Power Balladz is a live comedy performance featuring a mixture of comedy, trivia, and iconic rock n' roll songs from the 70s, 80s & 90s for which it is also named. Created by Mike Todaro and Dan Nycklemoe with Peter Rothstein, Power Balladz began its initial theatrical run at the LAB Theatre in Minneapolis and then made its New York debut on August 5, 2010 with an opening night of August 19, 2010. The comedy's musical blend includes songs by Journey,

Queen Queen most commonly refers to: * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a kingdom * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen (band), a British rock band Queen or QUEEN may also refer to: Monarchy * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Q ...

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the Order (biology), order Scorpiones. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by a pair of Chela (organ), grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward cur ...

Poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of lead vocalist Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey Kramer, and guitarists Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry and B ...

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Sayreville, New Jersey in 1983. The band consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarists John Shanks and Phil X, percussionist Everett Bradley ...

Night Ranger Night Ranger is an American hard rock band from San Francisco, California. The band formed in 1982 and experienced a surge of popularity during the 1980s with the release of several successful albums and hit singles. Guitarist Brad Gillis and ...

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; ; lit. "Shuddering"), also called the River Styx, is a goddess and one of the rivers of the Greek Underworld. Her parents were the Titans Oceanus and Tethys, and she was the wife of the Titan Pallas and the moth ...

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

, and more.

Creation

The Power Balladz were originally written and performed in 2002 at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis, Power Balladz predates the show to which it is most commonly compared to today,

Rock of Ages Rock of Ages is an epithet that is used in some translations of Isaiah 26, Isaiah 26:4 and may refer to: Films * Rock of Ages (1918 film), ''Rock of Ages'' (1918 film), a British silent film by Bertram Phillips * Rock of Ages (2012 film), ''Roc ...

. The first-ever production of Power Balladz originally featured creators Dan Nycklemoe and Mike Todaro playing the leads.

Synopsis

Lacking a true narrative, the production resembles a comical lecture on the rise and fall of the

Power Ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

as a musical form, and uses key songs to illustrate points about the art form's style, structure, lyrical content, and more. Guiding the audience through the experience are two self-professed rock aficionados Dieter and Scott. Throughout the show, Dieter and Scott poll the audience for answers to trivia questions, fire off a T-shirt cannon, and lead a live band in recreating the iconic musical hits the show celebrates. In what could be construed as the one true instance of plot in the show, the high school sweetheart of Dieter appears midway through and joins the cast for the remainder of the show, with Dieter attempting to muster up the courage he never had way back when.

Cast

Featured Music

Sweet Child o' Mine "Sweet Child o' Mine" is a song by American rock band Guns N' Roses, released on their debut studio album, '' Appetite for Destruction'' (1987). In the United States, the song was released in June 1988, topping the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 cha ...

" -

Guns N' Roses Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985 as a merger of local bands L.A. Guns and Hollywood Rose. When they signed to Geffen Records in 1986, the band's "classic" line-up consisted of vocalist Axl R ...

Sister Christian "Sister Christian" is a song by the American hard rock band Night Ranger. A power ballad, it was released in March 1984 as the second single from their album '' Midnight Madness''. It was ranked No. 32 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of the 1980s. It ...

" -

*" Here I Go Again" -

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1978. The group were originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their ow ...

*" Faithfully" - Journey *" Wanted Dead or Alive" -

*" Wind of Change" -

Every Rose Has Its Thorn "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is a power ballad by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in October 1988 as the third single from Poison's second album '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!''. The band's signature song, it is also their only number ...

" -

Close My Eyes Forever "Close My Eyes Forever" is a duet by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the h ...

" -

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and media personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead singer of the heavy metal music, heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which per ...

and

Lita Ford Lita Rossana Ford (born September 19, 1958) is an American guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter. She was the lead guitarist for the all-female rock band the Runaways in the late 1970s, and then embarked on a successful glam metal solo career tha ...

Come Sail Away "Come Sail Away" is a song by American rock group Styx, written and sung by singer and songwriter Dennis DeYoung and featured on the band's seventh album ''The Grand Illusion'' (1977). Upon its release as the lead single from the album, "Come Sa ...

" -

*"Power Balladz Medley" - Cast *" Alone" -

*" Dream On" -

Home Sweet Home Home Sweet Home may refer to: Film * ''Home, Sweet Home'' (1914 film), a film about the life of John Howard Payne * ''Home Sweet Home'' (1917 film), a British silent film * ''Home Sweet Home'' (1926 film), a silent film drama * ''Home, Swe ...

" -

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American Heavy metal music, heavy metal band formed in Hollywood, California, in 1981 by bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee, with guitarist Mick Mars and lead vocalist Vince Neil joining right after. The band has sol ...

We are the Champions "We Are the Champions" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released from the band's sixth album ''News of the World'' (1977). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, it remains among rock's most recognisable anthems.

" -

Paradise City "Paradise City" is a song by the American rock band Guns N' Roses, featured on their debut album, ''Appetite for Destruction'' (1987). Released as a single in January 1989, it is the only song on the album to feature a synthesizer. The song pea ...

" -

Critical reception

After a critically successful reception Off Broadway in 2010 Power Balladz was slightly modified. Power Balladz Sing-A-Long will begin touring in the fall of 2012.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Official site
Musical comedy plays 2002 musicals