Cheap Trick’s Robin Zander Heading to Broadway
Cheap Trick singer Robin Zander will make his Broadway debut during the final week of the Rocktopia concert show, producers have announced.
Billed as an event that “celebrates the fusion of rock songs from the past century with classical music,” Rocktopia opened at the Broadway Theatre in New York City on March 20 and will run until April 29. Zander will replace Pat Monahan of Train in the show on April 23.
“We love both classical music and classic rock,” said co-creator Rob Evan, who’s also a vocalist with Trans Siberian Orchestra. “There are so many parallels between the genres and between the ‘rock stars’ who composed and performed them. With Rocktopia, we want to break down barriers and any preconceived notion of what either genre is about – and electrify and inspire lovers of either musical style with these completely original new pieces.”
Speaking of his own Broadway debut in the show, Monaghan told Billboard, “I don't have any of those inner Tchaikovsky ambitions; I'm gonna channel my inner classic rock singers like Steven Tyler and Robert Plant. It's interesting how they mix it all together. Never having done anything like this and being impressed with everything I've seen, it's cool. Watching Rob sing really was inspiring to me, so being able to help him with this seems fun. And I'll get to spend a little time in New York, which I've wanted to do my whole career."
“He gets that it's not a gimmick, and he's been generous in saying that he really likes the concept and is here to serve the show," Evan added. "That's important because he's got a lot of street cred and will get us some people that might not have paid attention to us before.”
Cheap Trick recently announced a summer tour with Poison, which begins on May 18 in Irvine, Calif., and end on June 24 in Allentown, Penn.