Rocker Verastique News

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines...and prepare for a bumpy ride! The rubber will meet the road as the World Premiere of the hilarious new pop rock musical HELLDRIVERS OF DAYTONA takes the stage, opening tonight, September 12, at 7:30 p.m., and running through October 30 at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street, Chicago. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines…and prepare for a bumpy ride!  The rubber will meet the road as the World Premiere of the hilarious new pop rock musical HELLDRIVERS OF DAYTONA takes the stage, previewing September 8, opening September 12 at 7:30 p.m., and running through October 30 at The Royal George Theatre, 1641 North Halsted Street, Chicago.  With music by Berton Averre (The Knack), lyrics by Rob Meurer (Platinum Records with Christopher Cross), and book by Emmy Award-winner Mark Saltzman (The Tin Pan Alley Rag, The Adventures of Milo and Otis), these award-winning creative minds have put the pedal to the metal in this NASCAR-themed musical full of girls, cars, and rockin' guitars.

A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the Ingmar Bergman film Smiles of a Summer Night, it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Since its original 1973 Broadway production, the musical has been produced in the West End, by opera companies, and in a 2009 Broadway revival. It was adapted for film in 1977. It received Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Book and Best Original Score.

SHE LOVES ME is a musical with a book by Joe Masteroff, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and music by Jerry Bock. It is an adaptation of the play Parfumerie by Hungarian playwright Miklos Laszlo. Other adaptations include the films The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime and You've Got Mail. It opened on Broadway in 1963, and has had productions in the West End as well as award-winning revivals and regional productions. It is currently playing in revival on Broadway in a production by The Roundabout Theatre.

There are few things in this world more electrifying than watching an ensemble so beautifully rehearsed and polished to the point of perfection. Directed by Michael McKelvey, choreographed by Danny Herman and Rocker Verastique, this tale of fame, fortune, sex and murder in the Jazz Age is the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. And I can say that this particular production is one of the best that I've seen to date.

Austin Playhouse presents Chicago by Fred Ebb and John Kander, directed by Michael McKelvey, May 29 - June 28, 2015. Performances are: Thursday - Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m. at Austin Playhouse at Highland Mall 6001 Airport Blvd., Austin, TX 78752.

Award-winning Summer Stock Austin will open its 10th Anniversary Season with the first show they ever produced, FOOTLOOSE. Footloose, the perfect summer musical, is packed with exhilarating dancing, vibrantly vintage 80s costumes, and a score filled with music that defined an era. Footloose will be directed and choreographed by SSA Co-Founder Ginger Morris. The 2014 season will also include Kander & Ebb's sizzling Broadway Blockbuster, CHICAGO. This sharp-edged satire, set in the roaring 20s, features a dazzling score that inspired immortal staging by Bob Fosse. SSA Co-Founder, Michael McKelvey directs Chicago with choreography by Rocker Verastique. Theatre-For-All, the Summer Stock Austin 'family audience' production, will be following up last year's hit, THE BREMEN TOWN MUSICIANS, with the World Premiere of Allen Robertson's STONE SOUP. Mr. Robertson will stage and music direct the production.

THE MUSIC MAN plays the Georgetown Palace Theatre at 810 S. Austin Ave now thru October 27th. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. Tickets are $26 general, $24 seniors 55+, $14 active military & students, $10 children 9 and under. For tickets and information, please visit www.georgetownpalace.com

Frog Dog Productions in association with The Shang Bang Gang presents STEPPING OUT By Richard Harris, Directed by Danny Herman.

Frog Dog Productions in association with The Shang Bang Gang presents STEPPING OUT By Richard Harris, Directed by Danny Herman.

As Georgetown Palace's production of The Will Rogers Follies proves, a few rope tricks, corny jokes, and leggy showgirls wearing next to nothing will always please a crowd.

The last few times I've seen a production at St. Edwards University's Mary Moody Northern Theatre, I've had to remind myself that I'm viewing a show featuring a cast of mostly college students. Every time, the production is of professional quality, and their current production of The Secret Garden is no exception. All audience members are bound to be mesmerized by the physical beauty of the stagecraft and the incredible performances.

Here is a list of my favorite productions produced in Austin, San Antonio, San Marcos, and the surrounding areas during the last half of 2012. As all of the productions listed were spectacular, it proved impossible for me to rank them, so here they are presented in alphabetical order. Congratulations to all of Central Texas's theatres, performers, and creative professionals on an astounding and successful year.

It's a Christmas Miracle! With MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET, the Georgetown Palace Theatre has breathed new life into a loveable but flawed and forgotten musical and in the process has given Austin a sparkling, family-friendly Holiday treat.

Though the cast and crew all deliver move-in ready work, UNDER CONSTRUCTION is still, well, under construction. While it's commonplace to see productions in which the cast and crew underserve the material, here the material underserves the cast and crew. To the cast and crew, I say a very enthusiastic bravo. To Charles Mee, I say please drop your pen.

The show may be called I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE, but this production, now playing the Georgetown Palace Theatre, should be known as YOU'LL LOVE IT, IT'S PERFECT, DON'T CHANGE.

At BroadwayWorld we pride ourselves in showcasing theater content from all corners of the globe. Our regional contributors do an amazing job each day of bringing you the latest theater news in their cities and countries and to acknowledge this, we have launched a new weekly column called 'Around BWW: Regional Highlights of the Week'. Check out the roundup of all regional news for the week of September 3!

Step, leap, kick, kick, leap, kick, touch…again! I recently had a chance to chat with Director Danny Herman and Choreographer Rocker Verastique of Georgetown Palace Theatre's spectacular production of A CHORUS LINE which plays its final performances this weekend. Together, Danny and Rocker filled me in on everything about being on the line, from what it was like to work with Michael Bennett and Marvin Hamlisch to why the show is still relatable some 37 years later.

A CHORUS LINE at The Palace Theatre in Georgetown is a thrilling, gripping, highly entertaining masterpiece and a fitting tribute to the late Michael Bennett and Marvin Hamlisch. This show is truly a singular sensation.