Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera | Golden Skate

Tonya & Nancy: The Rock Opera

GF2445

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 7, 2012
"The apparently hilarious tale of one woman's violent obsession with making the 1994 US Winter Olympics team will get its most prestigious treatment yet, following the announcement that a successor to little-known 2007 production Tonya & Nancy: The Opera is bound for the Big Apple for the first time ever this year as part of next month's New York Musical Theatre Festival."

http://themusic.com.au/news/all/201...-skating-assault-inspires-new-musical-comedy/

N.B. The singing sounds really bad.
 

dorispulaski

Wicked Yankee Girl
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Country
United-States
Then it will sound just like Tonya...she tried singing briefly in her post skating career, but it was really hard to listen to. At least I think I remember this, and if it wasn't just a really bad nightmare I had...
 

Skater Boy

Record Breaker
Joined
Feb 24, 2012
well it was never proven it was tonya's obsession. I wonder if Vera Wang has been contacted to do the costumes for Nancy. Are they using drag queens. This must be an off Broadway production - it really sounds quite horrible - like a bomb written all over it - sorry. They must be running out of ideas. NY will never be the same. though maybe it has a chance with Britney spears as tonya and perhaps Celene dion as Nancy. Garth Brooks could play one of the Henchmen. and maybe one of the former back street boys could play Tonya's husband.
 
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andromache

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
No love for the rock opera here? If were in NYC, I would go see this in a heartbeat. I read elsewhere that the original production (in Portland maybe?) was nominated/won awards. I'm on my mobile or I'd link to them.

I get the feeling most figure skating fans look back at Nancy/Tonya with some embarrassment, but I think it's a significant part of cultural/media history in the US. And I wish I could go see this!
 

WeakAnkles

Record Breaker
Joined
Aug 1, 2011
well it was never proven it was tonya's obsession. I wonder if Vera Wang has been contacted to do the costumes for Nancy. Are they using drag queens. This must be an off Broadway production - it really sounds quite horrible - like a bomb written all over it - sorry. They must be running out of ideas. NY will never be the same. though maybe it has a chance with Britney spears as tonya and perhaps Celene dion as Nancy. Garth Brooks could play one of the Henchmen. and maybe one of the former back street boys could play Tonya's husband.

I've seen probably close to 150 Broadway shows and let me tell you, pop stars are invariably a disappointment when they do a Broadway musical. There are exceptions, of course--and no, I'm not naming them--but gimme a real Broadway belter like a Patti LuPone or Bernadette Peters any day over a pop star.

This sounds like it could either be very good and intriguing--the way The Who's Tommy was--or it could be a camp catastrophe. Bated breath here...

:)
 

mrrice

Record Breaker
Joined
Jul 9, 2014
I'm with you on this one. It's great when stars are naturally talented and can really deliver when they're in a warm, non-dusty, non-smoky, climate controlled studio. Let me tell you, I've had the "Pleasure" of singing in several hockey rinks in Russia and it was hell on earth. Try warming up your voice in ANY ice rink, it sucks! Fortunately, there were several gigantic Russian hockey players making fun of us and we thought they were great. They held up fake microphones and mocked our "cool" dance moves.

Singers like Patti and Bernadette are famous in part, because they make singing look easy and fun. Like skating, which looks easy and fun when you see it TV with its great costumes, make up and happy skaters. We all know how freakin' hard it is. Best of luck to all involved.
 

skateluvr

Record Breaker
Joined
Oct 23, 2011
I wonder if Nancy and Tonya had to give permission to this. Nancy was amazing and she is lumped with her trash abuser for life. Condolences t0 Kerrigan who would like to forget the assault and being screwed out of the gold by the bloc voters.

We saw who was really tough and brave and who was just a big mouthed bully. Nightmare indeed.
 

andromache

Record Breaker
Joined
Mar 23, 2014
I wonder if Nancy and Tonya had to give permission to this. Nancy was amazing and she is lumped with her trash abuser for life. Condolences t0 Kerrigan who would like to forget the assault and being screwed out of the gold by the bloc voters.

We saw who was really tough and brave and who was just a big mouthed bully. Nightmare indeed.

I doubt that they had to give permission? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but creators don't need permission to publish/present/whatever anything based on someone's real life, right? (Though sometimes they get permission anyway for the sake of the person's feedback or endorsement, or simply out of respect.)
 

solani

Record Breaker
Joined
Sep 8, 2014
Country
Austria
I wonder if Nancy and Tonya had to give permission to this. Nancy was amazing and she is lumped with her trash abuser for life. Condolences t0 Kerrigan who would like to forget the assault and being screwed out of the gold by the bloc voters.

We saw who was really tough and brave and who was just a big mouthed bully. Nightmare indeed.
Yes, we really saw what a tough cookie Nancy Kerrigan is. I think this is often forgotten.

I guess this musical is hilarious for about 10min. I wouldn't want to watch it, unless they'll do an "on ice" version. :biggrin:
But I don't excpect this to be a hit anyway.
 

Pepe Nero

On the Ice
Joined
Dec 11, 2011
well it was never proven it was tonya's obsession. I wonder if Vera Wang has been contacted to do the costumes for Nancy. Are they using drag queens. This must be an off Broadway production - it really sounds quite horrible - like a bomb written all over it - sorry. They must be running out of ideas. NY will never be the same. though maybe it has a chance with Britney spears as tonya and perhaps Celene dion as Nancy. Garth Brooks could play one of the Henchmen. and maybe one of the former back street boys could play Tonya's husband.

I love this post. You deserve an award for this one, Skater Boy.

What about Jake Gyllenhaal to play Jeff Gillooly? Is that crazy? After seeing Nightcrawler, I think he fits the role.

I would like Jennifer Coolidge to play Tonya. I don't know about Nancy. Bebe Neuwirth?
 
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