High Point Theatre is set to screen Sylvester Stallone's original Rocky at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, with a live orchestra and piano performing the film's soundtrack in real time as the movie plays on massive screens. The performance marks the 50th anniversary of the 1976 boxing drama, and tickets range from $35 to $75.
According to the High Point Enterprise, the event pairs Stallone's original film with a live orchestra performing the score alongside the screening. High Point Theatre describes the show on its own event page as a celebration of “the 50th Anniversary of Rocky with Rocky in Concert,” inviting audiences to watch the film on big screens while an orchestra and piano perform the powerful score live, according to the High Point Theatre website.
A Big-Venue Show Lands in High Point
The scale of the production isn't lost on the venue's own leadership. High Point Theatre director Dan Barnard told YES! Weekly that this kind of live-score presentation is typically reserved for massive venues. “This usually happens at big halls — at 2,000-seater arenas, 2,000-seat halls, and we got it right here,” Barnard said, as reported by YES! Weekly.
The film itself remains one of the most honored sports dramas ever made. Rocky won three Academy Awards, including Best Picture, per the Enterprise's reporting, and its soundtrack earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for “Gonna Fly Now,” along with a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. “Gonna Fly Now” went on to reach No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977.
The Story Behind the Score
The film follows Rocky Balboa, a small-time boxer given the improbable opportunity to fight world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, a role played by Carl Weathers. Half a century later, that underdog story is still drawing live-music tributes well beyond High Point. A separate one-night Rocky 50th-anniversary event was announced for Brooklyn's Kings Theatre, taking place Nov. 5 and featuring Sylvester Stallone and composer Bill Conti, according to BroadwayWorld. That program was also set to include appearances by Peter Farrelly and actor Anthony Ippolito, who were scheduled to discuss the upcoming Amazon MGM Studios film I Play Rocky, per the same outlet.
Tickets, Access and Box Office Details
Tickets for the High Point show are available online at highpointtheatre.com or by calling the theatre box office at 336-887-3001. The box office is open noon to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and discounts for High Point city residents are available through that office, according to the theatre's event listing.
Patrons planning to sit in the Balcony level should note there is no elevator access to that section — it's reachable only by stairs, per the venue's posted accessibility notice.
