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Rosie Musical Getting Help From Gene Simmons?


11-16-03 Keavin
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The Rosie O�Donnell bank rolled musical �Taboo� isn�t doing too well, so here comes Gene Simmons to the rescue. O�Donnell has sunk $10 million into the musical which stars 80�s icon Boy George. But the show has been sidetracked by poor to lukewarm reviews and less than steller ticket sales. 

O�Donnell is hoping that word-of-mouth will help keep the musical afloat, since she can�t rely on positive reviews to create a buzz. She isn�t willing to pull the plug at this point, although last week�s previews only drew in half a house. 

Team �Taboo� are keeping a positive attitude and putting a positive spin on things. The production�s spokesman, John Barlow, says that the whole team �believes in the show 100 percent. The company feels very buoyant. We felt opening night couldn't have gone better."

As part of their marketing strategy, they will going after the airwaves and press with advertising on TV, radio and print.  

Where does Gene Simmons fit into the picture? The fire-breathing bass player of KISS was fired up after attending an invitation only performance of the play last Thursday at the Plymouth Theater in New York City.  He wants to sign on to produce a soundtrack album for the musical on his new Simmons Records (distributed by Sanctuary Music Group).  

According to Newsday, Simmons believes in the production and wants to take the music to the masses. "The music stands on its own," Simmons said.

Simmons is quick to add that the musical doesn�t overly rely on Boy George's musical past, "This isn't a nostalgia show. It's got nothing to do with 'Karma Chameleon'. There's some wonderful, brand-new music that should be heard."

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