The Gong Show Live to Play Six-Month Run at the Cutting Room

The Gong Show is coming to a stage near you! The Cutting Room will be the home for a stage adaptation of the popular 1970s talent show, which will play a six month-long pre-off-Broadway tryout from May 2 through October 3.

After beating out over 1,000 international auditions, 35 talented acts were chosen to participate in the inaugural run, hosted by Ray Ellin. Fourteen acts will perform nightly from the talent pool, which includes The Unknown Convict, Gene Gene the Dancing Machine, Amazing Amy, Cultured Kramden, Princess Lockaroo, Chipps Cooney, Zac Mordechai, Rhonda Smith Duffy Coris, Wonder Boy, Jo Jo Banana, Manolo Blank, Fire Gypsy, The Alien Surfer Girls, Hotbot and Orgasma, Leonid The Magnificent, Sisters In Song, Ariel Jacobson, Wild Cherryz, The Bad Habits, Peaches and Kareem, Josh Big Balls, Austin Barry, Skatin’ Sarah, The Juggler, Malletman, Eva Diva Anderson, Jennifer Casino, Spoonatra, Heidi the Goat Boy, Karloff and Father Paul.

Each performance—scheduled for May 2, June 6, July 11, August 8, September 12 and October 3—will feature a rotating panel of celebrity judges including director/executive producer Leslie Gold, comedian Dan Naturman, radio comic Chuck Nice and radio DJ Ken Dashow, as well as the Gong Show 10 Orchestra. Musical direction is by Frank Pisani.

The Gong Show aired between 1976 and 1981 and featured a series of amateur performers facing off in a talent competition, judged by three celebrity guests. The Gong Show Live will mark the first time that the American cultural classic will be presented on stage.