BOOP!'s Ainsley Melham Is Back Where He Wants to Be

What's the scoop on Betty Boop? The iconic little lady is taking centerstage this Spring when BOOP! The Musical begins performances at the Broadhurst Theatre. Jasmine Amy Rogers plays the title role, and at her side is Ainsley Melham, who returns to Broadway after making his debut in Aladdin in 2019.

Melham plays 'Dwayne'- a jazz musician with a nostalgia for old Hollywood. "This is the first time I've been part of an original show. I've been lucky enough to be a part of many wonderful musicals, but it's always been remounting them in Australia," he told Richard Ridge during a break from rehearsals.

"This is my first time creating something new, so it was thrilling to be part of a company and discover it together for the first time- to have a voice in how it was coming together. It was such a thrilling time in Chicago and seeing what the audiences responded to, and who they fell in love with on stage, what part of the show really worked and what had to be changed."

Boop! is being brought to Broadway by an all-star creative team, including Tony Award-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell, multiple Grammy Award-winning composer David Foster, Tony Award-nominated lyricist Susan Birkenhead, and Tony Award-winning book writer Bob Martin. 

"I'm trying to stay level headed and calm about the whole experience, which is helped by the team here. They've done this many times... so they're all over it," added Ainsley. "But being back and being in this theater... it's really very special. You hope, I think when you start out doing this sort of thing that maybe you will get to a place like this. Growing up in the country, in a small town, in Australia, how was I to know that, that this would be on the other end of it?  I'm really just stoked for little Ainsley- that I can share this with him!"

BOOP! The Musical will open at the Broadhurst Theatre on April 5, 2025. View the full 2025 Spring Preview!