Rocky -the musical? !

[jaystarr]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 12:43pm

per playbill
http://www.playbill.com/news/article/112746.html

The mush-mouthed Philadelphia boxer-brute known as Rocky Balboa, created by Sylvester Stallone in the smash 1976 film "Rocky," will sing on stage, librettist Thomas Meehan said.

A musical Rocky, now in development, will have a libretto by Tony Award winner Meehan (who penned the books to Annie, The Producers and Young Frankenstein) and songs by the Tony Award-winning team of lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime and the current Lincoln Center attraction, The Glorious Ones), the writer told Playbill.com columnist Harry Haun.
Updated On: 11/13/07 at 12:43 PM

[DrTheatre]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 12:44pm

Beat me too it, was just about to post this...

[madbrian]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 12:52pm

I'm not a fan of the Rocky movies, but Tony Yazbeck would seem like a good choice for the title role.

Updated On: 11/13/07 at 12:52 PM

[folkyboy]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 1:27pm

i love Ahrens & Flaherty. i think this could work

[Mattbrain]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 4:56pm

*sniff-sniff*

I smell another example of, "One kick-ass creative team doth not a great musical make."

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 5:16pm

No. No. No. This could not work. Not even with a great creative team. They're probably going to camp it up, and it's going to lack any sort of dramatic weight. It's a horrible idea for a musical. Can you honestly see Rocky singing and dancing? Or hell, even singing? He can barley speak as it is.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 5:22pm

Or they could just do a revival of "Golden Boy"

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 6:26pm

Never gonna fly.





Butkus
South Philadephia

[Tkt2Ride]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 6:41pm

So sad considering how many other stories and shows that could do better. Someone will like it though. Who knows? The audience is so difficult to predict? Gang members singing in West Side Story? Gangsters, Mobs in Guys and Dolls? So now we got a boxer with twinkling toes! Oh boy. It might be funny to watch in the cheap seats.

"Hey Adrienne! Turn up the music!"

I'll be waiting for the SNL version. Too bad Mad TV is gone.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 6:49pm

I originally said What the but Flaherty & Ahrens

It has now got me hooked.

[Cutielyricist]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 10:00pm

I must have read the flaherty and ahrens thing 9 times or so..it seems so out of the blue.

Dessa Rose, Glorious Ones... Rocky?

Huh?

I love their work so much, and am going in with an open mind..but huh?

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 11/13/07 at 10:32pm

"I originally said What the but Flaherty & Ahrens"

Precisely. What the....







Dorothy Brock
42nd Street

Updated On: 4/29/08 at 10:32 PM

[James885]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 12:22am

I honestly can't see a character like Rocky singing. It just seems unnatural. I can't disagree more with the Tom Meehan quote in the article: "It was made to be a musical." And as much as I love Ahrens and Flaherty, I'm not very eager about this upcoming project of theirs.

[mauriposa]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 12:49am

Can't we make a musical that's not based on a movie? Seriously people. Let's get on that.

[jeniferrenepatricia]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 1:16am

I couldn't agree more...original ideas, please....

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 11:25am

Or at least pick movies that could work. Honestly, Rocky? It's not going to get the older male demographic coming back to the theatre. It's a ridiculous idea. I can't see the character of Rocky belting out an 11 O'Clock number.

Why not The Truman Show. That would make such a beautiful musical.

[mauriposa]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 11:29am

If someone finally wants to put on Moulin Rouge, I say go for it. Other than that, move on. Start something new.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 12:23pm

So I guess a musical based on a book or a play is more "original"? Please. Musicals with original stories are few and far between and rarely commercially successful. So unless you believe producers wish to lose money they invest, don't expect it to happen unless you write one yourself.

That being said, I never ever had any interest in Rocky. I tried to watch it several times and never got past the first 20 minutes or so. Love Ahrens and Flaherty, so I'll probably get the CD, but that's about it.

[mauriposa]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 1:42pm

To me, a musical based on a book or play is more original, especially if it's not mainstream. Any yahoo can catch a showing of Legally Blonde on TBS can decide to capitalize on its success. It takes much more effort and creativity to find an obscure work and turn it into something new.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 1:52pm

The theme song from "Rocky" is very familiar (especially because of the trumpet parts). I don't think any thing written for this music will surpass that song.

Also, A&F aren't known for a masculine sound to their music. Ragtime is full of power ballads, Once on This Island is theater music. I think Rocky needs a composer that can give a masculine sound to at least some of the music.

[JBSinger]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 3:43pm

1) I think this is a bad idea. even though it has moments that could be musicalized, perhaps they shouldn't.

2) Flaherty & Ahrens are the wrong team for this show. David Yazbeck would be a much more appropriate choice. Their material is too lyrical for this subject. Yazbeck's stuff is punchy, hetero, angular.

who knows. Maybe they'll discover some amazing gem in this show, but it sounds like F&A are looking for a sure fire Bway hit instead of continued success in the Non-commercial theatre.

They should be pushing for Once on This Island to be an animated movie musical. THAT, I would see.

[WOSQ]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 3:47pm

Wasn't Gary Cooper's wife's name Rocky? Seriously.

They could change Rocky from an inarticulate dumbo who can't carry a tune in a bucket into a long suffering Hollywood wife with a soaring soprano!

That's it!

Otherwise, we can all smell this one coming.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 4:36pm

"Otherwise, we can all smell this one coming."

If we can all smell this one coming, why can't they?

[greatwhiteway2]

Posted: 11/14/07 at 7:16pm

The Rocky character was not inarticulate, nor was he a dumbo. He had a speech impediment and was not highly educated. However he was immensely driven, and had an extraordinarily engaging personality.The character has survived over 30 years, spawned about 5 sequels and made Sylveater Stallone a wealthy man. People will flock to this, especially grown men, from NY.

[TheEnchantedHunter]

Posted: 11/15/07 at 1:18am

"If we can all smell this one coming, why can't they?"


No doubt it's a business proposition.





Lola Delaney
In A Midwestern City
Updated On: 4/29/08 at 01:18 AM