BETTY BOOP STEPS OFF THE SCREEN AND INTO REAL LIFE
by Lorelei.
Betty Boop was born flat in the 1930s, and for almost a century, she’s lived on black-and-white film. With a body made of ink and a voice that’s hard to mistake for anyone else’s, she’s climbing out of the frame and into full color, modern-day New York City, and she’s bringing her whole world with her. BOOP! The Musical comes to Proctors in Schenectady, on October 13-18.
Playing her on the national tour is Aliya Grace, and her enthusiasm for the role is unmistakable. “I’m looking forward to portraying Betty’s joyful spirit and sassy personality,” she says. She calls Betty a multifaceted icon, and she’s excited to play every side of her.
Moving Like a Cartoon
You might think the difficult part of playing Betty would be the singing songs that are very demanding vocally or the eight-shows-a-week schedule. For Aliya, the biggest challenge was simpler. Figuring out how Betty moves.
Betty’s exaggerated, rubber-limbed style is nothing like the way a person walks across a room. Getting it right took some help. Aliya worked with Rachelle Rak and Jerry Mitchell to find those movements, and she says she can’t wait for audiences to see the result.
The show also has fun with movement. In Betty’s black-and-white world, the 1930s cartoon style is on full display, and Aliya admits the style can be tough to execute. But as the story moves along and Betty settles into the real world, her movement changes. It gets looser, more human, and more modern. Aliya says it’s “very cool” to watch that shift happen a little more each scene.
Color Comes to Betty’s World
Change isn’t just in Betty’s body. The design team took her out of her black-and-white cartoon world and dropped her into a bright, modern NYC. Aliya credits the set, lighting, costumes, and special effects for bringing that transformation to life. She can’t wait for audiences to see it in person.
A Big Score and Even Bigger Choreography
Ask Aliya about the singing, and she does not sugarcoat it. Vocally, she says, the show is very demanding. She must bring Betty’s iconic voice to life while also handling the score by David Foster, a score that jumps from big Broadway numbers to up-tempo jazz to power ballads. Keeping her voice ready for all of it has been a fun challenge, she says.
The physical side of the role asks just as much of her. Jerry Mitchell’s choreography is famous, and doing it eight shows a week, in Aliya’s words, “can do a number on your body.” The show is as physically demanding as it is vocally, so she’s made taking care of her body and her voice a big priority.
Why Betty Still Works
It’s been almost a century since Betty first hit the screen, but Aliya thinks her story still holds up because her themes are timeless. From the 1930s to today, Betty has stood for strength, dignity, confidence, and standing up for what’s right. Aliya says she’s grateful to share that message with women especially, but everyone across the country.
The show also touches on some real history. Betty ran into the Hays Code in the 1930s, a set of moral rules, and the musical brings that up. It happens while Betty is scheming to help a friend win a political campaign that would be good for NYC. Aliya says the timing is “pretty perfectly placed,” so it fits right into the story instead of feeling like a history lesson.
A Small Town Girl On The Road
Aliya has a personal connection to her character, too. Betty is eager to explore something new in her life, and Aliya knows the feeling well. She grew up in a smaller town and felt the same pull for most of her life. Now she gets to travel the whole country with the show, which she says is exciting.
Two Dimensions to Three
When Aliya was asked what surprised her most while working on the show, she didn’t mention the dancing of the score. Aliya points to how far Betty travels over the course of the show. What struck her most was Betty’s journey. She was struck by how much Betty changes from beginning to end. She starts out as a two-dimensional character and finishes as a fully-fledged woman.
Aliya says getting to tell that story, and share it with so many people, has been “a beautiful journey.”
Catch Her In Person
If you grew up with Betty, or you only know her from a T-shirt or a sticker, this is your chance to see her move, sing, and step out of the frame. BOOP! The Musical plays at Proctors on October 13-18. Call the Box Office at 518.346.6204 or email for information at info@proctors.org or visit https://bit.ly/3QrN0WK for a direct link to tickets.
