They say love makes the world go round. But in Boop! The Musical, love breaks the fourth wall and lands you smack in the middle of the Big Apple. And the love interest? Ainsley Melham, an Australian stage dreamboat who's making Broadway audiences swoon.
I caught up with Melham one morning back in March. And what I discovered was a man whose charisma extends far beyond the proscenium. Think Hugh Jackman meets the boy next door, with a passport, a tap shoe, and a heart stitched firmly to his sleeve.
When Ainsley talks about joy, it's not just a passing mood but a mission statement. "Our main mission really is to spread joy," he says of Boop!. "It's a climate where that is a form of resistance."
Ainsley Melham and his co-star Jasmine Amy Rogers in 'Boop! The Musical'.Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for BOOP! The Musical
And resistance comes with choreography. And Melham is more than prepared for it. "I was always a kid that was into the arts," he reflects, "and so it felt like a natural progression…I knew I wanted to step onto the stage."
After starring as Aladdin in Australia and then on Broadway, Melham returned to New York in early 2023. "Boop! The Musical was auditioning in those first few weeks that I returned." And fate came knocking. The show, a decades-in-the-making dream from producer Bill Haber, is a dazzling original piece that introduces a new world, new music, and a surprisingly human love story between the iconic cartoon queen (played by the fantastic Jasmine Amy Rogers) and a trumpet-playing New Yorker named Dwayne, played by Ainsley.
"He's carving out space for himself in the music industry," Melham explains, "And he meets Betty. They sort of have this meet cute in the middle of (New York) Comic Con." And, yes, they fall in love. "They are two opposite sides of the coin–Betty's this beautiful, buoyant cartoon character; and Dwayne is this very real, very grounded and earthy gentleman."
That contrast reflects part of the show's design: "The show works in two worlds. We have Betty's black-and-white world, which is the cartoon world, and then we have the color world, which is New York 2025."
'Boop! The Musical' brings Betty Boop's black-and-white world to the multicolored New York City. Matthew Murphy & Evan Zimmerman for BOOP! The Musical
But while the musical bounces between fantasy and reality, Melham is clear about the grounding force behind it: joy.
"It can be tempting to get sucked into the rhetoric of, 'Is this a good show? How is it going to run in the season? Is it going to get awards?'" he shared. "And our director and choreographer, Jerry Mitchell, has been very clear and encouraged us to focus only on the joy in this show."
And joy, for Melham, is deeply personal.
"I feel really proud to be part of not only the LGBTQ+ community but also part of the arts community," he said. "I Hope that in my own little way…by standing up on stage and being proud about who I am, show others–-especially young people—that there is safety in this world for our community despite what's happening politically."
He's not wrong. The arts have long been a lifeline for queer folks. In a time when joy feels shrouded in darkness, Boop! might be just the sparkle of light we need. "The arts have always been a wonderful space for our community," Melham muses. "A welcoming space, and a space where we can feel free to express ourselves and to get loud and proud about who we are."
Ainsley Melham and Jasmine Amy Rogers, stars of 'Boop! The Musical'. Josh Drake (provided)
Outside of the theater, Ainsley has another love: water. "I love to swim," he told me before casually dropping the most jaw-dropping fun fact I've heard to date. "Even here in New York City, which would probably shock a lot of New Yorkers. But I have participated in a bunch of swim events in the Hudson River."
Pause. Reread. Yes, the man swam in the Hudson River. "I'm here to tell the tale," he laughs.
Looking ahead, he's got his eye on one particular dream. "I'd love to be part of a wonderful big tap musical because I've tapped since I was very young…show Broadway what I can do." But before the tap shoes come out, there's one message he hopes young queer artists take from his journey.
"Lean into what makes you an individual, what makes you you. Try to seek out what is unique to you and lean into that."
In other words, be your own Betty.
And if you're lucky enough to see Boop! The Musical at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre, don't just fall for the music or the set. Watch Dwayne. Watch the joy. And know that somewhere between the cartoon sparkle and the New York grit is a boy from Australia, swimming upstream and making magic.
One heartfelt note at a time.
