DEBBIE ELLIOTT, HOST:
Now for the story of a new star. Jasmine Amy Rogers made her Broadway debut this spring as Betty Boop in the musical "BOOP!" Reporter Jeff Lunden first met her in 2017 when she was a finalist in the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, the Jimmys.
JEFF LUNDEN, BYLINE: As part of the Jimmy Awards, Jasmine Amy Rogers and her fellow nominees were treated to dinner at Sardi's, the theater district restaurant that features portraits of Broadway actors on the walls. And the 18-year-old was pretty blown away.
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JASMINE AMY ROGERS: It's so, so cool. I mean, seeing all the faces on the wall is just amazing. I mean, that's, like, what we hope, like, one day - like, our face is going to be up there.
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ROGERS: (As Betty Boop, singing) As you know, I'm not from here. Local legend, like some here. Yeah, but now that I've come here, it's where I want to be.
LUNDEN: Now the star of "BOOP!" on Broadway and winner of several awards, including the Drama Desk for outstanding actor in a musical, Rogers got her Sardi's portrait. As the cast, crew and producers of "BOOP!" gathered in a room with pictures of Liza Minnelli, Whoopi Goldberg and Brooke Shields, among others, the portrait was unveiled.
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LUNDEN: And Jasmine Amy Rogers spoke to everyone gathered.
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ROGERS: Eight years ago, almost exactly, I was here in Sardi's with the Jimmy Awards. I had never been here before. And I was looking at all the pictures, and I was like, oh, my gosh, how insane is this? And so the fact that this is happening today is really just, like, this insane, full-circle moment.
LUNDEN: And Rogers' ascendence from a high school talent to a genuine Broadway star is astonishing, which is something we talked about in the noisy gathering at Sardi's.
ROGERS: I just can't believe that this is all happening. I'm living my dream, and it's going so well, you know? Hey, I couldn't have asked for any of this to go better. Oh, my gosh.
LUNDEN: Jasmine Amy Rogers, now on the wall at Sardi's and up for a Tony Award tomorrow evening - oh, my gosh, indeed.
For NPR News, I'm Jeff Lunden in New York. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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