ROCKY turns 35 & gets a musical to celebrate!

An original Rocky poster (from movieposterdb.com)

Rocky turns 35 today and to celebrate the occasion, Sylvester Stallone is turning it into a musical!

A musical? Yes you read right. A singing Rocky sounds ridiculous at first, but when you think about it, it could work!

Rocky is not just a boxing movie, it’s a great film! Many people forget that Rocky actually won the Best Picture Oscar in 1976, and Sylvester Stallone was nominated for best screenplay.

Rocky is a film with great heart. Rocky is the ultimate underdog who refuses to give up not only in the ring, but also in life and love. The first verse of Eye of The Tiger sums the heart of Rocky up brilliantly:

“Risin’ up, back on the street
Did my time, took my chances
Went the distance now I’m back on my feet
Just a man and his will to survive
So many times it happens too fast
You trade your passion for glory
Don’t lose your grip on the dreams of the past
You must fight just to keep them alive”

As well as the underdog story, Rocky is a great love story and according to The Hollywood Reporter, Sylvester Stallone has said that this is what the musical will focus on – the love between Rocky and Adrian. “At the end of the day, Rocky is a love story and he could never have reached the final bell without Adrian. To see this story coming to life on a musical stage makes me proud. And it would make Rocky proud.”

Stallone is working on this musical with boxing brothers Wladimir and Vitali Klitschko. Also coming on board (according to The Hollywood Reporter) is, “Broadway veteran Thomas Meehan (The Producers) to write the script. Ragtime’s Tony-award winning lyricist Lynn Ahrens and composer Stephen Flaherty will re-team for the music, which will include songs from the Rocky films, among them “Eye of the Tiger,” “Gonna Fly Now” and “Take You Back.” Tony Award nominee Alex Timbers will direct.”

I am such a fan of the film and its stars (Stallone as Rocky and Talia Shire as Adrian) that I find it hard to see anyone else living up to the role. That said, with Stallone so involved in the musical I can’t see him miscasting the roles and releasing something that is not on par to the film.

Rocky: The Musical will have its world premiere in Hamburg, Germany, sometime in November 2012. Should this be successful, there are plans to translate it into English and tour it around the world.

Below is the Rocky trailer:

That’s Entertainment!
Sarina

About The Bellissimo Files

Hi, I’m Sarina Bellissimo and this is the place I come to indulge in my love of all things entertainment. I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t fascinated by all things Hollywood/showbiz. I blame my parents! As a child my mum used to force me to watch old Elvis Presley films with her, and both my mum & dad would take my brothers and I to the Drive-In to watch the latest films (this is where my love for ROCKY began!). When not watching movies, I was trying to figure out ways to pull the back off the TV so I could somehow get into it and be a part of all the action on the screen! This blog isn’t a place that revels in gossip and negativity. It’s a place where entertainment is celebrated. That said, this is a place you can turn to for honesty. Honesty and criticism don’t always mean attacks. I choose to criticise the piece of work but not the person and I acknowledge that just because I don’t like something, it doesn’t mean someone else won’t. Here you’ll find interviews with some of the biggest names in the world of Entertainment, reviews, breaking news and my very own musings. Away from The Bellissimo Files, you can find me on Spin 1038 on Saturdays, between 1pm and 3pm,presenting Plan B. There’s celebrity interviews, entertainment news, the low down on the must see movies and music releases of the week, the ultimate guide to what’s on where in the city, as well as masterclasses with experts on standby to answer listeners’ questions. I also appear on TV3’s “Elaine” panel, talk movies on “Ireland AM” and you can sometimes hear me filling in on Moncrieff’s “Movies and Booze “(Newstalk) The Bellissimo Files is constantly evolving. Files (topics) will be added or deleted as time goes on. Feel free to read, watch, comment, share, and make suggestions for what you would like to see on the site. Sarina

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