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.^[1] 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.^[2] The comedy's musical blend includes songs by Journey, Queen, Scorpions, Poison, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Night Ranger, Styx, Heart, and more.

Creation

The Power Balladz were originally written and performed in 2002 at the Bryant Lake Bowl in Minneapolis,^[3] Power Balladz predates the show to which it is most commonly compared to today, Rock of Ages. The first-ever production of Power Balladz originally featured creators Dan Nycklemoe and Mike Todaro playing the leads.^[4]

Synopsis

Lacking a true narrative, the production resembles a comical lecture on the rise and fall of the Power Ballad 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.^[5]

Cast

^[6]

Featured Music

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.