About the Show

"Rolf(e) - The Musical" - Book, Music & Lyrics by Robert John Ford

You know him from "The Sound Of Music," but how did a dancing messenger boy become a member of the Nazi Youth movement during one fateful summer?  Was he the villain or just a naïve, hormonal teenager?  And exactly how do you spell his name?  "Rolf(e)" tells the hilarious back-story of an unheralded and misunderstood hero-wannabe who would do anything for love and the resistance, while also examining more serious and timely themes such as gender/sexual identity, the rise of fascism, and the challenge of discerning what is actually true in an era of disinformation.

Combining music in the style of Rodgers & Hammerstein, the teen angst of “Spring Awakening,” the laughs of “The Book of Mormon,” and the bawdiness of “Cabaret,” “Rolf(e)” is a musical for the entire family... assuming the kids in the family have already figured out how to bypass any parental controls on their TVs and devices.

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To inquire about production rights, send an email to rjfcreative@gmail.com.

The First Public Staged Reading! - May 21, 2022

A staged reading was presented on Saturday, May 21, 2022 at the Iowa State Historical Building's auditorium in Des Moines.  Two performances were presented - 2:00pm and 7:00pm CDT.  The event was free and open to the public,  This reading was made possible in part by a grant from The Iowa Arts Council. 

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The reading was directed and performed by an amazing cast of Iowa-based theatre artists:

CREATIVE TEAM

Director - Robert John Ford

Asst. Director & Choreographer - Megan Helmers

Music Director - Brenton Brown

Orchestrator - Lucas Tahiruzzaman Syed

CAST

Rolf(e) - Will Donaghy

Diesel - Taylor Millar

Hans - Blake Clyde

Brother Karl, Ensemble - Brenton Brown

Brother Wilhelm. Ensemble - Brad Church

Msgr. Staciatori, Herr Zelner, Ensemble - Craig Petersen

Herr Schultz, Ensemble - Greg Millar

Captain, Ensemble - Jonathan deLima

Woman, GOTHYM, Ensemble - Ann Kramer

Villager 1, Sr. Vivian, GOTHYM, Ensemble - Heidi Mason

Villager 2, Choir, GOTHYM, Ensemble - David A. Robinson

Josef, GOTHYM, Ensemble - Maggie Schmitt

Raimund, GOTHYM, Ensemble - Drew Hayes Peterson

Leiman, GOTHYM, Ensemble - Ryan Henzi

Baroness, GOTHYM, Ensemble - Jackie Schmillen

GOTHYM, Ensemble - Payton Boesch

Stage Directions - Joe Smith

CREW & SUPPORT TEAM

Josh Jepson, Korey Williams, Joe Smith, Josh Whitver, Emma Milford, Charlie Flippen, Sarah Flippen, Julie Halligan Brown, Sheila Pflanz, Tom Pflanz.

Upcoming Productions

April 2023 - New York, NY - Workshop Production

Previous Productions

May 21, 2022 - RJFCreative, Des Moines, IA (2 performances) - Staged Reading

Press & Reviews

This musical is currently in development.

Awards

2021 - Iowa Arts Council major grant

Photo & Video Gallery

This musical is currently in development.