Rare Revival of David Rabe's IN THE BOOM BOOM ROOM Opens Tomorrow

The new Off-Broadway production of In the Boom Boom Room is set to begin performances tomorrow (Friday) at American Theatre of Actors, 314 West 54 Street (just west of Eighth Ave.) Playwright David Rabe has been attending rehearsals and 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 produced 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 features Deven Anderson, Kirk Gostkowski, Nina Kassa, Kyle Kirkpatrick, Malikha Mallette, Pete Mattaliano, 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 Tuesday 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.

Photo credit: Matthew Wells