Rock of Ages

I will confess up front that I am a rock chick at heart and this production is crammed full of some of my favourite artists and songs. I have seen Rock of Ages both on Broadway and in the West End, and it is a story of the trials and tribulations of love set amongst the battle against corporate greed and the fickle lure of fame and fortune. I am new to the Brewhouse Arts Centre and I can’t wait for a return visit as I thought it was an excellent venue and a fantastic conversion of an old Bass brewery storehouse.

So if the side of my Rock of Ages van reads “New York – London – Burton”, how did The Mellow Dramatics version stack up? Quite simply, IT ROCKED! They absolutely captured the spirit of the show and the energy of rock superbly and it really is a balance, as the whole thing is about celebrating this sub-culture and the amazing music whilst simultaneously both loving and subtly mocking its more ridiculous aspects. For me, this is how the film missed the mark as it took itself entirely too seriously but it would be easy to fall into the trap of hamming it up. Mellows scored an absolute bullseye with the balance and I was taken back nearly 15 years to a tiny Broadway theatre where I first experienced having my face melted!

The choreography was excellent, particularly given how many people were in such a small space when the entire cast were on stage. There was no holding back from the raunchier aspects of the movement which is very true to the show.

The Bourbon Room is supposed to be a bit of a dive bar which lends itself to keeping it simple with the set but it was great to see the restroom had kept its central place! Very simply but cleverly done. The scaffold poles at the front did a great job of looking like part of the bar whilst also providing the poles in the strip….ahem, gentleman’s club and giving the protesters something to shackle themselves to. Props were straightforward and well used and formed the basis of some great interaction with the audience in the form of flyers handed out as part of the protest for example (I got one as a souvenir!). Costumes were excellent, and I particularly love that as well as the input from the obviously fantastic costume people, some of it was from the cast themselves showing they have some rocking good outfit choices at their disposal!

The live band on stage were fantastic and the lighting worked well but one thing I think could have been improved upon was the sound in terms of the mix with the music and the dialogue. When the cast were singing, the balance between the music and the vocal was mostly fine but when a cast member was speaking over the band, it could be quite difficult to hear the dialogue and I was only three rows back. This was a shame because not only were some very funny lines muffled, some of the plot progression is delivered in the form of narration (predominantly by Lonny) and some of this was very difficult to hear. As I say, the band themselves were fabulous so it would have been nice to have seen them more formally acknowledged by the cast as part of the curtain call.

The cast were very strong throughout both in terms of acting and vocals giving a high energy performance that must have taken a bit of a toll on the old vocal chords by the end of the week. These are not songs you can be half hearted about and everyone’s performances screamed heart!

Drew (Brad Hambleton) and Sherrie (Lucy Warner) are our young lovers, drawn together by a love of cherry slurpees! A budding rock star, Drew is struggling to find his way until his small-town muse crosses his path. Brad nailed the vocals, giving his all on every single word whilst fabulously portraying Drew’s goofy side. Lucy did a great job showing Sherrie’s slightly quieter, shyer persona which of course makes the contrast even starker when she is pushed out of her comfort zone later on. Lucy’s vocals switched easily from the quiet introspection of More Than Words to the ball busting fire of I Hate Myself For Loving You.

Dennis (Paul Edwards) is the iconic owner of the Bourbon Room and Paul did a superb job of showing this laconic, been round the block with a joint or two character whose bar is under threat from German developers Hertz (Alistair Wilson) and Franz (George Attwood) – both managed to pull off the very difficult job (both from an acting and vocal perspective) of portraying a borderline stereotype without it being flat and one dimensional. That line is pretty much crossed with Franz but George was hilarious every time he came on stage and gave the character so much heart. The mayor (Tom Bailey) and his assistant Regina (Dani Harris) find themselves on opposite sides of the planned redevelopment with the Mayor blinded by the lure of the money and Regina equally determined to fight the capitalists to save the Sunset Strip and the Bourbon Room. Tom gave a great portrayal of the corrupt Mayor and Dani was vocally very strong and also owned the character of the passionate Regina who stands up to the Man and wins.

And then he came, as rock stars often do…….Stacee Jaxx! Kieran Barrett was brilliant as the typical arrogant rock star used to getting everything his own way. Playing his final gig at the Bourbon Room as a favour to Dennis (don’t mention the baby llama!), Stacee comes, causes havoc but ultimately comes unstuck and Kieran took us on this rollercoaster with him with every strut across the stage! Very strong vocally (even in Spanish!) but the rock star attitude was 100%. His interview with Constance (Daisy Parker) was brilliantly done by Daisy who showed that you can go from 100% professional journalist to oh baby in the course of just a song! Rock stars are undeniable!

And were would the lost souls of the Sunset Strip be without Mama, Justice Charlier (Donna Nolan). This was a powerhouse vocal performance and again, a great portrayal of what could easily be a stereotype. She does what she does but she genuinely cares for her girls and Donna let that heart shine through.

The strip club DJ (Natalie Veasey) put in a solid performance and Ja’Keith (Jonathan Rosemoore) lit up the stage quite literally every time he came on as those trousers really reflected the light! And our Waitress #1 who, despite not having a name, has a hell of a voice!

The strippers made the job look glamourous and along with the ensemble, gave some amazing moves and scene exposition throughout.

And no, I haven’t forgotten him! The narrator, the lynchpin – Lonny (Tom Patterson) holds the whole show together and Tom really reminded me of the amazing actor I saw portray Lonny in New York. This character needs the whole package – voca, charisma, humour and a FogMaster 5000! Tom was Lonny, 100%!

If this is Mellow’s usual standard then I can’t wait for next time! I was rocked, rolled and I Won’t Stop Believing in this excellent production and I thank you very much for inviting me.

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.