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[0:00] Gordon Cox: Welcome to Stagecraft, Variety's theater podcast. Your backstage pass to revealing conversations with stars, creators, and industry leaders. On Broadway, off Broadway, and beyond. I'm Gordon Cox. On this episode of Stagecraft, I'm talking to two of the stars of Boop, the Betty Boop musical. One of them is a name that theater fans will know very well. It's Faith Prince, the Tony-winning actress whose Broadway credits include Bells Are Ringing, Noises Off, The Little Mermaid, and of course, Guys and Dolls, the 1992 revival that won her the Tony. My other guest is a Broadway newcomer, Jasmine Amy Rogers. She's giving a breakout performance in the musical as the title character herself, the classic cartoon character Betty Boop.

This new musical, with songs by hitmaker David Foster, finds Betty transported from her black and white cartoon world into full-color contemporary New York City. The new musical played an out-of-town tryout in 2023 in Chicago, where Rogers earned raves for her performance, and here in New York, the show began Broadway previews just last week. Now, Prince and Rogers are in the virtual studio with me to tell us how it's going, and how this 100-year-old cartoon character still speaks to audiences today. Hello, Jasmine and Faith. Thanks for joining me.

[1:19] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Hey, Gordon! Hi!

[1:22] Gordon Cox: So, I am talking to you right now, and your first preview was two days ago. How did it go?

[1:28] Jasmine Amy Rogers: You'll go, Jasmine. I think it went really well. Yeah, I think it went so, so well. It was really, really exciting, and we had a great audience. It was amazing, yeah.

[1:38] Gordon Cox: Were you nervous at all? Is that nerve-making?

[1:42] Jasmine Amy Rogers: I was nervous. I don't know about you, Faith. I was. I think nervous is, it's like part of your genes. It's just in the DNA in performing. I mean, I teach a lot, and I always say to my students, you know, that's your power. That's your energy. How we use it is another thing, you know, but to sort of pretend it's not there, I don't know. I've always just incorporated it into whatever the first scene I go into. It's like that's sort of what I sit on is little rocket fuel.

[2:11] Faith Prince: That's such a good way to think of that. I love that. It's how I get through it.

[2:17] Gordon Cox: Does it go away as the night goes on?

[2:22] Faith Prince: I think it gets worse, honestly. Speaking for somebody who's done it for 45 years, yes.

[2:30] Gordon Cox: Oh, my gosh. That's funny.

[2:33] Faith Prince: Again, I don't like anything to have power over me that I can't enjoy, and I struggle with it and wrestle with it, so I just keep finding ways of using it.

[2:43] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yeah.

[2:44] Gordon Cox: That makes sense.

[2:45] Faith Prince: Yeah. Did the audience react in any ways that surprised you?

[2:50] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Huh? You know, I don't think it necessarily surprised me in a way that I didn't expect it, but there was a moment when we were doing Eric Bergen, who plays our villain. His reaction this time around has been so spectacular, and it makes me so happy for him. I'm really excited about that, so that's been really cool. Yeah.

[3:15] Faith Prince: I think the heart of the show is even more so in New York than it was in Chicago. It was always fun and cartoony and great, and the choreography. I mean, all of those elements. But I think Jerry is really finding now the heart of it is the last sort of grab, and maybe it's the times we're living in, but the sweetness of it and the warmth of it and the joy of it, even in terms of the way we look at New York. It's a Valentine to New York, and I haven't thought about New York in that way in a long time. So I would say the heart of it. I think you look out in the audience, and this woman was like 35, and she grabbed the top of her, like the base of her neck, had her hands crossed, and it was almost like, she was just, I mean, it was just like she was suspended at the end of the show. And I'm thinking, okay, I'm good to go. That's what I needed.

[4:15] Gordon Cox: You mentioned Jerry. That's Jerry Mitchell. He is the director of shows, including Legally Blonde and Kinky Boots and Boop. I just wanted to say that for folks who maybe weren't aware. Faith, what is it like for you to be back on Broadway? This is your 14th show by my count.

[4:36] Faith Prince: Oh, my gosh. I'm so glad you counted, because I lose count. And it's funny, Broadway world what is it? I go, I have no idea. I always lose count. What is it like? Honestly, this is the thing I felt the first time I did a Broadway show, which was Jerome Robbins' Broadway, and it's the thing I feel I am more comfortable on that stage than I am in my real life. And I don't know what that is. It's like a calling. My body just completely relaxes when I walk onto that stage. And I always thought it would be something. It's sort of like playing Carnegie Hall. You think it's going to be this big suspended thing. But when you walk out there, it feels like your living room. I can't explain it. But I'm so deliciously happy to be a part of this. And honestly, watch this woman right here. It's like watching Barbara Streisand do Funny Girls. It really is. It really is. So I mean, it's great. Yeah.

[5:42] Gordon Cox: Jasmine, this is your Broadway debut. How does it feel for you?

[5:45] Jasmine Amy Rogers: It's really been very, very special. But I'm starting to feel that like, at home feeling where it does feel like it's where I'm meant to be. And that's really been really special. Because I don't think I never knew what it was going to feel like, obviously. But it's so special every night so far. I mean, so we've only done it a couple times, obviously. But it just feels so right. And it's so exciting every time. And in the cast, the full cast, I love them so much. So talented. Every single solitary person. Just like talented and kind and gracious and hilarious. And it just makes me feel so at home and so comfortable and so safe. And last night, really, I had a moment, I was like, okay, we've done this a couple times.

I was like, let's just play with it. Because the show is so fun. I was like, we can just play. And to have that safety to feel like that was something I was able to do has been really special. And then getting to go outside and talk to people who've seen it, who are just so joyous. It means the world. It's so incredible.

[6:58] Gordon Cox: Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about Boop and the character that inspired the show, Betty Boop. She's oldie timey, right? She's been around for almost 100 years. And most of us picture her in that sort of early black and white hourglass animation era. Jasmine, did you know the character at all?

[7:15] Jasmine Amy Rogers: I did. I hadn't really watched a lot of her shorts, but I did know her pretty well. My grandmother loved Betty Boop. My mother loves Betty Boop. And growing up, we always went to Universal Studios in Florida. And there's a big Betty Boop, like cartoon section. And there's like this big animatronic, not animatronic, but this big... And I don't even know what you call it, like a robot thingy. And her leg kicks. Anyway, she lights up. But I remember seeing that. And when I was little, I remember seeing there was a doll of her in one of those stores. And I remember begging my mother to buy it for me. And I carried it around for the rest of the trip. So she's been in my life. Definitely not in the way she is now. But I definitely always knew who she was and always thought she was adorable. And now I just know her a little bit more. So yeah.

[8:09] Gordon Cox: Yeah. And Faith, what about for you? Did you have a relationship with the character at all?

[8:13] Faith Prince: A tremendous relationship, actually. My brother used to say, you know, your voice is just like Betty Boop. Yeah. And then he gave me a porcelain doll when he was older. And I still have it in my closet. And so she was iconic. But I was just acutely aware of what a strong woman she was. That's what always impressed me, just how many things she did in these cartoons. And I thought, wow, she's doing things that women today don't even do. And I was always so impressed by that. But my brother was the one who said, yeah, you and Betty Boop. And it's just so funny because people that have known me for years, they go, you're not Betty Boop, are you? I go, honey, I could be Betty Boop's great, great grandmother. But I'm Grampy's girlfriend. I said, do you know the shorts? You know, so it was fun creating this character and having her kind of come to life with these other characters that are so iconic. That was an interesting process.

[9:19] Gordon Cox: Yeah. Your character is, is she new for the musical or is she from the shorts?

[9:25] Faith Prince: Nope. Bob made her up.

[9:27] Gordon Cox: Okay. She's new. That's what I thought. This is Bob Martin, the book writer. Yeah. She's a NASA scientist, right?

[9:33] Faith Prince: Yeah. And my dad was a nuclear engineer, so I'm not far off. I mean, I understand some of the, you know, the ways she sort of functions and she has a real push pull to her. I mean, she's, you know, she rattles off things, but then she's got an emotional side too. My dad was like that. So I relate.

[9:53] Gordon Cox: And so how are you finding, Jasmine, how are you finding that the character of Betty now speaks to women today?

[9:59] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yeah. So she was so ahead of her time when she was, when she first came onto the scene. But I think it's just, you know, not every woman is the same. And what I think is nice about Betty is that every woman can find a way to connect to her because she is so, she's so universal in the way that she's tough. She's sweet. She's caring. She's smart. She's so playful and adventurous. And so there's a piece of us, there's a piece of us, of each woman that I think lives inside Betty or that lives vice versa. But I think they just want to see a woman having a good time and finding love in a way that she wants to find that and standing up herself in the way that she wants to do that. And I think they just enjoy that because we do that in our daily lives.

But also there are moments when we don't get to do that. So we see and live through her in that way. But she's just, even though she is a cartoon from the 1930s, she's always been so ahead of her time. And we can relate to her in that way and just everything she stands for. And it's really nice because she connects women of all ages, even though she is from that time. It's so interesting the way that that's possible because we've changed so much over time, but we really haven't. And women have always been, I think, so special. And I think she embodies that and encapsulates that in a really good way.

[11:42] Jasmine Amy Rogers: What did you think about taking this two-dimensional character and, you know, making a full human out of her, making a full three-dimensional person out of her? It's tough. It's definitely something I still am working on now. You know, the work never ends. But I think a lot of it was just being able to put her in situations that she was never able to be in before. So a lot of that does half the work. And then the other half of the work is bringing my experience as a woman in life to Betty. And I think we have a lot of similarities in the way we behave and our mannerisms and things like that. So it just is like this mesh of two things or two or three things that kind of bring her to life. And it's definitely something I get to play with every night and experiencing, oh, how would a cartoon experience this?

And what would she think about this? And as the show goes on, she finds more depth in, you know, how she's able to feel about things. So it's definitely tough, but it's an exciting challenge. That is so personal to me, because I get to bring Jasmine to it. And I think that's what brings her to life the most. And that's really cool.

[12:58] Faith Prince: Are you doing a vocal thing at all?

[13:00] Jasmine Amy Rogers: I am.

[13:01] Faith Prince: Yeah, yeah. Tell us a little bit about how that goes.

[13:05] Jasmine Amy Rogers: You know, the first time I did it, I didn't, I'm really weird this way. I don't like to always practice on my own, because I embarrass myself in front of myself, if that makes sense. No one's watching me, no one can hear me. But so the first time I did it, I just did it in the room. And, you know, I've always kind of been one of those people who did voices and things like that. My father, who since passed away, but he was really big on voices like that. And so it's always kind of lived in me. But I just kind of did something. And it was kind of a little bit of a copy of hers. And as time's gone on, I found my own. But it's just, it's just Betty Boop, you know, and I find that trying to do it outside of the show sometimes feels strange.

But when I'm doing it in the show with the text that Bob has written, it feels, it feels so natural. And honestly, it's sometimes I'll be in rehearsal and we'll just be reading the lines or things like that. And I find that I honestly can't read the lines in my own voice. I have to put on the voice because it just doesn't feel right. It's so interesting.

[14:08] Faith Prince: Yeah.

[14:09] Jasmine Amy Rogers: I get the impression that there's still some Betty Boop fans out there. As I understand it, you both had a chance to sort of interact with them, you know, at least in Chicago initially, as you were doing the show. What do they love about the character so much? Have you found?

[14:27] Faith Prince: She just holds such a special place in their heart. And I haven't gotten to talk a lot with people specifically as to why that is. Because, you know, like, you go through like the stage door line, and you go pretty fast, at least for me. But they just, they, she's so special to a lot of people. I don't know if you've talked to anybody, Faith.

[14:45] Faith Prince: Well, I was just sitting here thinking, it's sort of like that number that Angelica sings in the show. Hero, she embodies the best of what we'd like to be that strength, yeah, with kindness and playfulness. And she's still got personality. And she's sexy, and she's fun. And she's a lot of things, you know, so I think she embodies the best of what a woman can be. And sometimes people need a role that they can identify. I mean, that's why those, is it Comic Con? You know, those? Yeah, yeah. You know, people live through that because they identify with something, and it gives them a way to sort of show themselves completely. So that's my take on it, too. You know?

[15:37] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yeah, like who they feel they are, or who they'd like to be. Yeah, that's like, oh, fantasy does that. And it's like such a beautiful escape. And yeah, yeah. They can really be themselves. It's like, my brother used to say to me, you're more yourself on stage than you are off. And sometimes people can live in those iconic, you know, even Marvel characters, or you know, they relate to it gives them strength, it gives them power, you know, they discover their superpower through those iconic sort of cartoons and characters. So I say whatever works. Yeah, right.

[16:23] Gordon Cox: I'll have more with Jasmine and Faith right after the break.

[16:32] Gordon Cox: And now here's more of my conversation with two stars of Boop, Jasmine Amy Rogers and Faith Prince. The music in the show is by David Foster, have you heard of him? He's coming along.

[16:43] Faith Prince: Well, right. That's the thing. He's written or produced so many songs that we all know. I was looking back and it's like, You're the Inspiration by Chicago and Gloria of Love by Peter Cetera. And honestly, for me, Man in Motion, the theme from St. Elmo's Fire was a big deal for me in the 80s. How would you describe what's his music like in Boop? How much is it like the work that we know of his and how much is it might have surprised us?

[17:08] Jasmine Amy Rogers: I think it's very surprising. I was listening to him talk about this the other day, and he was like, you know, you write a pop song and it's three or four minutes of this kind of like, you know, this straight thing. And he's like, in musical theater, it can do anything. And he was excited by it. He's like, it can start off one way and then just stop and then become something else. And there's a lot of that in this show. I think there are some ballads that are so classically David because they're just so well done. But I think he's able to capture the cartoon world in such a beautiful way, as well as the modern day.

[17:45] Faith Prince: That's really, really cool. And I think we're getting to see him do something that he's never gotten to do before. And you can kind of hear the excitement of that in the music, I think.

[17:56] Jasmine Amy Rogers: He's so cute. You know, even my, they rewrote Stephen DeRosa plays Grampy, you know, and we have this little, you know, it's sort of like our couplette, you know, we're the older couple in the show. And he rewrote the second act number for us. So we have a brand new number from even when we were in Chicago. And I said to David, I said, you know, it's iconically sort of vaudeville, but it has a Burton Crack feel to it. And he went, you're great, you know, so he finds a way to modernize, like an iconic Broadway song, and yet put his own twist on it. And he's always so cute, because he's coming up to me, he goes, do you think you can take that up? It's, you know, a tone, and I just smile and go, no. Honey, I said, I got four good notes left, and you're getting all of them.

[18:52] Faith Prince: Oh, my gosh, I'm like, save that conversation for Celine, you know, but, right, and he always does it. And he's just, and my son, who's a, you know, sound producer, and, and mixer, and, you know, he produces things, he goes, Mom, you're always gonna have, you know, a pop producer want to go to a higher thing. And I said, Yeah, but unfortunately, he said, right, eight times a week, you know, you have to just know your, you know, you know, your voice. And I, that's one thing I do.

[19:23] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yes. But he's very cute. It's been an amazing process, I think, for David, you know. He's having so much fun. And I think that's really, really special. Yeah, and an adventure for him, you know.

[19:36] Gordon Cox: We were talking, Faith and I were saying, just before the recording, we were talking about Jerry Mitchell's work, Jerry, the director and choreographer, and how a lot of those numbers are sort of nods to a lot of the great choreographers and directors, many of whom Jerry has worked with, many of whom Faith has worked with. I wonder if you can you expand a little bit on that, Faith, and then Jasmine, whatever, whatever you have to add as well.

[20:00] Faith Prince: Actually, you know, David said, there's a part in My New York, you know, where Jasmine and Ainsley cut, everything comes down and it and it's sort of this slow, what would you call that? A little, a little waltz, right? And David goes, now, why did he do that? Why did he? Dave Foster's like right next to me. And I said, Well, you know what that is, don't you? And he said, No. And I said, It's an homage to Jerry Robbins. And you know, in the dance at the, you know, West Side Story, dance at the gym, you know, where they all kind of come down and, and do that little waltz thing. And he went, Oh. And I said, Yeah, I said, People are going to know that, you know, but it's like, little Will Rogers Follies in there, a little Tommy Tune, a little, you know, Michael Ben, I mean, all these people.

And my manager was saying, you know, Jeffrey goes, Seth Rudetsky should, you know, break down all the the homages that Jerry did. And that would be a good conversation, you know. But David does the same thing with the music. I mean, there's a little Earth Wind and Fire. I heard a horn section. I went, Who is that? Tower Power? Or Earth Wind and Fire? He was so funny. He goes, I love Tower Power. I said, you know, I heard that horn. Yes. And my husband's a trumpet player. So of course, I'm going to hear that. But it's, it's, I'm telling you, there's something you better go to the doctor. If you don't have a good time at the show. Really, Jerry said it, and I believe it. It's like, you do have a problem. Maybe you need Xanax. But, you know, it's, it's hard to not feel the joy.

[21:44] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Jasmine, does that make it fun, fun for you sort of knowing that there are all these kind of influences that kind of all, yeah, weaving together to make this show?

[21:53] Jasmine Amy Rogers: For sure. It's really cool. Because, you know, I'm from a different generation, obviously, of like, a lot of people in my age group don't know a lot of those things. And I honestly, I miss out on a lot of that information as well. So I'm getting to learn a lot through the process, too. And it's a nice challenge to just get to do so many different styles. I mean, I do dance quite a lot in the show, not as much as other people. But it's really nice, because I'm getting to expand myself in a way that I haven't been able to so far. So it's really cool. Yeah. And it's very special to because, you know, Jerry met and worked with so many of these choreographers as well. So the fact that they were able to personally touch his life, and the fact that he's able to put that into his work is incredible. And same with you, Faith. I mean, holy cow.

[22:44] Faith Prince: No, it's, it's really, it's a joy, you know, to, to bring back some of the older styles, but to have the new too, you need both.

[22:56] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yes. Yeah, you need both. And like, we're working with living legends. I mean, with Jerry and with Faith and, and with David. So I get to, yes, I'm building my own stories.

[23:07] Faith Prince: She's just so smart.

[23:09] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Still so pleasant, though, just, just witty. And just, I mean, the lyrics are just so smart.

[23:18] Faith Prince: She's incredible.

[23:19] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Right. Yeah.

[23:20] Faith Prince: And so kind.

[23:21] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yeah, Susan Birkenhead, the lyricist. Yeah.

[23:25] Gordon Cox: What did you both learn about the show from its time in Chicago? That was the first time you did it, you know, for an extended time in front of an audience. What was the takeaway? You go ahead first, Faith.

[23:37] Faith Prince: Well, I wrote a five-page email to Jerry about my character in Chicago. Yeah, I know. Yeah, yeah. Because I have a lot to say about Valentina. She changed a lot. And he gave it to Bob, you know, some different things came out of it. So sometimes trajectory, where you're coming from, what the original story was, how you kick it off. I mean, I have a lot to say about that. And I really advocated for her, because some of the things I could feel were not quite flying, taking off. And it's really changed, and I think has made a difference, you know. So there were a lot of changes for me personally. And he changed the top second act, put Grampy and Valentina in that, looking for Betty, you know, it's kind of like a Will Rogers Follies number, you know, black world and the world.

And it's exciting, you know, and the audience really enjoys that. You know, it's great when people make changes and cuts and tweaks. And it's for the better, because I've been on the other side, where it went south. It's fabulous being in the hands of somebody who understands how to make it better. Yeah.

[25:00] Gordon Cox: Yeah. And so Jasmine, what did you learn about the show? Especially as, you know, the lead, the you know, the star of the show, what did you learn about what that is and what that involves for you?

[25:13] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yeah, I think I learned just how many people need and want to have a good come and have a good time. And I think we discovered it in Chicago, but we're seeing it here again. Now, what makes the show so special is that it is so much fun, but there is a heart to it. And that heart lies within the reality that Betty's able to find with these people, these real people in her life. And it's the quiet moments that I think people somehow love the most. And it's really cool to, Jerry was talking about this, he's like, there are a couple scenes where you can hear a pin drop, because people are so entranced by the story, and they're so locked in, and they want to know what's about to happen. And they want to hear these things that are being said.

And it's really, really cool that we get to do that, because it could so easily be a throwaway. You know, it could just be about having a good time, and we are having a good time. But it could simply just be about that. And just be about, oh, we're watching a cartoon character, but it's so much more than that. And it feels like, you know, Betty's an adult woman, but it feels like we're watching her kind of grow up in a weird way. That is really, really special. And it's so nice. It's so nice. And he's found a perfect balance with this cast. I mean, Ainsley Melham, who plays Dwayne, my love interest, he just is such a great partner to be able to act alongside, and such a good friend as well. And he just, I don't know if I could do and accomplish what we're trying to do, if it weren't him, because he's so grounded in reality, and so vulnerable and honest.

And it just, the way that we're able to play Betty and Dwayne, who are kind of like opposite in this way, and we're able to like meet them in the middle is so, so exciting. They're definitely yin and yang. It's beautiful.

[27:16] Jasmine Amy Rogers: But the whole cast, there's not one weak link in this cast. I mean, we're so lucky. Stacia, you know, playing Carol, I love that whole family. You know, you, she gets to enter this world with, you know, a real family, and they're all sort of misfits in a family that come together. And it's all about how what is family doesn't necessarily mean biological, you know? Right. Yeah.

[27:45] Jasmine Amy Rogers: I love that nobody knows the plot when they walk into the theater. I mean, that's unusual these days. Usually people already know what you're going to see. And with this, they have no idea. I think that's fabulous.

[28:00] Faith Prince: Yeah, they can just, they just, they have to watch. Like they have to.

[28:04] Jasmine Amy Rogers: It draws them in because, you know, they don't know what's about to happen. So I love that.

[28:12] Gordon Cox: And Jasmine, what's it been like working with Faith on the show?

[28:15] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Oh my god, I love Faith. We don't get to spend enough time together. And as the show settles down, I hope that we do more. But she, I will say Faith, you are just so phenomenal to watch work. Because you have an insight into what you're doing and a confidence that comes from just years of getting to do it that I look up to so much. She's incredible. She's hilarious. She's so smart. Talking about her life, she's not here. So incredible, so smart, so generous with her time and her gift. And just like, so freaking cool. So I love you dearly. She's incredible. You couldn't ask for, you know, because you meet these people. And sometimes they're like, don't meet, you know, the people you look up to because they may not be as great as you think they are. But Faith is freaking awesome. Just like a really incredible down woman. You're so freaking awesome.

[29:21] Faith Prince: Listen, I'm going to say Jasmine, when I saw her in Chicago do her thing, and I thought, not only does this girl have an amazing gift and talent, but she's got the head for what's about to happen to her. And she's going to take all of it. I mean, I'm not concerned about her. And we actually had dressing rooms right across from each other in Chicago. So we got to see each other a little more. And, you know, I never like to impose myself on anybody, you know, because when you're the oldest person in the cast, but I would always go, I'm here if you need me. You know, I'm here if you need me. Because I've been through some of these things before. And honey, my hat's off to you. I mean, I know what's about to happen.

But I also know she's got the goods on every level. And her mama is something, I'm telling you. I've met her and I think, yep, she's got the grounding. She's got the training. And I'm so looking forward to seeing what's unfolded for her. And yeah, I'm here. And I'm here for all the kids. You know, I said I should probably put a Lucy Shack five, you know, five cents on my thing, because they come in. Can I talk about affairs of the heart? Absolutely. Sit down. You know, and I'm, I've always been that girl. And I teach a lot and coach a lot and do that. But I don't, that's not why I'm here. I'm here to be a member of the company, you know, but I'm always available if somebody, you know, so that's, that's, that's really where my head's at.

You know, I'm just like the little cherry on top, trying to do my thing, come in and do my job and give my hats off to these young people that, you know, they're just starting out and it's great. Yeah. I say we love you so much.

[31:09] Gordon Cox: So you're in this extremely busy time, you're going to start getting changes, you're going to start to have to like rehearse changes during the day, but then do the old show at night and before you work the new changes in and it's all chaos.

[31:26] Faith Prince: I was a little rough around the edges last night. I'm trying to come on to it, you know. And so what do you...

[31:34] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Okay. You know what? I've been just like the last couple of days, I found that I'm saying technically the lines, but not really. And I'm like, I've never made up so many things. Just like the ad lib, not the, well, yes, the ad libbing, because, you know, it's funny because with this team, you can kind of get away with it because if they think it's funny, it usually...

[31:56] Faith Prince: It'll stick.

[31:58] Jasmine Amy Rogers: But I'm like, that's definitely not what's written on the page.

[32:04] Faith Prince: Yeah. And the thing I find is you may get the note at the moment, but then you miss something else because you've, you know, you've conquered that. I mean, I said a man disappears and the line was a man reappears. I was like, what just happened? I went, okay, get back to me audience on that if you can't track it, you know?

[32:24] Gordon Cox: Right. Oh my goodness.

[32:27] Gordon Cox: So what do you anticipate sort of holding on to and sort of concentrating on to keep your head in the game as you're moving toward opening? What's important for you as you move forward into this?

[32:39] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yeah, I think it's just trying to stay honest to the story and supporting the people around for me, at least just supporting the people around me as we go, because we're all in it together. And we're so lucky because this cast is so on the same page. I've never worked with a group that is more so just like in love with each other in the way that this group is. And so, you know, no one's, it's never about anyone's personal gain over somebody else's. We are genuinely trying to push this story along as a group. And so it's just like holding on to that. And even with our creative team, we're all so connected and honest with each other, which is really nice. So just holding on to that and holding on to what the goal is. And the goal is that the audience comes in and has a good time, you know?

[33:30] Faith Prince: Just the balance, you know? Last night I go, Stephen, he goes, what? I go, get your coat. You need your coat. He said, oh God. He goes, oh thank you. And he does stuff like that for me all the time, you know? It was just, he had a lot of lines that were different last night. I said, you're just thinking about those. I'm going to get them now. I'll keep you on track. He did a good job, though.

[33:52] Gordon Cox: Well, break all the legs as you head into your crazy preview time heading into opening. And we can't wait to see the show. Thanks so much.

[34:01] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Gordon, when are you coming?

[34:02] Gordon Cox: Thanks for being here. Soon, soon. I got to see it. I didn't get a chance to see it in Chicago, so I got to see it soon.

[34:10] Faith Prince: Oh yes, you sure do. Thanks for having us.

[34:12] Jasmine Amy Rogers: Yes, I will see you there.

[34:14] Gordon Cox: That was Jasmine Amy Rogers and Faith Prince, two of the stars of the new musical Boop, now in previews on Broadway at the Broadhurst Theatre.

[34:28] Gordon Cox: If you enjoyed this conversation here on StageCraft, we'd really so appreciate it if you took the time to rate and review us on your favorite podcast app. It really does help. Or tell a friend about StageCraft. Find past episodes and subscribe at all the places you get your pods, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on the Broadway Podcast Network, a great place to find more theater for your ears. Until next episode, find me on Instagram and X at Gordon B. Cox. You can also check out my newsletter about international theater. It's called JQuies, and it's at gordoncox.substack.com. Thanks for listening, and see you at the theater!