IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM's Kirk Gostkowski to Appear on 'State of the Arts' Today

A rare revival of David Rabe's In the Boom Boom Room opened last night at American Theatre of Actors, 314 West 54 Street (just west of Eighth Ave.) One of the production's stars, Kirk Gostkowski, is this week's special guest on the popular WPKN Radio (89.5 FM) program "State of the Arts," airing today (Friday) at noon. The segment can be heard online at www.wpkn.org.

Playwright David Rabe has been attending rehearsals over the past few weeks, making tweaks to his script for this 2017 incarnation of the rarely produced play. The cast features Pete Mattaliano, who also appeared in the play's world premiere at Villanova University in 1972. Joseph Papp subsequently presented In the Boom Boom Room on Broadway in 1973 starring Robert Loggia, Charles Durning and Madeline Kahn, and the following year at The Public with Christopher Lloyd and Ellen Greene.

Chrissy, a bright young woman with a background of harshness that has robbed her of her innocence long ago, has visions of a career as a dancer. She finds herself In the Boom Boom Room, a Philadelphia disco/bar meant to be her first step on the road to a better life. Instead, she must fight to defend her dream and keep her anger in check amid the sex and stimulation that surround her, the psychological residue of her parents' betrayals and the bizarre pack of suitors who follow her. In a desperate search, Chrissy careens from the seductive mistress of ceremonies at The Boom Boom Room to the earnestly friendly gay man next door to a brutally passionate lover. In its compassionate look at Chrissy's living nightmare, IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM is a piercing look at a society dangerously close to our own lives.

Under the direction of Greg Cicchino for the Chain Theatre, the cast of In the Boom Boom Room also features Deven Anderson, Nina Kassa, KYLE KIRKPATRICK, Malikha Mallette, Christina Elise Perry, Tyler Reed, Cori Stolbun, Alexandra Tabas, Tina Marie Tanzer, and Paul Terkel.

David Rabe's other plays include STREAMERS, HURLYBURLY, STICKS AND BONES (Tony Award, Best Play), and THE BASIC TRAINING OF PAVLO HUMMEL. Rabe penned the screenplays for THE FIRM, CASUALTIES OF WAR, STREAMERS, and I'M DANCING AS FAST AS I CAN.

Performances of In the Boom Boom Room are Wednesday through Saturday evenings at 8 PM, with matinees Saturday & Sunday at 2 PM through May 6th. Tickets are $18 and are available through www.chaintheatre.org or by calling 866-811-4111.