SOVIET REBEL GIRL | Andy Roninson

SOVIET REBEL GIRL is a two-act musical with book, music, and lyrics by Andy Roninson.

[NOTE: This page is devoted to the stage musical and not the non-musical TV pilot adaptation.]

The show has been developed in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theater Workshop, the Johnny Mercer Grove at Goodspeed, and the Dramatists Guild Foundation Fellows program under the mentorship of Michael Korie (Grey Gardens, Flying Over Sunset) and Laurence O'Keefe (Legally Blonde, Bat Boy).

SPECIAL PREVIEW:

A musical medley produced by the Dramatists Guild Foundation and starring Skyler Volpe (Sing Street), Nicole Van Giessen (Dear Evan Hansen), and Lexi Perkel (John Mulaney and the Sack Lunch Bunch).

SUMMARY:

Loosely based on the experiences of the author's parents, SOVIET REBEL GIRL is set in Moscow in 1973. It's the story of 17-year-old Sveta Rubina, who, like all 17-year-olds, is fed up-- fed up with her family, with her school, with the totalitarian government that dictates her everyday life-- you know, typical teenager problems. After she gets her hands on a rock and roll record bootlegged onto an old X-ray, Sveta navigates between her overbearing doctor mother and her peppy Communist little sister to learn more about herself, and maybe-- just maybe-- find a way to escape the U.S.S.R. for good.

Below are some live performances featuring Renée Albulario (American Utopia), Ava Briglia (School of Rock, Matilda), Brandon Espinoza (Spongebob, Tuck Everlasting), Aaron Phillips (Disney in Concert), Arri Simon (Borders), Amy Spanger (Rock of Ages, Kiss Me, Kate), and Tiffany Topol (Once).

#1: "Young Pioneer"

(Ava Briglia with Amy Spanger, Renée Albulario, Arri Simon, and Aaron Phillips)

CONTEXT: 10-year-old Masha is hyped-up for the party her family is throwing her in honor of her induction into the Young Pioneers (the Soviet equivalent of the Boy/Girl Scouts).

#2: "The Real Thing"

(Renée Albulario with Brandon Espinoza, Aaron Phillips, and Arri Simon)

CONTEXT: The U.S.S.R. censored all art and expression from outside the borders. So it's no small miracle when 17-year-old Sveta receives a rock and roll record from the West, one bootlegged onto an old X-ray. The album opens the door to a new world of music, expression, and self-discovery.

#3: "Captain of My Ship"

(Amy Spanger)

CONTEXT: After a family blowout, mother Lyuba is left alone on the edge of a panic attack.

#4: "Illegal"

(Ava Briglia with Tiffany Topol and Aaron Phillips)

CONTEXT: Masha's father tasks her with transporting an illegal book via the Moscow metro... alone.

#5: "American Star"

(Renée Albulario and Brandon Espinoza)

CONTEXT: Teenagers Sveta and Lev have been dating for a few months, and Sveta is preparing for her emigration to the United States. In an intimate moment, she proposes that he join her.