'Rocky the Musical': Backstage & in the Ring of Hit Broadway Show

What's up guys? Leslie Robbins here for Young Hollywood. I am standing on Broadway in front of the Winter Garden Theatre. And in case you haven't noticed the giant billboard behind me, it is home to the hit show Rocky, one of my favorite movies by the way. And I am taking you behind the scenes.

We are backstage at the Winter Garden Theater. This is pretty epic. I think we need a tour.

Absolutely.

We should probably start with the wig room right here. It's on our floor. Yeah. Come on over. This is where all the magic of hair happens because and I don't wear any wigs in the show because I have my own hair. However, there is this giant amazing, amazing afro in the show. She bobs her head too and it kind of goes with this. Yeah. Oh, yes, all the.

I know, I know. You're in the biggest show to come to Broadway in a long time. Sylvester Stallone, Rocky. It's huge. Lead role. But your story. This is your debut, your Broadway debut.

Yeah, it's my first time on the Great White Way.

Show me around your little home away from home.

This is my pad. Um, this is the, the one of the star dressing rooms here at the Winter Garden. Very exciting. And so here's kind of, you know, um, where all the magic happens. Adrian doesn't wear a whole lot of makeup. That's good. But I, for some reason, I have a lot of makeup. Um, many shades of tan and brown. My favorite colors. I love this space, too. really soothing and just like quiet and calm. And I always have like, I have my little tea station, have tea and um, yoga clothes and all that kind of stuff. And then a few, you know, boxing paraphernalia there.

You have a lot of.

And vodka.

And vodka. Boxing and vodka. And a little and a little bit of vodka. What's your drink of choice since we're talking.

Well, my drink of choice, actually my drink of choice tends to be tequila.

Tee. I thought she was going to say tea. Tea? Oh, yes. Not, not before the show. No tequila before the show. Now talk about the ritual you have backstage before the show, because this is an, you're an intense show. You're not boxing. You don't have the workout that they do. But I hear you guys have like a routine before.

Yeah. I like to think I have the emotional workout. But I always make sure I do push-ups with the guys before my first entrance in like full Adrian gear.

Oh, of course. Just Yes. Just in here, just in here working out. For the show. For the show, Andy. It's going great. Didn't mean to interrupt your pre-game routine.

I know. It's getting close to showtime, so I have to do push-ups, you know, sit-ups.

Okay, I'll, I'm gonna let you guys talk about it, in, in, in great detail, all of that. Okay. Here you go, Andy. Thank you. Oh, it's my time with Rocky himself. Yes. Go do some push-ups.

She actually does push-ups before the show. I know. I've trained her well.

Andy and I will always yell at each other before, before the show like, "You're a great actor." Or like, "I appreciate you." And something silly right before like, through the door, um, before we start the journey of the day.

Last time I saw you behind the scenes at Jersey Boys.

Jersey Boys, that's right. Since then, you picked up a Tony nomination. Tony nomination has happened. Uh, all sorts of, uh, amazing things have happened with the show. Rocky, just running and being great and having a great time is, you know, award enough for me.

Your chemistry is kind of ridiculous.

Thank you. Done and done. Yeah. He makes it easy. Kissing Andy, you're not so bad. Not so bad. Not so bad. Yeah. Yeah. It's a nice, it's a nice job. Between me and Margo, you know, as Rocky and Adrian, you know, breaking down those walls and becoming, you know, falling in love and finding all these great things about themselves, dignity and heart and, and having something great to, to fight for at the end is, is really, uh, it's important to the show.

Now, when did you first meet him at the audition? And did you know instantly?

We met at the audition. Um, and it's always such an interesting, weird thing. It's just, it's so random. It's like, "Hi, I'm Margo." Is it okay if I touch you like this? And then you the scene.

This is my wardrobe. We got wraps pre-made for punching meat later. Got the hat. Maybe you should try the hat.

May I? Yo, how you doin'? And I see Adrian's wardrobe over here, very dramatic. Sequins everywhere, tinsel, colors.

Absolutely. Yes, it's, it's kind of.

Too bad. It's a stunning, stunning wardrobe. I mean, it is.

But very sensible hemlines. There was, there was a time where I thought I wasn't going to get the role because I went to Germany. It was in German. I don't speak any German, so they actually did it in Hamburg. And I was like, "Wow, I, I have to wait for a year to, it's going to go away. I'm not going to get the role. I should just let it go. They're not going to hire me." And then when it came back to audition for Broadway, I was like, "What would Rocky do?" He'd fight. In the beginning, um, I was just, I hadn't seen the movie. And then at audition number five, or number six, I watched Rocky. And then towards the very end, that, you know, just like more and more people were in the room. There were cameras in the room. It was, um, very intimidating.

I think we should head to the stage. That's huge. It's like, yeah, yeah, it's really exciting. Oh my God. Follow me.

Okay, come on. It's amaze back here.

Yes. We just keep going down the stairs. Here, we have our amazing stage management team. Hey you guys. We can't really do anything at all without them. And they keep us safe. So we appreciate it. We appreciate you.

Appreciate you. Let's talk about the great guy, Stallone. I met him. I have my story. Everyone has their story if they've met him. Talk about when you met him and the approval that you got.

Uh, I've met him on several time, several occasions. He's stood right where you're standing. So, this is the glow area. I got my Rocky shrine back here. It's sort of a Philly Rocky shrine. I got Rocky Marciano in the bathroom. He's really like this presence around and he came to see first preview. He came to see opening night. He saw rehearsals.

The stage of the Winter Garden. Wow. It's pretty fantastic, right? Look at the view. Broadway debut once again. I might add. Yes. This is huge. And here's, and here's our ring. Let's talk about the body. You're a boxer. Sick, sick muscles. Good job.

Thank you. Thank you. Uh, no, it's

Let's talk about it.

Well, I, I have the luxury, and I say that lightly, of doing fights every night. So I do two, two fights a night. One is 20 minutes long, one is five minutes long. And that's eight shows a week. And I run up stairs, and drink eggs, and I do jump rope, and I'm sweating half the time.

So here we are at the ring. And we have to go in. But you have to take your shoes off. Okay. Okay? All right, let's go. Now, this is actually a real ring.

Yeah, it's a real ring. It's covered in fake blood. Like every real ring should be. The ring kind of transforms into so many different things. And it's where you make out with him.

Yep, most importantly. We give a little bit that icon from the movie, you know, we, we drink the eggs. You see the Philly stairs. You know, you see Rocky and Adrian. You hear, "Yo, Adrian, how you doin'?" You know, I'm bringing in a little bit of that stuff.

Say it again.

Yo, Adrian, how you doin'? They don't, they don't, didn't hire me for my ring skills.

Well, now they are. Let's do it. Let's try. All right. Wow. That was really good. That was, I, I think you won. No, give it to Adrian. Thank you. Good job. Thank you so much. I'm going to work on it. I'm going to work on it.