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Video: Bursting Into Color with BOOP!'s Ainsley Melham
Apr 12, 2025
Boop! is now open and playing over Broadhurst Theatre. We have Australian musical theatre and Broadway star Ainsley Melham here to talk all about it! Ainsley was Aladdin in Australia. Then he moved over to New York and took over as Aladdin on Broadway. He also has been in Wicked, Pippin, andamp; Cinderella all over in Australia. Watch in this video.
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Are you ready? It's The Roundtable with me, Robert Bannon
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Welcome to The Roundtable, everybody. My name is Robert Bannon. You're watching us on Broadway
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World. It's Friday and it's a Broadway World exclusive. Welcome to the homepage of Broadway
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World. It's where Broadway gets its news. And you know, the spring means that there's a brand
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new season here on Broadway. And when you take people like David Foster, when you take people
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like Jerry Mitchell, when you take this cat, we just had Eric Bergen here the other day
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And then I have so many questions for our next guest. And if we really are nice to him and we
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kiss up enough, maybe he'll tell us all the secrets about how the carpet flew, how the wicked
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secrets, and then how you get this beautiful burst of rainbow color that is Betty Boop and
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Boop the Musical. Angeley, you're here. Welcome to the show. Hey there, Robert. How are you
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Thanks for having me. I'm coming for all the secrets. I want all the show's secrets. We're
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coming for them. Oh my gosh. All right. I'll see what I can do. Well, we want people while we're
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talking to go to boopthemusical.com and buy their tickets to see the show. This show is just joy
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It is a burst of joy. Tell us your journey to be with Boop. Yeah, this show is joy. You know
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we keep getting the label joy machine attached to the show when people leave and and uh that's what
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we've been aiming for so i'm i'm glad that that's translating um but my journey with this show you
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know i joined the show for uh the out of town tryout in chicago um so i guess you know in the
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long development that has been boop the musical i sort of came on a little later i wasn't part of
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any of those original workshops but um you know i'm very grateful to be here for the out of town
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and for the Broadway run. So I joined for Chicago. We spent a few months there and worked on the show
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had a beautiful reception there, some great feedback. We've spent the last year just working quietly on the show
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And now we're here in New York to share it with Broadway. You're sharing with Broadway
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And like we were saying before, Bob Martin wrote the book, obviously David Foster, Susan Birkenhead
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and then Jerry Mitchell as this creative. I mean, you are, you talk about A plus list
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superstar creative team. What's it like in a room with all of these amazing creatives
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Yeah, I mean, quite intimidating, truly. You know, all of these people, you know, have worked, are working at the top of their game
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You know, they've worked on smash hit musicals, David Foster's 16-time Grammy Award winner, you know
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And now he's come over to theater to write the music for this musical
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It's really thrilling. and you want to make sure that you're stepping up
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and delivering in a room of these professionals of such a high caliber
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But I pinch myself every day that I get to step in there and sing David's music and speak Bob's words
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and Susan's lyrics and collaborate with Jerry Mitchell. When we're talking about scene work, choreography
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and he's so open and beautiful and welcoming of ideas from all of us as a cast
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So it's thrilling to be able to have a voice in the process. If you talk about people who can write a hit song and people who can give you a five, six, seven, eight dance step
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These are the best and the best to do it. And then if you see it, like we said, just joy
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And just what is it like to work here with this cast aside from everything else
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I mean, you two are quite the chemistry and this whole entire cast together
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What's it like when you get in a room? How do you build that connection with a cast
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Yeah. Well, I'll start with Jasmine. I mean, Jasmine's a delight. We get along so well offstage
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You know, she's like my sister. And that translates, I think, a bit of that love and energy there translates to our chemistry on stage
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and thankfully builds a believable relationship for the audience, as far as I'm aware
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Yeah, she's a powerhouse and it's really exciting what she's doing in this show
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And then our cast as a whole I mean you can not have fun when you coming in and working on this material And I think one thing that Jerry is great at is bringing people together who are kind generous open hearted and ready to work and have fun
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And so he's done that with with the cast in through the process of casting the show
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And, yeah, he leads with grace and joy and we all step in behind and follow
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Well, Jasmine, Amy Rogers and you to get superstars, future of Broadway
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Like, just give them the nominations. Give them the show. Like, let's just go. Let's go
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You're very kind. Both out here singing and dancing your way down 42nd Street
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And then this extended cast, the entire cast that we had Eric here the other day
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And then you take people like Faith Prince is a legend. Like you're and this ensemble
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Yeah, I know. It's quite crazy. I mean, especially for me, like a young guy who grew up in country Australia, you know
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and and love to sing and dance but was sort of didn't really know how that was possible didn't
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know the path forward you know and now all of these years later after study and working back
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home and coming to the US and New York to be on a Broadway stage with Faith Prince and like
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people like Stephen DeRosa who whose CV is as long as my arm like it's it's really incredible
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And they're just, again, they're doing incredible work and they know their craft
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And it's wonderful to stand beside them and watch them and learn from them
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Steven DeRosa is one of the funniest human beings on stage and off
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Truly, yeah. This is a show that you need to see. Take your friends, family
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I mean, you're from your grandmother to your youngster in your home. Can all go and enjoy what they're seeing on this stage
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How do you take care of yourself? This is a beast. It's a big old show. it is it is a big show um but you know trying to prioritize sleep all of that water you know i love
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um i love swimming so that's my fitness outside of the show i'll jump in the pool to start my day
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and do some laps and just get the body moving gently um good food uh and and i think you know
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just keeping spirits up and and again trying to trying to reach for that joy that that goes a long
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way, I think, when you're in the depths of an eight-show week and you're trying to muscle
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through it. Well, you brought up being from Australia before, and you're a long way from your Australian home
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And I'm sure you still call Australia home, but I'm bummed. That song is so good
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So you being here in New York, what did you learn in Australia
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You toured in Australia. You have a huge career in Australia. I mean, you go back to this in Australia
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Oh, my gosh. Yeah, look at that. TV, children's television and hosting that show and the juggernaut that that was there
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When you look back to being home and the journey to Broadway, what what can you say about it
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What has it been like? Yeah, I mean, well, I mean, you bring up high five
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That's that photo there. That was my first job in Australia. And I spent three years with that with that kids program
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We toured around Australia, around the world. We filmed the TV series
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that that job was really where I learned how to handle myself as a young professional
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um there was only five of us on the road and you know and like a few of our team when we would tour
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so we really had to be really had to take care of yourself you know rock up on time be ready to do
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the job and and be professional um yeah Australia um and all of the wonderful opportunities there
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have really put me in good stead to, you know, to step into the wonderful opportunities I've had here in New York
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And every time I've left a job or, you know, a job is finished up and I've thought, oh, what am I going to do next
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And every time I think I know what's coming next, the universe delivers something beautiful and different and totally unexpected
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It happened with High Five. It happened with Aladdin and Wicked. And it happened with Boop
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I really had no idea that this project was in the works or that it would be for me when I came back to New York this time
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And here we are. And it's just the most beautiful gift. Here you are
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While we're talking, everybody, make sure you follow. You've got a follow on Instagram so you can see the journey
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Yes, thank you. Make sure that you go to boopthemusical.com and get your tickets
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You bring up Aladdin What I found so amazing about your show Aladdin we all need this diet What is this app routine Somebody I know I need that diet back Look that that a product of yeah
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very strict diet, you know, personal trainer outside of the show, like, and then running
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around like a mad cat on stage eight times a week. That was, that was very specific. And I
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loved my time with that show and I'm so very grateful but I but I will say just quietly that
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that I'm that I don't miss having to to deliver on the on the body front eight times a week
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you know I'm happy to have a shirt on yes go get a slice of pizza eat a donut something
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but that journey for you I mean that's a talk about giant shows that's a big giant show you
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toured with that show you were in Australia with that show but a lot of people tour with that show
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there's a tour of that show going around all the world but the call to take that show from you from
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Australia to then go do it on Broadway. Yeah. What was that phone call like
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What was the moment where you knew that you were coming to New York to do Aladdin on Broadway, make your debut
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Yeah, that was, that was surreal really, because in Australia, you know
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our contracts work a little different and I had been contracted for
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you know, our Australian run. And then the show, a second arm of that contract was to go to
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to New Zealand and, and Southeast Asia. Um, I'd already spent two years with the show. So I very politely, you know
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said to Disney, I think that's, that's enough for me. I'm going to move on
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And so, you know, in my mind that, that was it for the show. I'd sort of put to rest, you know
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my lovely two years touring Australia without playing Aladdin. And then a couple of months later they called and said, well, you know
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if you don't want to continue there, maybe you can come to New York and do it here. And I said, maybe, yes
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please have me. So, uh, yeah, it was, it was so surreal
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I'm so grateful that they, um, I'm so grateful for their, um
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the loyalty there and the opportunity they gave me, because that's what allowed me to, that was my first job here
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And it's what's allowed me to come back and, you know, be here more permanently. That was the wonderful big credit that, you know
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helped me get that green card stamp. Yes. Yes. I get it. For real
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And now this could be a second home in New York is, uh, uh, you know, just as much
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Right. That's how it feels now. It feels like this is, you know, New York is New York is just as much as home as Australia
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Well, you talk about some big giant shows you've been in. You brought up Wicked, which I mean, is all the rage and the talk of the times
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You seem to book the big ones where I'm ready for you to do, you know, Black Box, One Man, No Special Thanks
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You like a big old Broadway show. yeah look I've been really lucky in in in my um you know lovely short career to to do really
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beautiful big musicals like Aladdin Wicked and you know we're working on Boob um but I've also
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had the doing those huge shows has always given me um time and um and I guess resources you know
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that's part of being an actor like you think financial choices it's given me time and resources
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to do smaller projects. And I've done wonderful things in Australia, like small productions of Kiss of the Spider Woman
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and The Normal Heart and Merrily We Roll Along. Like these shows that while they might not sustain
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huge tours back home, that our independent theatre companies and our really sort of prestigious state theatre companies
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are doing them back home. So I'm really grateful to have had like
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you know, independent opportunities and huge commercial opportunities like Wicked. And Wicked was so much fun
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And we were doing it around the time of the movie release. So there was this huge big buzz. Yeah, really cool
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And your credits, you're all starts from schooling. I know you went to school for the performing arts
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You went to university for the performing arts out in Australia. What have you learned
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A lot of young students check out Broadway World. They watch our show every single week
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They want to catch you. They want to find you at the stage door. They want to find the scoop about how to be an actor
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What have you learned? as a young actor that you can continue and carry with you
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to opening an original show on Broadway? I guess the thing that studying
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really helped me with and taught me was that it's really important to
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lean into those areas that you are most afraid of or your skill sets that are probably your weaker skills We have this perhaps to to try and put blinders on and be like oh I not really good at whatever I not really good at
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tap dancing I don't want to put on my tap shoes I don't want to practice but you know I think it's
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really important especially nowadays it feels like casting is always looking for somebody who
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can sing and dance and act and juggle and do a backflip and like you know and not that we have
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to do all of those things. But I think what's great is that, you know, we shouldn't be shy or
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afraid to lean into those things that maybe scare us and get into class and, you know, don't be shy
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about getting in there and having a go and failing. Like that's, we're all here working
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continuously to try and better ourselves, even once we're on stage and doing a show, you know
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we're working alongside that to try and keep growing. That's such a good reminder, because
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As we're talking, I was thinking about the pressure of a new show, the pressure of your creative team
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Watch. Let's dance in front of Jerry Mitchell. Let's sing in front of David Foster. You know, you and Jasmine, let's take the Jasmine's Broadway debut
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And she is, you know, that pressure that goes with it. So how do you have a support system? You're not in Australia. Your family is not all here
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So what support system do you surround yourself with to get that little TLC and the off Mondays when you're off to get that little moment
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that you need. I know, I know. I mean, I'm grateful for this beautiful cast. We really
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rallied together and lift each other up. That's the immediate support. But outside of that
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you know, it's a lot of music. It's a lot of reading. It's a lot of putting my phone away
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and just sort of having some peace and disconnection. And, you know, my beautiful family are back
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home and if I do need them I can always give them a give them a call and they're ready to to um you
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know give me a good pep talk and they're going to be here in just a moment to celebrate opening
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with the show and I'm so excited to have them I'm ready for opening because I want to know what
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fashion y'all are going to wear because this show is this show is so fashionable at such a time I
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know this y'all are going to come deck you're going to have something fabulous to it do you
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what you're wearing? Of course I do yes I basically nailed it down now and uh I'm really excited
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Um you know I think this because this show lives in sort of two worlds it lives in the
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black and white world of the 30s and 40s and then it also lives in you know New York in 2025
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Um it's exciting to see where uh our cast is going in terms of taking inspiration and and putting
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that into their into their look. Some people are going really classic some people are going a little
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more out there. It's really cool. It's going to be a star-sledded night opening
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of the show. The way that they're all decked and dressed out to kill and then you've got to go
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get yourself decked and dressed. I don't know, get a top hat and a monocle
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What's that? Come back. Come as the Monopoly, man. Come as the Monopoly
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That was where I was going. It's over at the Broadhurst Theatre
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which is such a great, it's such a beautiful, gorgeous theatre to see. Legendary theatre to see a show
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It must be so relieved the show is going to be frozen. It's going to open
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There's no new dialogue. There's no new lyrics. There's no new dance steps. The show is going to be bananas
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And then you get to go out there and just entertain us all through this. Come on, let's go
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Let's go, absolutely. No, I'm thrilled. It's been so fun working on the show, changing it, doing all of those things that previews are for
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But yeah, I think the feeling amongst us now, we're at the end of that process. And we feel like we have a product
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And now we're excited to put the final polish on and share
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So, look, folks, we did not know how the carpet flies. Okay
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And we don't know how she flies during Defying Gravity. But what we did learn is that Boop is the show to see this spring season
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So you better get your tickets to go see it. Boopthemusical.com. We're going to follow Ainsley on Instagram
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It's going to be a big old star, everybody. And then next time, you won't even remember who we are
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And that's it. So we've got to take advantage of this. you'll be too popular. No, I'm booked. Go get your tickets and congratulations. Break legs on
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opening night. We're so excited and ready for everybody to enjoy. We need some love and some
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joy and some happiness out here. Thanks for bringing that to us. Thank you, Robert. Thanks
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for having me
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