Somewhere in downtown Philadelphia, a down-and-out fighter named Rocky Balboa struggles to stay on his feet. But when the chance of a lifetime comes along, he takes his best shot at becoming a champion... and his last shot at finding first love.
The iconic underdog story Rocky has inspired an innovative new stage production, brought to extraordinary life by a five-time Tony Award-winning creative team, including director Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher), songwriting team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), and book writers Thomas Meehan (The Producers) and Sylvester Stallone (Rocky, the Oscar-winning Best Picture).
Both an adrenaline-infused spectacle and a surprising tale of blossoming romance between two lonely outsiders, Rocky is a visceral and heart-stopping theatrical experience for everyone brave enough to follow their dream.
It makes sense to maintain what worked on film, but unlike the Broadway adaptation of 'Once,' the musical version doesn't ultimately transcend the movie. The score by Stephen Flaherty (music) and Lynn Ahrens (lyrics), the Tony-winning 'Ragtime' team, doesn't help that much. Songs are efficient, not memorable, as they channel contemporary pop, feelings-on-sleeve ballads and soulful and bouncy R&B. New numbers are complemented by the iconic 'Eye of the Tiger,' which loses something moving from film to stage.
Take the score, by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, who (as Ragtimedemonstrated) know their way around iconic Americana. They work very carefully here, slowly developing a general musical atmosphere with shards of sung dialogue before allowing the emergence of a straight-up song. But, boy, do you feel the work. Ahrens, scrambling for hooks that won't sound musical theaterish and twee, has actually found some, but they come at the cost of a certain outlandishness, like Rocky's introductory solo 'My Nose Ain't Broken.' Similarly, Flaherty has identified a reasonable sound for the gritty story: guitar-heavy, with throbbing-headache bass, and bright chrome-on-a-used-car flugelhorning as suggested by Bill Conti's original movie scores...But within that compelling sound Flaherty mostly fails to make compelling songs...But because garage-band writing, however apt for the material, doesn't develop but rather repeats in torpid cells, the songs don't lift: they barely even move. Instead, the set does.
2011 | New York |
Workshop New York |
2014 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Steven Hoggett |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Choreography | Kelly Devine |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Alex Timbers |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Lighting Design | Christopher Akerlind |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Musical | Rocky |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Set Design | Christopher Barreca |
2014 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Sound Design in a Musical | Peter Hylenski |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Margo Seibert |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Andy Karl |
2014 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Musical | Rocky |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Actor in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Book of a Musical (Broadway of Off-Broadway) | Rocky |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Steven Hoggett |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Choreographer | Kelly Devine |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Director of a Musical | Alex Timbers |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Musical | Rocky |
2014 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Set Design (Play or Musical) | Christopher Barreca |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Steven Hoggett |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Choreography | Kelly Devine |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Musical | Christopher Akerlind |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical | Andy Karl |
2014 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Musical | Christopher Barreca |
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