ROCK-A MY SOUL at the Theatre At St. Clement's, 423 West 46th Street thru August 30th

ROCK-A-MY SOUL, a Gospel/Rock Musical by Van Dirk Fisher

Packs A Powerful Punch With A Love Story That Echoes Medea.

Torn From The Newspapers It Features A Story That Rocked The World In 1994.
At The Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46th Street, NYC.

Rock-A My Soul August 16th through August 30th

Thursdays and Fridays at 8pm; Saturdays at 1pm, 4pm & 8pm; Sundays at 4pm & 8pm

Tickets: $35.00 at the Box Office and $25.00 online at http://www.therianttheatre.com/At the Theatre at St. Clement’s, 423 West 46th Street, NYC. Between 9th & 10th Avenue.

ROCK-A-MY SOUL the gospel/rock musical by Van Dirk Fisher, is based on a true story about love and devotion, and a woman as haunting as Medea! Taylor Cooper and Julie Johnson had a love so strong that couldn’t be denied. Then on the day he proposed to her their world was turned upside down. The place: Union South Carolina. The alleged crime: Carjacking and kidnapping. When the media turned against him, one brother stood by him, his church prayed for him, and his mother never gave up on him. But who can save him when there are witnesses who saw him with the victims? If he’s founds guilty he will be sentenced to death. Rock-A My Soul is a testimony to faith and the power of the human spirit.

ROCK-A MY SOUL packs a powerful punch with spirituals and original music written by Van Dirk Fisher. The play was inspired by the story of Susan Smith, a real life tragic person, a mother from Union, South Carolina whose tearful plea in 1994 on national television seduced the world to come to her aid as she pleaded for the carjacker who kidnapped her two little boys to return them safely to her. The play parallels her story against the man she accused of the carjacking, Taylor Cooper.

How can one write a musical about such a tragic figure? “Well, ROCK-A-MY SOUL struck a chord with me on so many levels,” says playwright and director Van Dirk Fisher. “It’s central character, Susan Smith’s confession rocked the world and shocked the nation. It was unthinkable. It’s true some of our greatest works have been about very complex women like Medea and as usual, fact is sometimes stranger than fiction. Susan Smith has all the elements of a tragic figure. She was well liked in her community. Family videos showed that she obviously loved her two little boys very much. Court testimony revealed that she had been abused by her father and witnessed his suicide. Later, she was repeatedly sexually abused by her stepfather. Isolated from her mother, who didn’t believe her abuse or simply refused to come to her aid, led her to desperate acts when she felt overwhelmed in life.”

Great care is given in exploring the complexities of Susan’s life with such songs as ONE MOMENT IN TIME IT APPEARED and THERE HAS TO BE A LITTLE ANGEL written by Van Dirk Fisher as well as the heart wrenching gospel song LORD, I’M WAITING FOR MY SON TO COME HOME, sung by Taylor’s mother when she learns of his arrest.

Van Dirk Fisher, the playwright and director of ROCK-A-MY SOUL has written seveal plays and musicals, including: Sweet Blessings, Going South!, Somebody’s Calling My Name, Loving That Man Of Mine, Tracks, Code Of Silence and The Atlanta Affair. Mr. Fisher is also the producer and creator of the prestigious Strawberry One-Act Festival, which just celebrated it’s 16th season.