Photo Flash: ROOMS: A Rock Romance

ROOMS a rock romance has music and lyrics by Paul Scott Goodman (Bright Lights Big City) and book by Goodman and Miriam Gordon, and will be directed by Scott Schwartz (Golda's Balcony, Bat Boy: The Musical, tick, tick... BOOM!, Jane Eyre).

ROOMS a rock romance begins in 1970s Glasgow where Monica, an ambitious singer/songwriter meets Ian, a reclusive rocker. The two quickly become entangled creatively and romantically. Their music takes them first to London and ultimately to New York City, where they discover the vibrant new music scene and create an intimate partnership, their love deepening while their personalities drive them apart. A five-piece rock band accompanies these two characters as they search for the balance between ambition and happiness.

Leslie Kritzer's Broadway credits include A Catered Affair (Drama Desk nomination), Legally Blonde (Clerence Derwent Award for Most Promising Performer) and Hairspray. She received critical acclaim and a Time Out New York Award for her sold-out Joe's Pub run of "Leslie Kritzer Is Patti LuPone At Les Mouches" (a performance she repeated at The Plush Room in San Francisco). Off-Broadway and regional credits include The Great American Trailer Park Musical (Drama Desk nomination), Bat Boy, Godspell, Broadway: Three Generations (Kennedy Center), Born Yesterday, the world premiere of Vanities, Urinetown (National Tour), Evita, and an acclaimed Fanny Brice in Funny Girl. Ms. Kritzer recently starred as Hildy in On the Town for Encores! at City Center. She has performed at London's Royal Albert Hall as a guest soloist honoring Tim Rice and Alan Menken and can be heard on several cast recordings. Film credits include Love And Other Impossible Pursuits. Television credits include "3LBS" (CBS) and "Jason and Jessica"(HBO).

Doug Kreeger most recently appeared regionally in the world premiere production of Rooms: a rock romance, receiving rave reviews from every critic including the Washington Post and Variety. Before that he appeared as Chita Rivera's boy-toy in the highly anticipated, sold-out and critically lauded production of Signature Theatre's The Visit. Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii, Doug attended the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University and RADA in London. He recently appeared on Broadway in the original revival cast of Les Miserables (Jean Prouvaire - Marius u/s) and has toured internationally as Danny Zuko in Grease and Berger in Hair. Doug's performance as Richard Loeb in Off-Broadway's Thrill Me: The Leopold And Loeb Story was called "compelling" by both The New York Times and New York Post and "riveting" by Rex Reed in The New York Observer. He has performed regionally at Arkansas Rep, Barrington Stage, Bay Street Theatre, MetroStage, Geva Theatre, and The Old Globe. For more, visit www.DougKreeger.com.

ROOMS a rock romance will have scenic design by Adam Koch, costume design by Alejo Vietti, lighting design by Herrick Goldman, sound design by Jonathan Weston with musical supervision, orchestrations and arrangements by Jesse Vargas. Matt Williams will serve as choreographer.

ROOMS a rock romance enjoyed its critically acclaimed World Premiere as a co-production between MetroStage in Alexandria, VA and Geva Theatre Center in Rochester, NY after a showcase as part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) in 2005.

ROOMS a rock romance will play Monday, Wednesday through Friday evenings at 8pm, Saturdays at 3pm and 8pm and Sundays at 3pm and 7 pm. Please note: there will be no matinee performances on Sunday March 1st, or Sunday March 8th. Tickets will range from $10 to $69.50 (including $1.50 facility fee) and can be purchased at TeleCharge.com or by phone 212/239-6200. New World Stages/Stage 2 is located in the heart of the theater district at 340 West 50th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues. For more information visit www.roomsmusical.com.

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Paul Scott Goodman was born and raised in Glasgow, Scotland. In 1984, he relocated to NYC after 5 years of performing in London and a year in LA. Paul wrote the book, music, and lyrics for Bright Lights, Big City, which was presented at the New York Theater Workshop (dir. Michael Greif), The Guggenheim Museum, the Prince Music Theater, Philadelphia, and recently licensed worldwide by The Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. Paul's other produced musicals include: Him & Her (Prince Music Theater, March 2007, New York International Fringe Festival 2002 ‘Best Performance' Award); ROOMS a rock romance, produced by the University of Michigan and the New York Musical Theatre Festival in September 2005, Metro Stage in August 2008 and the Geva Theatre, October 2008 (dir. Scott Schwartz); Alive In The World, produced by Van Hill Entertainment at NYMF 2006 and as an all-star benefit concert at The Zipper Factory in January 2008; God Save The New Wave (Bottom Line, West Bank Theater); Metropolitan Music (Marymount Manhattan College); Just East Of Broadway (The Duplex). Paul was the first recipient of the Songwriters Hall of Fame Best New Songwriter Award, winner of the Backstage Bistro Award for Domestica (book, music and lyrics), first solo recipient of the Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, and winner of the Gilman Gonzalez-Falla Theater Foundation Commendation Award. In London, Paul's musicals have been produced at the National Theater, The New End Theater, and twice on BBC television. He has performed as an opening act for John Cougar Mellencamp, Joan Armatrading, David Essex, and The Average White Band. He lives in Soho, Manhattan with his wife Miriam Gordon, and their three children. www.PaulScottGoodman.com

Miriam Gordon wrote the book with Paul Scott Goodman for the musical ROOMS a rock romance directed by Scott Schwartz, which was produced at the Geva Theater (Rochester, NY, 2008) and MetroStage (Alexandria, VA, 2008), Van Hill Entertainment at the Zipper Theater (NYC, 2006), and New York Musical Theater Festival (NYC, 2005). She wrote the book with Paul Scott Goodman and directed the musical Him & Her - Tiny Dancer and Domestica, which won a NYC International Fringe Festival 2002 award, and was also produced at The Prince Music Theater (Philadelphia, 2007, dir. Michael Unger), The New End Theatre (London, 2006), Theater One (NYC, 2003), and Musical TheaterWorks (NYC). She was book writer with Paul Scott Goodman and director of God Save The New Wave (Bottom Line, and West Bank Theater, NYC) and Marathon by Paul Scott Goodman (New York Theater Workshop). Miriam directed the short musical, I've Got To See You Again, by two-time Grammy Award winner Jesse Harris, whose title song was recorded on Norah Jones' Grammy Award winning album. Miriam is writer and lyricist with Wendy Federman for a new musical, Not For Better, and is the writer and director of a new musical, The Kid Who Ran For President, which received the Allan S. Gordon Foundation Performing Arts Program Award. Her other directorial credits include Rooms (Theater One, NYC 2003 - starring Raul Esparza), When Heaven And Earth (Circle Rep East, NYC, 2003), and In Audela (Cherry Lane Theater, NYC, 2004 by Anna Traina).

On Broadway, Scott Schwartz directed Golda's Balcony and Jane Eyre (co-directed with John Caird). His off-Broadway work includes Bat Boy: The Musical (Lucille Lortel and Outer Critics Circle awards, Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical; Drama Desk nomination, Outstanding Director of a Musical), tick, tick... BOOM! (OCC Award, Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical; Drama Desk nomination, Outstanding Director of a Musical), The Foreigner starring Matthew Broderick for Roundabout Theatre Company, Franz Kafka's The Castle (OCC nomination, Outstanding Director of a Play), Miss Julie, and No Way To Treat A Lady. He also directed Golda's Balcony on tour starring Valerie Harper, in London, in Los Angeles at the Wadsworth Theater, and in San Francisco at A.C.T. He collaborated with legendary director Harold Prince as the director of "Lavender Girl" as part of 3hree, which played at the Ahmanson Theater. Recently, he directed Othello and Much Ado About Nothing at the Alley Theater in Houston; Curvy Widow starring Cybill Shepard at the Post Street Theatre in San Francisco; and a new re-envisioning of Seven Brides For Seven Brothers which played at Paper Mill Playhouse, TOTS, TUTS and North Shore Music Theater (2008 IRNE Award, Outstanding Director of a Musical). His work has been seen at regional theaters across the U.S. including the Alliance, Berkshire Theater Festival, Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Geva, Goodspeed Opera House, La Jolla Playhouse, Pasadena Playhouse, Prince Theater, Rubicon, Signature Theater, Studio Arena, Theatre Works, and Virginia Stage Company among others. He received the Connecticut Critics Circle Award as Outstanding Director for his production of Me And My Girl at Goodspeed Opera House. For radio broadcast, he directed the Grammy-nominated recording of The Prisoner Of Second Avenue, starring Richard Dreyfus and Marsha Mason, for L.A. TheatreWorks. Mr. Schwartz is a member of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers, is an Associate Artist at the Alley, and is a graduate of Harvard University.

Co-founded by Van Dean and Hillary Cutter, Van Hill Entertainment most recently presented the World Premiere of ROOMS a rock romance as a co-production between MetroStage and Geva Theatre Center. Saint Heaven received its West Coast Premiere at the Village Theatre in Issaquah, WA opening their 2008/'09 season. Van Hill co-produced an all-star benefit concert of Paul Scott Goodman's Alive in the World (dir. Kurt Deutsch) featuring Adam Pascal, Lea Michele, Melissa Errico, Daniel Reichard, and Greg Naughton. In 2006, Van Hill produced three shows at the New York Musical Theatre Festival including Paul Scott Goodman's Alive in the World featuring two time Tony® Award nominee Kelli O'Hara and Greg Naughton and Saint Heaven (winner of the 2006 NMTN Directors' Choice Award) featuring Nancy Anderson, Montego Glover, Roz Ryan and Patrick Ryan Sullivan. Van Hill's World Premiere production of Saint Heaven was named one of the top theatrical events of 2006 by The Norwalk Hour and Frank Rizzo (The Hartford Courant and critic for Variety). This production of Saint Heaven (dir. Matt Lenz) at the SCA Rich Forum in Stamford featured Tony® Award winner Chuck Cooper, Deborah Gibson, Cheryl Alexander, Montego Glover, Darren Ritchie and Patrick Ryan Sullivan. Van Hill co-produced The 2006 NY Musical Theatre Festival: The Best of Fest Bash featuring a star-studded roster of Broadway talent.

Photos by Andrea Fischman except 1a: which is Katie Wedlund

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