A new musical rooted in nearly a century of artistic history is coming to Santa Cruz this April. Don’t Take My Boop Boop A Doop Away will premiere at the Ballet Box Theater, an intimate performance space inside the International Academy of Dance. The production brings together family legacy, classic animation, and live performance.
The show celebrates the work of composer Sammy Timberg, whose music helped define the sound of Fleischer cartoons in the 1930s and ’40s, including Betty Boop, Popeye, and Superman. Now, generations later, that music is returning to the stage through a collaboration between Timberg’s daughter, Patti Timberg, and granddaughter, Shannon Chipman.
“I think it’s a very special situation that we both live here, and that we’ve both been involved in theater in different ways,” says Timberg.
For Timberg, the project reaches back to childhood. Growing up in the 1950s, she remembers watching her father conduct orchestras, though she didn’t fully understand the scope of his work at the time.
“As a child, I didn’t know anything about his work in animation. I just remember seeing him conduct orchestras and work in jazz clubs,” says Timberg.
It wasn’t until after his death in the early 1990s that she began to understand the extent of his work.
“I went back to New York, worked with the Library of Congress, and found all the music,” she said. “I went through ASCAP cue sheets to find what my dad wrote and had it orchestrated so people could hear it on its own.”
That work led to performances in New York and Los Angeles, including cabarets, staged readings, and appearances at Lincoln Center and the World Animation Celebration.
“We did several cabarets in New York and Los Angeles, and even performed some of the music at Lincoln Center. I always hoped to make it something bigger, but I was doing most of it on my own, and eventually it became dormant—until now,” says Timberg.
Now the project is being revived in Santa Cruz through Chipman, who trained in dance at Juilliard and later founded the International Academy of Dance in 2005. For the first time in more than two decades, the school is producing a theatrical work in-house.
“She created this intimate theater within her school—the Ballet Box Theater—and this is the first show where we’re really going to use it,” says Timberg.
The production blends Timberg’s original compositions with a new narrative inspired by classic animation. Chipman will also take on the iconic role of Betty Boop.
“We’re using Fleischer’s work as the basis of our story, along with a lot of my father’s music from the cartoons. Shannon will be Betty Boop—she wrote the piece—and I’m directing it. Though, in fairness, we’re really co-directing it,” says Timberg.
This personal collaboration has been especially meaningful to Timberg, as it is the first time the two have worked closely in nearly two decades.
“This show is incredibly personal for us. We’re honored to share my grandfather, Sammy Timberg’s music, with a new generation of audiences. Presenting it here in Santa Cruz with our community and fellow actors makes it even more special,” says Chipman.
The show will feature local performers and include songs from the Fleischer era, such as “I Want to Be a Lifeguard,” “Clean-Shaven Man,” and “Wimpy Hamburger Mine.”
Beyond the music, the production continues a creative lineage that stretches from early 20th-century orchestras to a small black box theater in Santa Cruz.
“The collaboration process has been enriching. We hadn’t worked together in Santa Cruz before, even though we had in New York. It’s brought us closer, both personally and professionally. We’ve had to collaborate, compromise, and grow,” says Timberg.
With its mix of history, humor, and music, Don’t Take My Boop Boop A Doop Away serves as a touching tribute to the golden age of animation, bringing these iconic characters and tunes to the stage in a new, fun musical comedy.
Performances will take place Friday, April 10, and Saturday, April 11, at 7pm with a matinee on Saturday at 2pm at the International Academy of Dance, 320 Encinal Street, Santa Cruz. Tickets at iadance.com
