ROCKY Opens on Broadway at Winter Garden Theatre, March 2014

Stage Entertainment USA and Sylvester Stallone have announced that the new musical, ROCKY, will come to Broadway in 2014, beginning preview performances in February and officially opening in March at Broadway's historic Winter Garden Theatre (1634 Broadway, New York, NY). ROCKYreceived its world premiere in fall 2012 in Hamburg, Germany, where it earned unanimous critical raves and continues to play to packed houses.

ROCKY brings to life the iconic and inspiring story of struggling small time Philly boxer, Rocky Balboa, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to go the distance against heavyweight champ Apollo Creed. Both an adrenalin-infused spectacle and a surprising story of blossoming romance between two lonely outsiders, ROCKY is a heart-stopping and viscerally theatrical new musical for everyone brave enough to follow their dream.

Produced on a shoestring budget, the original 1975 film, Rocky, was shot in 28 days, and starred its young and then-unknown screenwriter, Sylvester Stallone. Like the character of boxer Rocky Balboa, Stallone had to fight the studio, which wanted more bankable stars like Ryan O'Neal or Burt Reynolds, to be cast in the role. Stallone's performance would earn him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and launch his career as one of Hollywood's biggest stars. The small underdog film went on to become an American film classic, winning the 1976 Academy Award for Best Picture, and launching one of the most successful and iconic characters in Hollywood history.
"I couldn't be more proud or more excited about this production and how my original story of Rocky Balboa has been brought to spectacular life onstage," said Oscar-nominated Rocky screenwriter and star Sylvester Stallone. "The story of Rocky was very much like my life at the time - starting out with nothing, having to fight for roles and recognition. So I put those feelings into the body of a boxer and I had no idea there were so many millions of people that felt the same way. Alex Timbers and the entire creative team have not only honored that original impulse, but have made his story as exciting, heart-breaking, and inspiring as it was when Rocky first went the distance on screen."

"We are very proud to be producing the new musical, ROCKY, on Broadway next spring, following its critically acclaimed world premiere in Hamburg last fall," said Stage Entertainment USA Producer Bill Taylor. "The creative team behind ROCKY includes some of Broadway's most sought after and superlative artists who together have crafted a musical that is epic and yet intimate, romantic yet muscular, much like the Academy Award-winning Best Picture that took the world by storm over thirty years ago."

ROCKY features an original score by Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens, the celebrated Tony Award-winning and Academy Award-nominated songwriters behind Ragtime, Once on This Island, and Anastasia, and a book by multiple Tony Award-winner Thomas Meehan (The Producers, Hairspray, Annie) and Sylvester Stallone, who was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the 1976 Oscar-winning Best Picture, Rocky.
The production is directed by Alex Timbers, whose critically-acclaimed work on Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson and Peter and the Starcatcher propelled both of those shows from downtown to Broadway, garnering Mr. Timbers Tony Award nominations for both. The musical features choreography by Kelly Devine, best known for the long-running Broadway hit Rock of Ages, and fight choreography by Steven Hoggett, who received a Tony Award nomination for his work on Once.

ROCKY on-sale dates, performance schedule, and ticket information will be announced shortly. For more information, please visit www.ROCKYBROADWAY.com.