Broadway Breakdown: “Matt Reviews BOOP & THE LAST 5 YEARS” (April 8, 2025)

Host: Matt Koplik
Theme: Matt delivers his trademark unfiltered, insightful, and passionate reviews of two new Broadway productions — Boop: The Musical and the Broadway debut of Jason Robert Brown’s The Last Five Years, starring Nick Jonas and Adrienne Warren.

Episode Overview

Matt tackles a double review, first dissecting the splashy new Boop: The Musical, then moving on to the much-anticipated, hotly discussed Broadway production of The Last Five Years. With his signature blend of theater geek expertise, humor, and plenty of candor, Matt offers not just opinions but pointed analysis, suggestions for improvement, and a few memorable anecdotes from his own theater-going experiences.

[00:00–15:53] Opening Remarks & Listener Review

• Matt welcomes listeners—sick voice in tow due to a “birthday blowout” and a Cold Eeze lozenge.
• Reads and reacts to a new five-star review from listener “Jake Z,” appreciating praise while self-effacingly undercutting compliments.
• Outlines the review schedule: Boop first, then The Last Five Years. Mentions embargoes and shuffled scheduling due to multiple openings.

Notable Quote:

“Compliments, no matter what format…always make me a todd uncomfy. So I'm always like, I'm gonna…say things, Cecily, to undercut to the positives...”
— Matt Koplik, 04:52

[15:53–1:08:00] Review: BOOP: THE MUSICAL

Background & Plot (Spoilers Included) [15:53–32:10]

• Source Material: Based on the classic 1930s–40s cartoon character Betty Boop.
• Premise: Betty, overwhelmed by fame and identity loss, travels from her “Boop World” (cartoon universe) to modern-day New York.
• Key Story Beats:
  • Opens with creative “cutout” staging in black-and-white cartoon world.
  • Betty wants to find herself, gets advice from Grandpa (Stephen DeRosa).
  • Travels to NYC, wowed by color; meets Trisha (teen superfan) and her jazz-loving brother Dwayne.
  • Parallel stories in Boop World (producers panic), Grandpa’s romance rekindled in New York (Faith Prince), Betty tangles with corrupt mayor candidate (Eric Bergen), helps Trisha’s aunt run for mayor.
  • Act II: Betty is found out in public, world crumbles without her, she returns home empowered (“won’t be chased around the desk anymore”, wants to make new stories).
  • Dwayne joins her in Boop World, happy endings all ’round.

Production & Performance Highlights [32:10–44:25]

• Jasmine Amy Rogers: “Genuinely a star.” Matt says her charisma, acting instincts, and physical specificity stand out.
• “She is lightning in a bottle…Every time she was on stage, I was happy, and I always wanted more of her.”
• Stages and costumes cleverly contrast color vs. black-and-white worlds, highlighted in Act 2’s opener.

[33:55] Notable Quote:

"Believe the hype about Jasmine Amy Rogers. She is genuinely a star. Now, I do not use that word lightly..."
— Matt Koplik

• Smart use of projections and design in Boop World; New York set design “blows,” but choreography in the opening numbers and Act 2 opener “very well done.”

[39:10] Memorable Moment:

“Imagine telling someone to pay attention at Betty Boop. It’s not something that really should require that much attention. And yet...”

Critical Analysis & Suggestions for Improvement [44:25–1:07:30]

• Flaws & Fixes:

  • Main issue: Show is scattered, lacks a strong narrative arc or cohesion:

    “It doesn’t make much narrative sense. There’s no cohesion to it all. There’s no real arc to it all.”

  • Betty’s not onstage enough — show loses steam when she’s absent (“Get back to your star!”).
  • Too many characters dilute focus; suggests cutting Faith Prince’s Valentina, Trisha the teenage superfan, possibly Eric Bergen’s political villain for narrative clarity.
  • Stakes and contrasts between the cartoon world and real world are muddled.
  • Betty’s “want” is unclear; Matt proposes reframing her arc with more resonance — leaning into life repeating (cf. Barbie, South Park), audience forgetting her, inspiration to create new stories.
  • Stakes for Betty’s absence in cartoon world are merely referenced; should be dramatized.

• Thematic Potential:

  • Opportunity to explore fantasy/fiction’s impact on real-world narratives for women and art.
  • Ending empowerment is unearned since Betty already rules her world; needs more genuine change and specific goals.

• Tony Awards Prognosis:

  • Rogers should be Best Actress nominee; possible noms for costumes, choreography, original score, orchestration, lighting design.
  • Book is “too scattered and cluttered.”

[1:07:30] Notable Quote:

“If you’re going to be a Rowdy Bowdy bitch, stand up and be Rowdy Bowdy. That’s me paraphrasing…but still, just don’t be weak sauce…be the best this.”
— Matt Koplik

[1:08:00–2:04:00] Review: THE LAST FIVE YEARS (Broadway, Whitney White, Adrienne Warren & Nick Jonas)

Cultural & Historical Context [1:08:00–1:15:20]

• Jason Robert Brown’s cult-hit two-hander has iconic status: “done to death everywhere in the musical theater canon.”
• Matt recalls the original Off-Broadway (Norbert Leo Butz, Sherie Rene Scott), leaked bootlegs, revivals, film adaptation.
• Debunking myths: Not an “underwritten Kathy”—her arc is just differently structured.

Material/Song Structuring & Characters [1:15:20–1:28:10]

• Explains show’s dual timeline structure — Jamie moves forward, Kathy moves backward.
• Nuanced take: Both characters are flawed:
  • Jamie is “charming…quite egotistical…unable to be empathetic.”
  • Kathy is “sweet…seductive…clever,” but “fancies herself a dry manic pixie dream girl” and “gets very paranoid.”
• Adultery is a “symptom, not the sickness…never confirmation of cheating, but symptomatic of deeper strains.”

[1:27:35] Notable Quote:

“Rather than keep jumping through hoops that you then set even higher the next time, I’m gonna say fuck it and set fire to the hoop…That’s how someone like Jamie responds.”

This Broadway Revival: Production Choices & Performances [1:28:10–1:55:35]

• Venue critique: Show is too intimate for the 950-seat Hudson; “tried to enhance the show…very scattered…unattractive design…flashy with lights up and down the walls...”

• Staging overreaches (Matt especially hates the “performative, razzle-dazzle” Summer in Ohio with props), saying it undercuts humanity and intimacy at the show’s core.

• On-Stage Chemistry & Casting:

  • Staging has Jonas and Warren share the stage more than usual, breaking the narrative split that gives the musical’s timeline its power.
  • Frequent scene partner presence “distracts and just gets messy and cluttered.”

• Nick Jonas as Jamie:

  • “He can’t really sing it…has a nice sounding voice…just beyond his capabilities.”
  • Lacks stage presence and ease: “Nick Jonas does not glide. He’s constantly almost like fighting with himself to make it through each song.”

• Adrienne Warren as Kathy:

  • “Phenomenal talent…But just…miscast as Kathy.”
  • Powerful, “warrior” quality ill-suited for “sensitive…victimy” Kathy, even as she commits dramatically.
  • Showcases “the weaknesses of the material—which is not to say that the material is bad, but that the material is limited in how you can approach it.”

[1:47:42] Notable Quote:

“Adrienne Warren is a phenomenal talent…She is a powerful person, and she does not…channel the insecure, raw, victimy energy of Kathy that can then be woven into her intelligence and her charm…”

• Direction (Whitney White):

  • “Not the correct director for this.” Attempts to ‘beef up’ the show, misunderstanding the necessity of smallness and focus.
  • The “Next Ten Minutes” staging after the wedding (not before) “undercuts so much…now a telling song, which is a shame.”

• Audience Response:

  • Notes tepid applause; biggest reaction to “I Can Do Better Than That,” which featured odd staging.
  • Anecdote: Sat near Lin-Manuel Miranda, who told off a fellow audience member for phone use.

Overall Assessment & Recommendations [1:55:35–2:02:45]

• Matt’s verdict: “I did not like this production. I really did not. But I also don’t know if I think this production ever really should have existed.”
• The show’s attempt to scale up for Broadway fails: “Tried to make it a big show and it just doesn’t work.”
• Praises Warren’s overall talent but emphasizes miscasting and lack of fit.
• Unlikely to garner Tony attention except a possible nomination for Warren, with reservations.
• No animus, just honest disappointment for an ill-matched, miscalculated production.

[1:58:00] Notable Quote:

“If the production fails, then that also means that the two people who are at the center of it are failing it in their own ways…It’s not just vocals. It’s not just star presence…That’s not enough.”

[2:04:00–End] Closing & Final Thoughts

• Matt thanks listeners, plugs the bustling Discord channel (Tony predictions pool, merch updates).
• Promises Jasmine Amy Rogers’ showstopping number (“Where I Want to Be” from Boop) to play out episode:

  “Because I'm telling you guys, she’s awesome and you’re gonna hear more about her.”

• Encourages five-star podcast reviews and Instagram follows.

Timestamps of Key Segments

| Segment | Timestamps | |---------------------------|--------------| | Listener Review & Intro | 00:00–15:53 | | BOOP: Plot & Setup | 15:53–32:10 | | BOOP: Design & Performance| 32:10–44:25 | | BOOP: Critique & Fixes | 44:25–1:07:30| | THE LAST FIVE YEARS: Intro, History | 1:08:00–1:15:20 | | Characters & Material | 1:15:20–1:28:10 | | Broadway Revival Analysis | 1:28:10–1:55:35 | | Final Thoughts | 1:55:35–2:04:00 | | Outro & Music | 2:04:00–end |

Summary Takeaways

• Boop: The Musical is a fun, uneven show with enormous star potential in Jasmine Amy Rogers, let down by scattershot storytelling and an unfocused supporting cast. Matt’s rewrite would double-down on Betty’s arc, cut narrative flab, and dramatize the show’s themes instead of coasting on throwback charm and vibes.
• The Last Five Years Broadway production suffers from miscasting, an oversized concept for an intimate show, and lost emotional threads, despite two talented leads. Matt sees it as an instructive misstep for Broadway transfers of chamber musicals.

Matt’s signature: Blunt honesty, fierce passion, and deep knowledge—plus, as always, a little profanity.