-and-white world for some 100 years, but realizes she wants more out of life. Hungry for adventure and experiences outside the confines of what she knows, Betty goes on an exciting journey that lands her in the present-day real world, where she seeks to find herself. “Along the way,” Rogers tells Bet.com, “she finds herself, but realizes she was missing true love in the friendship aspect and romantic aspect, and she finds that when she finds that love, it brings color to her world. It’s the sweetest little love story, full of joy, color, and it's just a beautiful, great joy of a time.” 

David Foster, the Canadian music producer and composer adored for his work with a slew of legends including Aretha Franklin, Earth Wind & Fire, Mary J. Blife and Whitney Houston––whose monster hit “I Have Nothing” from the Bodyguard soundtrack was co-written by Foster––composed and arranged the music for “BOOP!” It's a high-energy, bombastic song and dance thrill ride to 18 original tracks, mostly rocking jazz tunes that bring the era's sound to the modern age. “We haven't really seen her fully fleshed out before, literally and figuratively, but so I got to really bring myself to the character/ This is what she looks like. This is what she talks like. I definitely had to take on dancing in a way that I had for a very long time. Even though she’s a cartoon character, I had to look at myself in a very serious way and throw myself into it.” 

Rogers’ Tony nomination makes her among some of the youngest nominees in the nearly 80-year-old awards' history; should she win at the June ceremony, Rogers would join legends like Audrey Hepburn (who won at 25), who nabbed the honor before turning 30. A native of Houston, Rogers attended the Manhattan School of Music after spending her high school years singing, acting, and performing. 

She says that while Betty’s true origin as a Black woman in the Harlem jazz scene isn't explicitly laid out in the story, the optics and context of the show make it impossible to miss that Betty is a soulful sister. She says that director and choreographer, two-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell, had always imagined a Black woman playing Betty, and that spirit comes through in the scats, movement,s and overall vibe Betty brings to the stage. “It’s just the way we carry ourselves, in the way we move through every day, and the way she sings her songs. There are people who will say that he's not based on [a Black woman] but at the end of the day, she's an iconic 1930s jazz figure, and there is no jazz without us.”

And as much as Rogers’ embodies Betty, and the irreplaceable essence of the 1930s jazz scene through song and dance, there was another element Rogers knew had to be just right to play Betty Boop: her emblematic hair, made up of waves and pin curls that are unmistakably Black girl magic.

“Dorothy Dandridge was actually a really big inspiration,”  Rogers says. “We worked close to the cartoon version of Betty, but we wanted it to be as real as possible. We did not play about the hair!” 

“BOOP! The Musical” is now on Broadway in New York; for more info, click here.