'Rooms: a rock romance' at MetroStage in DC

http://www.metrostage.org/html/season.html

Is there anyone who has gone or is planning to go? I'm definitely considering it, since I adore the show and loved Natascia in Signature's Kiss of the Spider Woman. I'd love to hear any reviews!

I'm going next weekend! I was supposed to go on Friday but things happened and I couldn't. But I am trying my hardest to go next weekend after the Signature's Open House in VA.

Last week, Natasica and Paul Scott Goodman (who wrote the show) did a cabaret/concert thingy at the Signature. They did all of Paul's work and they sang songs from Rooms. And, it was amazing. I can't even explain in words how It made me even more anxious to go.

Doug Kreeger (Ian) was in the audience and showed off his Scottish accent to my friends and me. Paul offered to play one of Ian's songs if he would sing but realized he didn't know the song in Doug's key.

Can't wait until Wednesday when they are doing the cabaret/concert thingy again.

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Updated On: 7/27/08 at 08:32 PM

Bump!

Rooms was good; I'd recommend it. The story moves well, has light and dark moments. Natascia and Doug put out energy and emotion that you can connect to. Metro Stage is a small space and seating was general admission. If you have the opportunity, GO!! Don't put it off.

Seeing it the 23rd.

Would anyone who has gone mind posting the list of songs? I'm curious to know how it's changed since the NYMF workshop.

Song List:
Rooms
Steps
Click
the Music
Bring the Future Faster
Friday Night Dress
Scottish Jewish Princess
I Love You For All Time
Let's Go To London
All I Want Is Everything
Let's Leave London
NYC Forever!
Little Bit of Love
Fear of Flying
Happiness
Rooms (Reprise)
My Choice
New Song For Scotland

Some lyrics have been changed from the original versions (what sticks out in my mind is Ian's lines in Scottish Jewish Princess) and some dialogue changes.

sweetestsiren, do you have a song listing from the NYMF workshop? If you do, would you mind PMing them to me?

Went last week and had so much fun and really enjoyed it. Jeremy Kushnier played Ian, to me, much more sarcastic than Doug, who was much angrier and sadder as Ian. Natascia was able to make the switch from the mature Monica to the hyper, impulsive Monica instantly. Doug's Diabolical outfit still cracks me up, all those studs and safety pins, lol.

There were some technical problems (all of it was from the mics, they kept falling off and according to Doug they have had to switch to a different type because of issues from the previous week) but they didn't deter any from the show.

I am going again Friday with Spider Woman (aka my mom) and a friend and can't wait.

ETA:
Since the first time I saw the show and Friday, the programs changed (ooh, glossy now instead of photo copies!). Silly me didn't realize the first time that Click wasn't performed until the second show and had been cut from the show.

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Updated On: 8/12/08 at 08:55 PM

I heard really good buzz about it when I was at Signature's open house last week. Wasn't able to get there because it was a short visit, but it sounds really good.

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Rooms has received unamimous raves, and you can read all these great reviews in one spot in THEIR REVIEWS at DC Theatre Scene.com I love the show and I know it will be a hit when it moves back to NYC.
ALL THE ROOMS REVIEWS

The show has gotten better since press night and I agree that it's the score that is so brilliant, as are the performances. I recorded a podcast of with Natascia and Doug after Friday night's show. I will post the link here when it goes online at DC Theatre Scene.com in a day or two.
DC Theatre Scene Podcasts

Finally saw in Rochester last night! I just closed my own show last night, so it was tough to get days off that matched up. I absolutely loved it. I have the demo which I BELIEVE is from the NYMF days: it even has a few narration bits (e.g., "Lights up on Monica in New York"), so it sounds like a live workshop recording. I've become familiar with that after working at Geva over the summer, so I was sad to see some songs missing (Click and the original version of Darkness to Light, with only has Ian's verse left in the new song Happiness). I kind've felt the show faltered structurally during Happiness. Darkness to Light seemed very even between the two of them, and The Ham Song, to me, provided some sort of indication of passing time. The lightness expressed some sense of her trying to move on and build a new life for herself. It's odd, cause I wasn't absolutely in love with the song or anything, but it felt more appropriate structurally. Happiness just...seemed very disconnected for some reason. The different musical themes going on really broke down for me. I liked the balance of giving Monica a solo song (The Ham Song), an even duet (Darkness to Light), and then Ian a solo song (Clean) before returning to the present.

Of course, that seems like a lot of negative text for a show that I actually enjoyed very much. It has a lot more emotional honesty, creativity, and musicality on stage than most of the stuff they're putting on Broadway nowadays. However, for all you New Yorkers wanting to see this production... I have it on good authority from two separate sources that a particular company is bringing this show to off-Broadway. Don't trust it until the curtain opens, of course, but if all goes well, you'll be seeing it in January.