Showtime: Lauren Rooney plays Leading Lady in Respect: A Musical Celebration of Women, on stage at Penn’s Landing Playhouse, inside the Independence Seaport Museum through May 31. PHOTO COURTESY OF Lauren Rooney
Lauren Rooney is an all-around entertainer, with film and television credits part of her resume.
Rooney, who was raised by her grandparents in Somerton and still lives in the neighborhood, also has an extensive background in theater.
And while she doesn’t do theater exclusively — she works as a guest on QVC, an acting school teacher and as an on-air and in-person spokeswoman — she loves every opportunity she gets.
Right now, she’s starring in Respect: A Musical Celebration of Women. The show runs through May 31 at Penn’s Landing Playhouse, inside the Independence Seaport Museum, at 211 S. Columbus Blvd. (at Walnut Street).
“It’s really fun,” she said. “It’s a great story of women from the 1900s through to today. It’s very empowering. It’s really cool to be a part of it.”
The musical celebrates women through more than 60 Top 40 songs, including Stand By Your Man, Respect, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Where The Boys Are and I Am Woman.
Rooney’s numbers include (Won’t You Come Home) Bill Bailey and Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.
The show was created by Vanderbilt University professor Dorothy Marcic, based on her book, RESPECT: Women and Popular Music. The book analyzed Top 40 female song lyrics since 1900.
The original version of the show in 1999 featured Marcic, and was developed into a full-scale musical theater production in 2004. The show has now played all over the United States and in Australia.
The show features stories of women chasing their dreams, entering the workplace and finding love, including achieving independence and jobs in corporate America.
Rooney was selected for the show in February. The cast rehearsed six days a week for three weeks before the show opened on April 8.
Rooney plays Leading Lady. She is joined by Lindsay Roberts (as the Diva), April Woodall (as the Narrator) and Marissa Barnathan (as Ingenue). All of them have singing roles.
“The four of us are brand new to the show. They’re great ladies. We’re very comfortable with each other. It’s an interesting mix,” Rooney said. “And the two girls who are understudies are really great.”
Rooney sees the audience as the fifth cast member.
“We’re having a conversation with the audience,” she said.
Rooney attended St. Christopher Elementary School and Archbishop Ryan High School (class of 2003), and earned a communications and theater degree from Temple in 2007.
At Ryan, she performed in the school’s two musicals per year.
One of her top roles at Temple was playing Mother in Ragtime.
Rooney recalls seeing Mamma Mia! and dancing in the aisles. She believes Respect: A Musical Celebration of Women can have the same impact on audience members.
“It’s very popular for women,” she said. “It’s a great ladies night out, but that’s not to say men won’t enjoy it, either.” ••
IF YOU GO…
Performances are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m.; and Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets are priced from $45 to $65. Call toll-free 855-HIT SHOW, go to the Penn’s Landing Playhouse box office or visit plplayhouse.com
For information, visit www.respectamusicaljourney.com
