As the live entertainment world slowly comes back, projects that were put on hold are finally starting to see the light of day.
Some members of the creative team that brought Rocktopia to Broadway for a short run in 2018 are working on a similar concept, meshing opera and rock. The new show is called Rock Me Amadeus, like the 1980 hit tune.
After working virtually during the pandemic, they were finally able to get the cast together to work on it together in person.
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider performs some of the rock numbers. He and the rest of the cast recently performed a mini concert of Rock Me Amadeus.
“You know, mashing up opera with rock ‘n roll from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s, even 2000s, the whole spectrum is amazing, and it just works together,” Snider said after the performance. “I always said Bach was the heavy metal star of his day.”
“I think what a lot of people don’t realize is that a lot of rock and contemporary artists studied classical music and were actually influenced by composers like Mozart and Beethoven, so it really is a natural fusion,” said soprano Alyson Cambridge, who performs in, and is a co-creator of, the show.
The creative team hopes to bring the show to a New York City stage this fall.