Cheap Trick's Robin Zander Thinks 'Rocktopia' Will Be His Only Broadway Gig

Cheap Trick fans who want to see their favorite lead singer perform on Broadway are running out of time. While frontman Robin Zander says he's having a blast this week as the lead in the limited Broadway engagement of Rocktopia, he doesn't think he'll have another opportunity like this one.

Zander told Q104.3 New York's Jim Kerr and Shelli Sonstein this week that he has a new appreciation for everything that goes into the production of a Broadway show, from the stage crew to the orchestra to the cast. But he was surprised to even be asked to take part.

"Why me? I thought it was a joke," Zander laughed, recalling being asked to join the cast. "This was a great opportunity for me to do something I would never, ever do in my life."

Performing in Rocktopia for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is an interesting mix of what he knows, rock and roll, with something foreign to him, the world of theatre — something he never thought would include him.

"I'm not an actor, I've never been in film or anything like that, where you had to plot where you stand onstage...you've got to hit your mark and everything like that."

Zander complimented the Rocktopia production team as being "giving" and patient and very unlike what he's dealt with in rock and roll over his career. It's a nice situation, he emphasized, but the whole thing is very demanding on a singer who's been doing things his own way for 45 years or so.

"Learning these songs that Robert Plant wrote—lyrically, 'Kashmir' is like a poem, it's like a book of poetry," Zander says. "I've made a few blunders but as a rock singer I've learned how to cover that up a little bit. It's all really good, I think."

Beyond hitting his marks and remembering lyrics to songs he's never before had to perform, Zander points out that hitting the notes is not easy task.

"It's a matter of range with me. I wouldn't be able to do that every night, to be honest, on the road for three months. Those are pretty high vocals."

Zander will be performing on Rocktopia through the conclusion of the production's Broadway run, Sunday, April 29.

The show opened last month with Train frontman Pat Monahan as its lead. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider followed and set the stage for Zander to close the show.

Get more tickets and more information here.

Watch the interview with Q104.3 below.

Rocktopia is a concert event that joins together some the most iconic 20th-century rock with renowned classical masterpieces.

The show features the works of some of the world's best-known classic rock artists including Journey, Queen, Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, U2, Heart, and The Who with orchestral music by the likes of Mozart, Beethoven, Handel, Tchaikovsky, Copland, Puccini and more.

It's all performed by an elite lineup of vocalists, a 40-person choir, a five-piece rock band and a 20-piece orchestra. 

Tickets are now on sale at Telecharge.com. 

Photo: Getty Images