Erich Bergen of ‘Madam Secretary’ talks about starring in ‘Boop! The Musical’ on Broadway

Erich Bergen. Photo Courtesy of C Logan Studios.

Actor Erich Bergen (“Madam Secretary”) chatted about starring in the new Broadway show “Boop! The Musical.”

Synopsis of the show

The synopsis is: For almost a century, Betty Boop has won hearts and inspired fans around the world with her trademark looks, voice, and style.

Now, in “Boop! The Musical,” Betty’s (Jasmine Amy Rogers) dream of an ordinary day off from the super-celebrity in her black-and-white world leads to an extraordinary adventure of color, music, and love in New York City—one that reminds her and the world, “You are capable of amazing things.” Boop-oop-a-doop!

Bergen praised Jasmine Amy Rogers for being “a star in the making.” “I have the best seat in the house watching her perform each night,” he said. “I can’t wait for the whole world to discover this talent.”

Experience in ‘Boop! The Musical’

On starring in “Boop! The Musical,” Bergen said, “It has really been a thrill. I really had no clue what this was going to be. I knew that the players involved Jerry Mitchell, Susan Birkenhead, and Bob Martin and David Foster, they are all geniuses in their collective fields, and I love them all. I really didn’t know anything about Betty Boop, so I didn’t see this one coming.”

Bergen continued, “When they first asked me to do this, I didn’t know where I was going to be able to fit in the equation, but I fell in love with all of them, and the story and the show. It has been so exciting.”

“We are about two weeks in to previews now, and the audiences just scream every night, and it has been wild to watch,” he noted.

“This is my first time ever originating a role on Broadway,” he admitted. “This will be my third career Broadway show, but my first time originating a role.”

Playing Raymond in ‘Boop! The Musical’

Speaking of the role, Bergen opened up about playing Raymond in the musical. “Raymond is a horrible, horrible man but he is a lot of fun to play because I get to be a total asshole,” he said with a sweet laugh.

“I’ve never really gotten a chance to play that. The most bad guy I’ve ever played prior to that was Billy Flynn in ‘Chicago,’ who wasn’t really a bad guy… he was just a lawyer,” Bergen explained.

“Raymond is really corrupt in a really hilarious way. As an actor, it is really delicious to play with all of his awfulness,” he said. “My goal each night is to get the audience to boo me, and I am succeeding in that so far.”

Working with RJ Higton

Bergen had great words about ensemble cast member and understudy RJ Higton.

“RJ is not only my understudy, but he is in the show in the ensemble each night, and he is such an unbelievable dancer,” Bergen said.

“RJ is incredible to watch! The way his feet move… I get exhausted just watching him,” Bergen exclaimed. “RJ is so fast and he is so smart on stage, and the audience just screams for him because he is such a talent.”

“I refuse to miss performances because I hear he is too good as my understudy, and I can’t allow that. Even if I am on my deathbed, I will still come into work because RJ is too talented, and I don’t want him to replace me,” Bergen said with a sweet laugh.

Lessons learned from this show

On the lessons learned from this show, Bergen said, “I think I was a little scared of committing to a yearlong contract of a brand-new Broadway musical,” he noted.

“In the other shows that I had played on Broadway (“Waitress” and “Chicago”), I would replace other actors that took over or originated the roles. In both of those cases, I knew I couldn’t fail because the show was already perfect,” he elaborated.

“This show is brand new, and we are building it from the ground up,” he acknowledged.

“This taught me that for the next show, I will trust myself more than I did this time around. I really do think that doing this show is a confidence boost,” he added.

Stage of his life

On the title of the current chapter of his life, Bergen said, “Enjoyment.”

“It is enjoyment, it is more meaningful,” he said. “I am turning 40 at the end of the year.”

“I’ve been doing this professionally since I was 10 years old,” he noted. “I still love it, and I’ve known what I wanted to do with my life since I was very young.”

“I was lucky enough to have had a support system that made it able for me to do that, and I’ve committed to it my entire life,” he elaborated.

Closing thoughts on ‘Boop! The Musical’

For fans and viewers, Bergen remarked, “I think ‘Boop! The Musical’ is best if you come in with an open mind, and you come in wherever you are in your life currently. ‘Boop!’ is escapism.”

“This show is about sitting down and enjoying, watching and listening, and let it wash over you. It is like eating a bag of jellybeans and it makes you laugh, and it makes you cry. It is very sweet and it so fun to look at,” he elaborated.

“The way people look when they leave the theater says everything. People walk out of here happier than they did when they came in, and that is really exciting to be a part of,” Bergen concluded.

For more information on Erich Bergen, follow him on Instagram.