Ryan Link To Appear in World Premiere of "I Want My '80s Musical!"

By: Jan. 10, 2005
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Ryan Link, of Broadway's RENT and the 1st national tour of Aida, will appear in the world premiere of "I Want My '80s Musical!" presented by the Lyric Theatre of Oklahoma City.

The show runs January 21st through February 12th, with a preview on January 20th. With a book by Tom Stuart, it features a score of hit songs from the mid-'80s and is styled after classic period films such as "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and "Sixteen Candles".

Link and Stuart met as castmates in a recent production of Hair at Houston's Theatre Under The Stars, in which Stuart played the role of Claude. Stuart and director/choreographer Nick Demos, who is also the artistic director of the Lyric, asked Link in December to join the cast of the '80s tuner.

About his role as Mike, the preppie, Link says, "I'm studying performances by Andrew McCarthy in 'Pretty in Pink' and 'St. Elmo's Fire', and a little Ryan Philippe from 'Cruel Intentions' too… that's the basis for the character, a wealthy kid who has no idea what he wants to do in life. My character wants to 'go all the way' with Diane, the high school overachiever, and is oblivious to the crush that his best friend Ken has on him."

The '80s musical was previously workshopped in New York and Los Angeles under the title "Kids in America". Taking a cue from pop musicals like Mamma Mia, the show makes clever use of hit songs to forward the dramatic action, hopefully getting big laughs along the way.

Among the songs Link will be featured in are "Can't Fight This Feeling", "Heaven is a Place On Earth", and "Shadows of the Night". The opening number is "Heat of the Moment" by Asia, and the show closes with the optimistic "Things Can Only Get Better".

Link is currently assembling a rock band and working on demos for an undisclosed recording contract in New York. He recently appeared in Sonnet Repertory's December production of Shakespeare's "The Winter's Tale". For more information, please visit http://ryanlink.com and http://lyrictheatreokc.com.



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