Broken Bottles at the Sock Hop: A Rock 'n' Roll Musical

A theatrical workshop presentation of a brand new musical written by a local playwright will premiere on August 22nd at that Doris Harper White Playhouse in Flagstaff with a follow-up performance at La Posada Hotel in Winslow on August 24th.

"Broken Bottles at the Sock Hop: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Musical" is a 1950s-themed drama with a sprinkling of horror and comedy, set in a fictional railroad town somewhere in the American Southwest. Written by Drew Purcell with musical assistance on several tracks by blues and jazz guitar maestro Shawn Dennehy, it features original songs that touch on many of the different sub-genres that were popular in the early years of rock and roll. Paying tribute to the work of legends such as Chuck Berry and Roy Orbison, these songs also incorporate later musical innovations including glam and punk rock, all the while fitting into the conventions of musical theatre. The play shows hints of numerous influences, ranging from "Our Town" and "Rebel without a Cause" to Scooby Doo, "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and "Beetlejuice." The themes touch on issues relating to growing up and transcending one’s place in society, all the while having a mostly light-hearted tone that is enjoyable as well as thought-provoking. The show is mostly family friendly, but does allude to some violent, scary, and mildly sexual situations which may be inappropriate for some younger children.

Drew Purcell, the musical’s writer, will host the staged readings featuring actors well-known to Theatrikos audiences, including Jan Rominger, Eric Schultz, Sydney Tolchinsky, Tony Sutera, Linda Sutera, and Dennis Hattem. Musical accompaniment will be performed by local band The Last Taboo, with musical direction from Shawn Dennehy and featuring Stephen Joel Root, writer/director of the successful local film "Unconscious," on drums. The first staged reading will be a benefit performance at the Doris Harper-White Community Playhouse in downtown Flagstaff at 7 p.m. on Thursday, August 22, followed by a second show at 7 p.m. on Saturday, August 24, in the depot at La Posada in Winslow, a setting which was a major inspiration to the story. The purpose of these presentations is to present a work-in-progress to the community with the hopes that it will be given a full run in the near future. Feedback is appreciated, and there will be a question and answer session with the participants after the show. The suggested donation at both shows is $5.

The performance at the Doris Harper White Playhouse is a benefit show for the family of former Flagstaff resident Adam McManus, who was a close friend to several of the participants in this show and whose influence was a major part in its completion. This is the beginning of a larger effort to help Adam’s parents and fiancé begin to deal with the medical debts which still linger following his tragic death from brain cancer earlier this year.

For more information about the musical, please visit our website at http://www.facebook.com/BrokenBottlesAtTheSockHopARockNRollMusical. Also, demos of the songs are available for free download at http://thelasttaboo.bandcamp.com/. If you have any questions or would like to pledge a donation to Adam’s family, I can be reached at (928) 606-3828 or drew@theatrikos.com. I hope to see you all at the show!