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Fight From The Heart

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Manage episode 292240500 series 2847023
Content provided by Bobby Traversa and Kristina Miller-Weston, Bobby Traversa, and Kristina Miller-Weston. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Bobby Traversa and Kristina Miller-Weston, Bobby Traversa, and Kristina Miller-Weston or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

Get ready to get "in the ring" as hosts Bobby and Kristina discuss 2014's Rocky The Musical on episode ten of My Favorite Flop.

ABOUT ROCKY THE MUSICAL

Based on the Academy Award-winning 1976 film, Rocky The Musical tells the story of Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer from working-class Philadelphia, who is chosen to take on the reigning world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed, when the undefeated fighter's scheduled opponent is injured. The musical features a book by Thomas Meehan and Sylvester Stallone, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

Sylvester Stallone began thinking about adapting Rocky as a musical in the early 2000s and commissioned the help of established Broadway librettist Thomas Meehan early onto help flesh out his ideas. Shortly after, songwriting team Ahrens and Flaherty joined the project. It was after Andy Karl entered the picture, playing the title role in workshops around 2011, that things really began taking off. European producing company Stage Entertainment picked up the show and decided to mount the musical's pre-Broadway engagement in Hamburg, Germany instead of a traditional US city.

The lavish German production was a smash hit, praised for its elaborate and technically complex set that resulted in an actual boxing ring being brought out over part of the orchestra in an attempt to put the audience right in the middle of the action for the big fight. While American audiences didn't quite know what to expect, anticipation for the Broadway transfer was high. The anticipation didn't last, however, as Broadway previous were both cancelled and stalls due to technical issues and negative word of mouth. Reviews were also negative and because the show was never able to find a strong enough audience, it closed after just 180 performances.

Rumors of an arena tour or Las Vegas sit-down production never materialized and the first post-Broadway engagement of the show in South Korea was cancelled the day before the first preview. Rocky The Musical came to Prague for a short 4-to-5 month run in 2017.

Original Broadway Cast

  • Andy Karl as Rocky Balboa
  • Margo Seibert as Adrian
  • Terence Archie as Apollo Creed
  • Danny Mastrogiorgio as Paulie
  • Dakin Matthews as Mickey
  • Jennifer Mudge as Gloria
  • Adrian Aguilar as A Boxer/A Reporter
  • Eric Anderson as Gazzo/Rocky's Cornerman/Rocky's Cornerman
  • Michelle Aravena as Angie/Ensemble
  • James Brown III as Sugar Jackson/A Boxer/A Referee
  • Sam J. Cahn as Rocky Marciano/A Boxer/A Referee
  • Kevin Del Aguila as Mike/A Watchman/Jack/A Doctor
  • Ned Eisenberg as Wysocki/Ad Announcer/Bob Dunphy
  • Sasha Hutchings as Apollo Girl/Ensemble
  • David Andrew Macdonald as Miles Jergens/Ensemble
  • Vasthy Mompoint as Linda McKenna/Apollo Girl
  • Vince Oddo as A Boxer/Ensemble
  • Okieriete Onaodowan as Dipper/Apollo's Cornerman
  • Adam Perry as Spider Rico/A Boxer/Boom Operator
  • Kristin Piro as Shirley/Apollo Girl
  • Luis Salgado as Kid Rizzo/A Boxer/Rocky's Cornerman
  • John Schiappa as Buddy/Jimmy Michaels
  • Wallace Smith as Apollo's Manager/Fight Promoter/Disc Jockey
  • Jenny Lee Stern as Joanne/Ensemble
  continue reading

30 episodes

Artwork
iconShare
 
Manage episode 292240500 series 2847023
Content provided by Bobby Traversa and Kristina Miller-Weston, Bobby Traversa, and Kristina Miller-Weston. All podcast content including episodes, graphics, and podcast descriptions are uploaded and provided directly by Bobby Traversa and Kristina Miller-Weston, Bobby Traversa, and Kristina Miller-Weston or their podcast platform partner. If you believe someone is using your copyrighted work without your permission, you can follow the process outlined here https://player.fm/legal.

Get ready to get "in the ring" as hosts Bobby and Kristina discuss 2014's Rocky The Musical on episode ten of My Favorite Flop.

ABOUT ROCKY THE MUSICAL

Based on the Academy Award-winning 1976 film, Rocky The Musical tells the story of Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer from working-class Philadelphia, who is chosen to take on the reigning world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed, when the undefeated fighter's scheduled opponent is injured. The musical features a book by Thomas Meehan and Sylvester Stallone, music by Stephen Flaherty, and lyrics by Lynn Ahrens.

Sylvester Stallone began thinking about adapting Rocky as a musical in the early 2000s and commissioned the help of established Broadway librettist Thomas Meehan early onto help flesh out his ideas. Shortly after, songwriting team Ahrens and Flaherty joined the project. It was after Andy Karl entered the picture, playing the title role in workshops around 2011, that things really began taking off. European producing company Stage Entertainment picked up the show and decided to mount the musical's pre-Broadway engagement in Hamburg, Germany instead of a traditional US city.

The lavish German production was a smash hit, praised for its elaborate and technically complex set that resulted in an actual boxing ring being brought out over part of the orchestra in an attempt to put the audience right in the middle of the action for the big fight. While American audiences didn't quite know what to expect, anticipation for the Broadway transfer was high. The anticipation didn't last, however, as Broadway previous were both cancelled and stalls due to technical issues and negative word of mouth. Reviews were also negative and because the show was never able to find a strong enough audience, it closed after just 180 performances.

Rumors of an arena tour or Las Vegas sit-down production never materialized and the first post-Broadway engagement of the show in South Korea was cancelled the day before the first preview. Rocky The Musical came to Prague for a short 4-to-5 month run in 2017.

Original Broadway Cast

  • Andy Karl as Rocky Balboa
  • Margo Seibert as Adrian
  • Terence Archie as Apollo Creed
  • Danny Mastrogiorgio as Paulie
  • Dakin Matthews as Mickey
  • Jennifer Mudge as Gloria
  • Adrian Aguilar as A Boxer/A Reporter
  • Eric Anderson as Gazzo/Rocky's Cornerman/Rocky's Cornerman
  • Michelle Aravena as Angie/Ensemble
  • James Brown III as Sugar Jackson/A Boxer/A Referee
  • Sam J. Cahn as Rocky Marciano/A Boxer/A Referee
  • Kevin Del Aguila as Mike/A Watchman/Jack/A Doctor
  • Ned Eisenberg as Wysocki/Ad Announcer/Bob Dunphy
  • Sasha Hutchings as Apollo Girl/Ensemble
  • David Andrew Macdonald as Miles Jergens/Ensemble
  • Vasthy Mompoint as Linda McKenna/Apollo Girl
  • Vince Oddo as A Boxer/Ensemble
  • Okieriete Onaodowan as Dipper/Apollo's Cornerman
  • Adam Perry as Spider Rico/A Boxer/Boom Operator
  • Kristin Piro as Shirley/Apollo Girl
  • Luis Salgado as Kid Rizzo/A Boxer/Rocky's Cornerman
  • John Schiappa as Buddy/Jimmy Michaels
  • Wallace Smith as Apollo's Manager/Fight Promoter/Disc Jockey
  • Jenny Lee Stern as Joanne/Ensemble
  continue reading

30 episodes

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