about the project
Rocket Boys, a musical based on the NY Times #1 by NASA engineer Homer Hickam (also immortalized in the hit film, October Sky), has received a huge and overwhelmingly positive reaction from the musical theatre community since its initial stages.
Rocket Boys was recently a winner of the NY ASCAP / Disney Musical Theatre Workshop, with Stephen Schwartz (Wicked, Godspell, Rags, Pippin) at the helm. This was the Composer/Lyricist team’s second consecutive win (unprecedented for this award), having won the previous year with their show Flyer, about the lives of the Wright Brothers.
Directed that year by Broadway veteran Craig Carnelia (Sweet Smell of Success, Working, Is There Life After High School?), Tom Schumacher, President of Disney’s Buena-Vista Productions, was also brought in from the West coast to sit on the panel for Rocket Boys. The Creative team is most grateful to have the ongoing support of Michael Kerker, Director of Musical Theatre for ASCAP.
The full Broadway cast assembled for the ASCAP reading included veterans such as West Virginia’s own Mark McVey (Les Misérables, Tommy, Best Little Whorehouse Goes Public) as Homer Sr., Terri Klausner (Sophisticated Ladies, Evita) as Elsie Hickam, Joseph Kolinski (Les Misérables, Titanic), Carl Anthony Tramon (Fame, Peter Pan, What Makes Sammy Run?, Rags) as “Sonny” Hickam and Director, as well as Musical Director Joe Baker (Bells Are Ringing, Footloose, The Life, Blood Brothers).
Producer John O’Boyle (Radio Golf, off-Broadway's My Name is Rachel Corrie) is an active member of the team and is guiding the show’s progress: “This project has absolutely unlimited commercial potential.” Geoff Cohen, Board of Directors member of the celebrated annual New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF), has extended to Rocket Boys a “standing invitation” to present the show in the festival, and Broadway veteran actor and director Ray Roderick (Music Man, Crazy For You [Broadway]; The Prince & The Pauper, The Ark [Off-Broadway]) is currently in discussions to come on board with the project.
Most especially, the musical adaptation of Mr. Hickam’s wonderful memoirs has the unfailing commitment of the author himself; the script has been and continues to be developed in close consultation with Mr. Hickam, and the creative team believes that the work done thus far in their rare “think-tank” situation has already resulted in a tremendous potential for success.
At the present time, Rocket Boys is preparing for two major readings to be held in Huntsville, Alabama in May at the new and beautiful Merrimack Theatre. Huntsville is widely know as “Rocket City” and is home to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. A Gala in honor of the Creative Team will precede the readings.
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