Thursday, May 27, 2010

RUMMAGE through our MOVING BOXES - WHAT IS ROOFLESS?

Since Myspace seems to be going the way of the dinosaur, we've decided we couldn't put it off any longer.  Its time to move everything over here to a blog.  We didn't want to lose our archives tho...so here's some of our older posts:  WHAT IS ROOFLESS?


ROOFLESS is a new musical theatre production now in development. (Music, Book & Lyrics by Tim Long & Jerome Johnson, some additional emcee lyrics by Johnny Polygon & Sho'Tyme) As one of the most innovative American Musicals to come along in years, ROOFLESS represents the newest voice on the Broadway scene --- the voice of the Hip-Hop Generation.  This groundbreaking musical boasts an impressive, largely a cappella score accomplished by what playwrights Tim Long and Jerome Johnson have dubbed "an Orchorale of Beat Voxers." The combination of body percussion, beat box, intricate vocal harmonies, a DJ, and a dynamic string section lay a musical foundation for the cast of "quadruple threats" (performers who act, sing, dance, and rap.) Building on the skills of this generation's talented young actors, emcees, vocalists and B-boys, ROOFLESS takes Hip-Hop mentality and musicality into a totally new realm to weave an in-tha-moment fable that's set to raise many a roof in the coming years. 

THE RISE OF THA ROOFHEADZ:
Appearing first in the regional community theatre market in Tulsa and Dallas in 2002 & 2003, the show garnered rave reviews.  It was then "discovered" by Stephen Schwartz and ASCAP's Michael Kerker in 2004 resulting in an invitation to Los Angeles in 2005 for further development under the mentorship of Schwartz, Kerker and a host of seasoned Broadway writers. Several years of bi-annual readings, critiques and workshops followed, set up by Kerker and Schwartz & facilitated by ASCAP/LA.  Though largely under wraps during this season of development ROOFLESS still continues to garner new Industry supporters who are on the hunt for fresh, up-and-coming American musicals. ROOFLESS will stomp up to the next rung on the ladder as it makes its first official NYC appearance in the Fall of 2010. - Details will be announced soon.

TIM on "GETTIN TO THA TOP"
This show is full of metaphors, not the least of which is the Rooftop itself.  I remember an interview with a local Oklahoma paper during which the writer asked me "What do you see for the future of 'Roofless'?" I told him "well...our plan is just to keep working on it till it gets all the way to Broadway." I know that sounds soooo pie-in-the-sky & I felt like "naive" just got tagged across my forehead in amateurish graffiti. But as the dream-colored paint dripped down onto my sheepish grin, hahaha, I thought to myself..."I love the way this tastes" j/k... I thought "hey...he asked. I don't see any reason (other than sounding stupid) to not give an honest answer."  

When the story was published, as expected, the writer added an editorial comment to my answer, something like, "I doubt Broadway is a possibility...but its a show worth seeing." - I def wouldn't call him a "hater" cause he gave us glowing reviews and he championed a Hip-hop show in a city that previously hadn't exactly viewed us as serious artists.  I think I'd call him more of a "realist."  Most people didn't expect us to make it this far, and there were lots of days I didn't expect it either.  I mean hell yeah, the odds were against us making it all the way to the big leagues...they still are.  But when you figure out what you've been born to do & you attack it with relentless, foolish tenacity, those first two spotlight-grabbing letters in "unexpected" begin making fewer and fewer public appearances.

-TL

(Note: For those who read this posting thinking they would learn what the show is actually ABOUT, lol...my bad.  The "about" is DEFinitely buried in the subtext of what I posted, but fear not fair reader, we'll post a plot summary of the newly rewritten book in the coming weeks.)

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