Four MSM alumni are onstage in some of Broadway’s hottest shows right now, including Othello (featuring Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal), Good Night, and Good Luck (featuring George Clooney), and Boop! The Musical (starring MSM alumna Jasmine Amy Rogers in the title role).
Taking part in high-profile Broadway productions are:
- MSM Musical Theatre alumna Jasmine Amy Rogers (’19), starring in the title role of BOOP! The Musical;
- MSM Jazz Arts alumna Imani Rousselle (MM ’21), an ensemble member and understudy in Good Night, and Good Luck;
- MSM Musical Theatre alumna Ayanna Nicole Thomas (’23), playing Rose Granger-Weasley in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child;
- MSM Musical Theatre alumna Sarah Thorn (BM ’21), an ensemble member and Desdemona understudy in Othello.
“We’re not surprised to see our talented alumni in current high-profile Broadway productions,” comments MSM Dean of Musical Theatre Liza Gennaro. “Our program is a real-world musical theatre training experience that only New York City can provide, taught by Broadway performers and creators.”
Jasmine Amy Rogers
BOOP! The Musical
Opened April 5, 2025
MSM Musical Theatre alumna Jasmine Amy Rogers (’19) plays the title role in BOOP! The Musical, based on the iconic cartoon character Betty Boop; Jasmine is reprising the role she originated in the successful Chicago run of the production that opened in December 2023. She has also appeared in the first national tour of Mean Girls as Gretchen Wieners and on television’s Evil as Charlotte.
Tony winner Jerry Mitchell directs and choreographs the new musical, and the work features a book by Bob Martin, music by David Foster, and lyrics by Susan Birkenhead.
In a glowing review of the production, The New York Times writes, “As Betty, the flapper of early talkie cartoons, Jasmine Amy Rogers is immensely likeable. She sings fabulously, sports a credible perma-smile, nails all the Boop mannerisms.”
NPR calls Jasmine “Broadway’s Biggest New Star” in this recent radio report.
Jasmine’s bio expresses her excitement that making her Broadway debut in BOOP! The Musical after receiving rave reviews for her performance in the pre-Broadway Chicago run. Her theatre credits include Anita in Jelly’s Last Jam (Pasadena Playhouse), Gretchen Wieners in the National Tour of Mean Girls, Melody Green in The Wanderer (Paper Mill Playhouse), and Francis in the world premiere of Becoming Nancy, directed by Jerry Mitchell (Alliance Theatre). TV credits include Evil on Paramount+. She was a Jimmy Awards’ finalist and appeared in Cabaret as Sally Bowles at Manhattan School of Music, where she studied musical theatre.
Watch Jasmine perform “Something to Shout About” from BOOP! The Musical in studio:
“The first time I stepped into a recording studio, and it’s with David Foster,” Jasmine wrote on her Instagram account after the recording of the song. “I’m so proud and honored to share this amazing song he wrote alongside Susan Birkenhead.”
Learn more about BOOP! The Musical here.
Imani Rousselle
Good Night, and Good Luck
Opened April 3, 2025
MSM Jazz Arts alumna Imani Rouselle (MM ’21) understudies Ella and is in the ensemble of Broadway’s Good Night, and Good Luck, which stars and was co-written by George Clooney.
“I’m beyond excited to be joining the production of Good Night, and Good Luck,” Imani wrote on Instagram. “What an incredible honor to be standing alongside this incredible cast.”
Originally from Texas, Imani studied jazz voice at MSM with Jean Baylor and considers herself a classically trained vocalist specializing in contemporary singing styles such as jazz and various “pop” music styles.
About Good Night, and Good Luck
A work of historical drama set in the mid-1950s, Good Night, and Good Luck centers on the clash between legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow (played by George Clooney) and U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy during the McCarthy era. The title comes from Murrow’s broadcast sign-off.
The cast and ensemble of Good Night, and Good Luck: Imani Rouselle is third from left, back row.
Clooney and Grant Heslov, co-writers of the 2005 film version of the project, collaborated once again on the new stage adaptation. David Cromer directs.
About Imani Rouselle (abridged from allaboutjazz.com):
“Imani Rousselle is a Texas-born vocalist with a love for interpreting and delivering the message of lyrics across genre lines. Whether covering jazz standards, classic pop, or her own compositions, her voice invites you to follow along as she fills the air with carefully crafted sound.
Since moving to New York in 2019 from Chicago, she has thrilled audiences and been welcomed on stages such as the world-famous Dizzy’s Club, Clements Place, the Schomburg Center in Harlem, The Joyce Theater, Smalls, The National Jazz Museum In Harlem, and many more.”
Learn more about the production here.
Learn more about Imani Rouselle here.
Ayanna Nicole Thomas
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Joined the cast in November 2024
In November 2024, Ayanna Nicole Thomas (’23) joined the Broadway cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the role of Rose Granger-Weasley; she was one of nine new cast members at the time.
“This is so crazy and cool,” she wrote on Instagram about being cast in the production.
Ayanna studied Musical Theatre at MSM from 2020 to 2023, when she took a leave of absence to join the Broadway cast of How to Dance in Ohio.
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child first opened on Broadway as a two-part experience on April 22, 2018. The production would go on to be nominated for 10 Tony Awards, winning five, including Best Play. The condensed, one-part production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child opened December 7, 2021, at the Lyric Theatre following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more about the production here.
Learn more about Ayanna Nicole Thomas here.
Sarah Thorn
Othello
Opened March 23, 2025
In Othello, MSM Musical Theatre alumna Sarah Thorn (BM ’21) is part of the ensemble and understudies Desdemona in this hit Broadway production of the Shakespearean tragedy that stars Denzel Washington as Othello and Jake Gyllenhaal as Iago, with direction by Tony-winner Kenny Leon.
“Rehearsals have begun!” Sarah wrote on her Instagram account in January. “So grateful to continue exploring this story with this inspiring team.”
Regionally in the U.S., Sarah has received two BroadwayWorld nominations (Best Leading Actress in a Musical; Performer of the Decade) for Sally Bowles in Cabaret with Peregrine Theatre Ensemble. Select credits include Lady Anne (Richard III), Portia (The Merchant of Venice), Julia (Two Gentlemen of Verona), Jessica (This Is Our Youth), Petra (A Little Night Music), Portia (Something Rotten), and Beggar Woman (Sweeney Todd).
She has also performed at Carnegie Hall with Essential Voices USA and was a vocal student of Judith Clurman at MSM. Sarah is represented by The Talent House (US) and BCCreative (UK).
More about Sarah Thorn here.
More about the Broadway production Othello here.
