Drew Sarich to Lead Broadway-Bound ROCKY Musical in Germany; Alex Timbers to Direct

The new musical adaptation of ROCKY has set casting for its German premiere, which will open this November in Hamburg under the direction of PETER AND THE STARCATCHER Tony nominee Alex Timbers.

American actor Drew Sarich is set to lead the cast as Rocky Balboa, joined by Dutch actress Wietske van Tongeren as Adrian. Actor Sylvester Stallone, who starred as Rocky in the films and had a hand in casting, says of the decision: "He's a great actor, a brilliant singer and he has just the right look."

Rocky won the 1977 Oscar for Best Picture, Best Director (John G. Avildsen) and Best Film Editing. It was nominated for Best Original Song, Best Original Screenplay and Best Sound. Sylvester Stallone, who was on hand to promote the event, and Talia Shire were nominated as lead actors; Burt Young and Burgess Meredith were nominated for their supporting roles.

Rocky tells "the rags-to-riches American Dream story of Rocky Balboa, an uneducated but good-hearted debt collector for a loan shark in Philadelphia. Balboa is also a club fighter who gets a shot at the world heavyweight championship when the scheduled contender breaks his hand." The original Rocky film sparked five sequels.

The musical adaptation held a reading last year prior to a planned Broadway run in 2013; the cast for the developmental lab featured Andy Karl as Rocky, Glenn Flesher as Pauly and Tricia Paoluccio as Adrienne. ROCKY will be produced by Stage Entertainment, which also produced the German productions of TARZAN, THE LION KING and SISTER ACT.

The Hamburg production is said to include a boxing ring on which "Gold Circle" ticketed patrons will be able to stand to form a more interactive experience; fight chreography is by ONCE Tony nominee Steven Hoggett with traditional choreography by ROCK OF AGES' Kelly Devine.

As previously reported, ROCKY features a book by Tony Award-winner Thomas Meehan and songs by Tony Award-winning team Lynn Ahrens (lyrics) and Stephen Flaherty (composer) - the creators of Ragtime, The Glorious Ones, and Once on This Island.

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