Rocktopia is an almost seamless fusion of classic music and the classic rock world. Featuring a symphony orchestra, choir, band, the beautiful voices of Rob Evan, Chloe Lowery, Tony Vincent, Kimberly Nichole, and Alyson Cambridge, alongside the beautiful violin skills of Máiréad Nesbitt and the guitar playing by Tony Bruno, Rocktopia works to fuse works of Beethoven and Mozart with the likes of Journey, Queen, and Zeppelin. Also featuring guest artists, (I saw Pat Monahan of Train), audiences certainly seem to be enjoying the classical revolution.
Rocktopia is certainly different to anything Broadway has seen in the past. While concerts have made their way to Broadway before (the not so successful Home for the Holidays and the just extended Springsteen on Broadway come to mind), this is very, very different to anything else. I attended on opening night, and the audience was enthralled. It is truly an amazing thing to be listening to some of the best classical works when suddenly a song like "We Are the Champions" begins. They do it flawlessly and need to be given credit for that.
On opening, the audience gave at least four standing ovations! One was incredibly well deserved for Lowery's rendition of "I Want To Know What Love Is", and she looked incredibly happy at the reaction. Another was given for "Don't Stop Believing", which was probably one of the best songs of the night. They invited the audience to sing along (which not many did very loudly), but it was fun nonetheless.
Despite all this, it is probably not everyone's cup of tea which is understandable. However, if you can and if you want to, run down to the Broadway Theatre to catch it as it is only here until April 29th. You will have a surprising night and, with an open mind, a pretty unforgettable night.