Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years was an unsuccessful Broadway musical revue

Revue

A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century American popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own during its golden years from 1916 to 1932...

 conceived by Bob Gill

Bob Gill (artist)

Bob Gill , American illustrator and graphic designer. He played the piano at summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains, New York, to pay his school tuition. He attended the Philadelphia Museum School of Art , Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts , City College of New York...

 and Robert Rabinowitz

Robert Rabinowitz (artist)

Robert Rabinowitz Robert Rabinowitz Robert Rabinowitz (b. Brooklyn, New York, American illustrator and graphic designer. In 1975 created Beatlemania, the largest multimedia musical up to that time on Broadway, on which he worked with Bob Gill. With his family, Rabinowitz owns Villa Rosa Bonheur in...

, who also conceived Beatlemania

Beatlemania (musical)

Beatlemania was a Broadway musical revue focused on the music of The Beatles as it related to the events and changing attitudes of the tumultuous Sixties...

.

Broadway production

The original Broadway production premiered on October 5, 1982, at the St. James Theatre

St. James Theatre

The St. James Theatre is located at 246 W. 44th St. Broadway, New York City, New York. It was built by Abraham L. Erlanger, theatrical producer and a founding member of the Theatrical Syndicate, on the site of the original Sardi's restaurant. It opened in 1927 as The Erlanger...

. The revue officially opened after 25 previews

Preview (theatre)

Previews are a set of public performances of a theatrical presentation that precede its official opening. The purpose of previews is to allow the director and crew to identify problems and opportunities for improvement that weren't found during rehearsals and to make adjustments before critics are...

 on October 24, 1982. The show closed on October 31, 1982 after only 9 regular performances.

The creative team included direction and choreography by Joe Layton

Joe Layton

Joe Layton was an American director and choreographer known primarily for his work on Broadway.-Biography:Born Joseph Lichtman in Brooklyn, New York, Layton began his career as a dancer in Wonderful Town , and he appeared uncredited in the ensemble of the original live TV production of Rodgers and...

, set design by Mark Ravitz, and lighting design by Jules Fisher

Jules Fisher

Jules Fisher is a lighting designer and producer. He is credited with lighting designs for more than 200 productions over the course of his 45 year career in Broadway and off-Broadway shows, as well extensive work in film, ballet, opera, television, and rock and roll concert tours...

. The music was arranged by John Simon

John Simon (record producer)

John Simon is an American musician, record producer, and composer. He is best known for his work with The Band as producer and musician on Music from Big Pink and The Band.-Biography:...

.

The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

said the show "does a surprisingly good job of summarizing rock's contributions to our musical, cultural and even political life over the last 25 or more years. It's Broadway, so it can't be too loud or too wild, but it manages remarkable fidelity to its sources anyway."

External links

• Rock 'N Roll! The First 5,000 Years at the Internet Broadway Database
  Internet Broadway Database
  The Internet Broadway Database is an online database of Broadway theatre productions and their personnel. It is operated by the Research Department of The Broadway League, a trade association for the North American commercial theatre community....