Sylvester Stallone attends opening of Rocky musical on Broadway

Sylvester Stallone at the opening of the Rocky musical in New York Credit: Reuters

Rocky creator and star Sylvester Stallone was among a host of celebrities on the red carpet in New York last night for the US premiere of a musical based on the Oscar-winning films.

Stallone co-wrote the original book with Thomas Meehan, which spawned the Oscar-winning film original and five sequels, and has watched over the musical's development since its inception.

The musical tells the story of struggling small-time boxer Rocky Balboa, who gets a once-in-a-lifetime shot to go the distance against heavyweight champ Apollo Creed.

The show had its international premiere in Hamburg to receptive audiences before coming to Broadway.

'Rocky the Musical' premiered in Germany before making the move to New York Credit: Reuters
Sylvester Stallone at the opening of the Rocky musical in New York Credit: Reuters

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Actor Wesley Snipes joined several Hollywood stars on the red carpet, along with Whoopi Goldberg and the Avatar and Terminator 2 director James Cameron.

The Rocky musical tells the story of small-time boxer Ricky Balboa Credit: Reuters

Goldberg said: "The story of Rocky is the story of every person who has a dream. That's what I love. There's no mystique. This is all about us, it's America's story. I think that's why people love it."

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