“Bring The Future Faster”

ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE
REGIONAL PREMIERE AT THE SPIRIT OF BROADWAY THEATER

The 2010 theater season “The Future of Musical Theater” continues at The Spirit of Broadway Theater with the regional premiere of the off-Broadway musical,  ROOMS: A ROCK ROMANCE  with music and lyrics by Paul Scott Goodman, book by Goodman and Miriam Gordon. The production runs March 3 – April 4, 2010.

The musical is a love story played out against the punk, rock and new music scenes of Glasgow, London and New York in the 70s and 80s. Beginning in the late 1970's in Scotland, Monica a self-proclaimed Glasgow "Scottish Jewish Princess" and a lyricist in search of a composer, meets poor Catholic boy Ian who lives locked in his room with a guitar in one hand and a bottle of scotch in the other. The two quickly become entangled creatively and romantically.

Their music takes them first to London and ultimately to New York City, where they discover the vibrant new music scene and create an intimate partnership, their love deepening while their personalities drive them apart. A five-piece rock band accompanies these two characters as they search for the balance between ambition and happiness.

“I love the energy and feel of this show, there is a vitality and urgency to it that makes it instantly engaging” said Spirit of Broadway Theater Founding Artistic Director / CEO. “ For 2010, we are producing a season that suggests what the future of musical theater may be; edgy, innovative, challenging and authentic. Our season is a sampling of some of the creative wave that is influencing and shaping musical theater for the 21st century.  ROOMS is a perfect fit for our season after the hugely successful GREAT AMERICAN TRAILER PARK MUSICAL.”

“I saw this show in Washington D.C. and loved it!” said MaryJane Haddad, SBT Volunteer and former Board member. “I was in the area for a family event and I always try to incorporate some theater when I travel. I didn’t know this show at the time, which made it appealing to me. I remember loving the energy, the music and of course the love story. This is a very exciting evening of theater!! I hope people come see this while it is at Spirit of Broadway Theater…they will love it!”

Ever since the early days of Rock and Roll, musical theater has sought to embrace the musical idiom. Most recently, musicals such as RENT and SPRING AWAKENING have sought to capture the energy and popularity of Rock and Roll. The current Broadway production, MEMPHIS uses the birth of Rock and Roll as the basis for it’s story and the West Coast just saw the premiere of AMERICAN IDIOT a new musical using the music of Green Day.

“ROOMS is a musical that embraces musical theater while pushing for rock and roll and even the genre of punk rock of the late 1970’s” said Bernardini. “This is a musical where the music is paramount to the overall story; it is a rock and roll love story, not just a love story that happens to have rock and roll music. With the 5 piece band on stage, the show promises to entertain on many different levels.”

ROOMS was performed in 2005 at The New York Musical Theater Festival. It  had its world premiere production by MetroStage, Alexandria, VA and Geva Theatre Center, Rochester, NY.  Van Hill Entertainment produced it Off-Broadway at New World Stages February through May of 2009.  The Original Off-Broadway Cast Recording is available from Time-Life.

The production is appropriate for high school students and older. (Language)

Special events connected with  ROOMS Include High School Matinee @ The Spirit, Sunday, March 7, 2010, 1:30pm pre-show reception, 2pm performance. Seats with valid High School I.D. $20 .00 OPENING NIGHT BLACK TIE GALA Saturday, March 13, 2010, Join the cast and production team for a opening night gala evening, complete with Red Carpet and special surprises. All seats $75.00 PAGE2STAGE MATINEE, Sunday, March 14, 2010,   1:30 for a pre-show conversation. Performance begins at 2PM ,  Couple’s Night @ The Spirit, Thursday, March 18, 2010, the evening begins at 7:30pm with a pre-show wine and cheese reception. Performance at 8pm. All seats are $35.00   The Spirit of Broadway Theater offers patrons the opportunity for BYOB to all performances! $5.00 corking fee.

Performances are Wednesday – Saturday evenings at 8 pm and Sunday matinees at 2pm. Adult tickets are $30 and Student and seniors are $25.00. For more information about the production, or to make reservations you can contact the SBT Box Office at 860.886.2378 or online at www.spiritofbroadway.org.