“Evel Knievel the Rock Musical”. A Leap of Faith?
If your were a young boy growing up in the 70′s and early 80′s, most likely one of your first hero’s was Evel Knievel. Neighborhoods were full of kids jumping everything from make shift wooden ramps to rock quarry ledges trying to imitate this man with seemingly super human abilities. Of course time marches on and Mr. Knievel is now alot older, wiser and racked with pain from broken bones and various diseases he’s fought bravely over the years! His son, Robbie who we’ve had the unique priviledge of knowing, is just like his dad too….but lacking something….his own ROCK MUSICAL!. Seems that Mr. Knievel has sold the stage rights to his life to Mr. Jef Bek a producer based in Chicago. Says Mr. Knievel, “Nobody would put this much time into a rock opera without having a dream. I just took a liking to the guy.â€
And because of the liking he took, Bobby Knievel–better know to his thrill seeking fans as “Evel†Knievel–granted Chicago-based composer Jef Bek the stage rights to his life story. The result of that male bonding camaraderie is Bek’s Evel Knievel, the Rock Musical, opening this Friday and settling in for a month long run at the Bootleg Theatre in Beverly Hills. Rob Kendt, host of the Wicked Stage blog, interviewed Bek in the L.A. Times as opening night approaches.
Says Bek of his composing style, “My music, unintentionally, has this built-in drama to it. I don’t know why, but everything I write has this epic quality — everything’s grand.†If your wondering what a “Knievel Musical” would sound like, visit Evel Knievel, the Rock Musical Faced with directing the show on a bare bones budget, director, Keythe Farley (Bat Boy, the Musical) asked himself “If I could have a motorcycle, what would I do with it? I realized, not much. You can’t fire it up onstage. It’s an 800-pound beast that becomes a gargantuan pain in the rear. So I hate to give anything away, but we’re using theater magic, the right lighting and video, to create a representation of flying.â€
For those of us still in awe of Evel Knievel and his achievements, we hope this latest adventure has this show landing on two wheels verses plastering itself across the stage at the local theatre.
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