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Friday night’s first glimpse at 54—The Musical is but one step closer to a larger vision from its creator Renée Bang Allen of Ocean Grove and the Axelrod Performing Arts Center in Deal Park.

The 8 p.m. Funk-Raiser at the House of Independents [572 Cookman Ave] is a benefit for the development of the theater’s new work’s initiative and part of vision Allen has to bring New York talent to city productions.

An actress turned playwright, this New York transplant uses the famed Studio 54 and its late 1970s disco hits as the back drop for her modern love story.

“The recently resurrected Asbury Park is the ideal NJ city to be launching this musical about the ‘hustling’ night life of the 1970s,” said APAC Artistic Director Andrew DePrisco, a lifelong area resident. “The disco era was pretty much the last night life in Asbury until this century.”

Directed by Rachel Kline, with music direction by Broadway veteran Henry Aronson and choreography by Liz Piccoli, Allen has aggregated an ensemble of new and established talent.

Restless rocker Brian Cherry is portrayed by Ace Yong [of American Idol, Bones, Grease and Hair on Broadway], and the hot but heartless Tonya Love is portrayed by N’Kenge [Motown: The Musical and Sondheim on Sondheim on Broadway].

Allen takes on the role of the privileged one-hit wonder Robyn Connors while Frankie Grande [of Big Brother, Rock of Ages and Mamma Mia on Broadway] plays drag queen chanteuse Coco de Grand Prix.

“This new show is revolutionary in many ways: it’s not only an engaging story with a familiar, authentic, ‘funky’ score; it’s also an immersive audience event that engages and encourages real participation …unlike traditional outside-looking-in theatre,” said company general manger Bob Angelini, the former Artistic Director of ReVision Theater in Asbury Park.

Below is a Q&A with creator Renée Bang Allen [at right].

Sun: Are you from the Jersey Shore?

Allen: I’m the result of a Denmark native who married a Swede.

Sun: What made you decide to open the show locally?

Allen: I wanted to take this project that I love so much and develop it down here. I wrote this as an immersive piece and the House of Independents is the perfect venue for this.

Sun: How did the idea for this love story set at Studio 54 come into fruition?

Allen: It came to me on my trips back and forth to Shore. As I was driving, I started developing the narrative to these late 1970s songs.  I would go back and rearrange the songs and that’s how the play evolved.

Sun: Where di you love of this music come from?

Allen: From my mother. She was a conservative Lutheran woman who loved to play the Bee Gees and KC and the Sunshine Band on our car rides.

Sun: How long did it take you to develop this piece?

Allen: Initially it took about a month but I’ve been workshopping it and reworking the story since 2009. A lot of the writing was done sitting in my car on my laptop while waiting for alternate side of the street parking. The play was copy written in 2010.

Sun: How would characterize this production?

Allen: I would characterize this as a hybrid of immersive dance theater and the book musical, similar to a juke box show like Rock of Ages crossed with The Donkey Show A Midsummer Night’s Disco.

Sun: How did you get into this business?

Allen: It pretty much began in kindergarten. I was a little white rabbit with red wings and ever since I’ve wanted to recreate that feeling I got from the audience.

Sun: What’s next?

Allen: I’d like to help develop a community program that can bring in New York talent and work with the city’s youth to foster their creativity through the arts.

the $54 tickets for this 8 p.m. sneak peak of 54 – The Musical will go toward the development of new works, an initiative by Axelrod Performing Arts Center. The Asbury, the city’s new hotel has joined on as production sponsors. For more info and tickets, visit axelrodartscenter.com.

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