Rock of Ages

It was with more than a little trepidation that I entered Blackfriars Arts Centre to watch BOS Musical Theatre Group’s latest offering, Rock of Ages. It’s a jukebox musical that combines a collection of classic 1980s rock anthems to tell a love story set on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. I’m not keen on jukebox musicals, I’m not fond of rock music, so I had suspicions it wouldn’t be my cup of tea. And I was right. From the moment, the music blasted out and the character, Lonny Barnett, bounded onto the stage and started bawling at the audience, my fingers involuntarily moved to my ears, and I sank into my seat. It most definitely wasn’t going to be my cup of tea, or coffee, or any other hot beverage come to that. This show was unashamedly a bottle of beer and a line of tequila shots, and what a show it was! A brilliant piece of theatre and here’s why . . .

Firstly, the set was excellent. Impactful, striking, attention-grabbing. The clever use of the actual brick wall of the theatre as a backdrop mirrored the brick wallpaper on the flats, which was broken up by the rock posters and graffiti. The bar area was well designed as were the upstage platforms effectively used to add levels to the visual presentation. Centre stage there were two more platforms, a lower rostrum which acted as the club’s small podium and a plinth behind that raised on high. This area housed the real stars of the show, the Bourbon Room nightclub’s house band who remained onstage the entire time and consisted of Stephen Whitton and Geoffrey Prichard on guitar, Katy Divilly on bass, Mark Craig on drums and Jingle Gawley on keyboard. Each talented musician stayed focused throughout with no dip in their energy and interacted well with the other characters, director, Rob Nicholls, having cleverly integrated the band into the action. Hugh congratulations to each musician on their skilled performances.

The love story element of the plot was driven by the young protagonists who worked at the Bourbon Room; Sherrie, ‘a small-town girl’, and Drew, ‘a city boy’, played respectively by Teagan White and Rob Bing. Both these actors gave very strong performances, truthful and dynamic. Teagan, sporting an enviable collection of high boots, cleverly balanced the tough, resilient outer shell of her character with the more fragile, vulnerable young girl within. Her rendition of ‘More Than Words’ was a particularly powerful moment and showcased her lovely voice perfectly. I loved the naturalism in Rob’s performance as the naïve hopeless romantic, Drew, and his well-controlled voice had good range and a gravelly quality reminiscent of Bryan Adams. Both actors performed their turbulent blossoming romance with skill and sensitivity.

This romance was complicated by the arrival of Stacee Jaxx, an aging famous rock star, and ultimate bad boy when he seduced Sherrie at a susceptible moment. Stacee was played by Steve Dickons who was deliciously vile in the role, flouncing around the stage in varying degrees of undress. He captured the conceit and ego of the character brilliantly, balancing his obnoxious arrogance with an undeniable charismatic confidence. Steve’s singing voice was ideal for the rock numbers as well; gritty and raw, with a hint of a scream in the higher register. Paul Roberts, who played Dennis Dupree, had an equally superb rock voice. His was rich and textured with a beautiful husky quality, soft and yet powerful. It’s a shame the character didn’t have more solos. I also enjoyed his acting performance very much, however there were times when he was so relaxed and realistic in the part, I wasn’t quite sure he was acting or just being himself.

After her encounter with Stacee, Sherrie is fired from the Bourbon Room and, desperate for work, is taken in by Justice Charlier, the owner of a strip club. This role was portrayed by Colleen Nicholls who gave an earnest, heartfelt performance which I thoroughly enjoyed. Occasionally, I did wonder whether the character needed a little more sass, a little more bite, but the softer, more nurturing element of Justice was beautifully portrayed by Colleen who is evidently a skilled performer, and singer too. Her voice had a charming velvety richness which was particularly demonstrated in ‘Every Rose Has Its Thorn’.

Also, showcasing her strong voice throughout the show was Lucy Dickons in the role of Regina Koontz. As an excellent character actor with a gift for comedy, Lucy is always ‘great value for money’ and has ‘cornered the market’ in crazy, wild, eccentric roles. Paired with Lucy this time, as her onstage love interest, Franz Klinemann, was Corey Jay Malone who was clearly having great fun in his part. His German accent was perhaps a little broad and clichéd, but it was consistent and somehow worked within the confines of his camp, outrageous characterisation. He was very funny and his routine with Lucy in their pink metallic mankinis to ‘Hit Me with Your Best Shot’ was hilarious.

Supporting the lead actors was a talented cast of performers who took on the smaller roles and cameo parts, each shining at various points throughout, enhancing the overall quality of the show. Christian Slingsby was very entertaining as Hertz Klineman and demonstrated a remarkable aim with a vodka bottle; Jamie Shave was suitably fast-talking and shrewd as the yuppie boyband manager, Ja’Keith; Natasha Connor as the waitress had some lovely moments to showcase her superb voice; Ben Green was good fun as the pompous and arrogant Mayor. Other roles were taken by Amanda Dawson, Josh Harwood, Jack Johnson, Lauren Charles-Myers, Annabel Cooper, Danielle Gray, Jasmin Slingsby, Elise Hawes, Amelia Houlden, Phil Mills and Lucy Potter; all were excellent, and all looked like they were having the best time.

Finally, to the production’s standout performance, George Tompkins, as Lonny Barnett, the show’s omnipotent narrator who addresses the audience directly as the wafer-thin plot unfolds. The character is confident, silly and funny and George captured these qualities within his first few minutes of stage time. His portrayal was wonderfully anarchic and brash, a ‘rock and roll’ version of Buttons, popping in and out of the action like a jack-in-the-box, charisma oozing from every pore. If I was being super critical, I did feel he occasionally needed to control his energy slightly and play with his intonation, bringing a little more light and shade to the character, however this is a very minor point in what was a powerhouse performance.

Overseeing the proceedings was Rob Nicholls who once again proved himself to be an accomplished director. His attention to detail definitely elevated this production to the next level and he should be congratulated on helping his actors bring such brilliantly dynamic characterisations to the stage. Lucy Potter’s choreography was also full of fabulous detail and her routines were simply joyful; perfectly encapsulated the 1980s. I liked the grit and sleaze she brought to the nightclub and strip club routines, but also the flamboyance of the camper numbers. A highlight for me was most certainly ‘I Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore’, gleefully performed by George and Paul, with wonderful nods to iconic dance routines of the era, such as Torvill and Dean’s Bolero, and the famous lift from Dirty Dancing. Making up the creative team was musical director, Steve Chandley, who had undoubtedly worked very hard with his singers to bring out some great vocal performances. Rock is deceptively difficult to sing, and much control is needed to prevent it from too ‘shouty’. Using breath control, Steve enabled his cast to navigate the high notes comfortably.

On the whole, the quality of the lights and sound, like the set, was of a high standard. Lighting design by Rob Nicholls was very strong and generated a super atmosphere and enhance the performances and routines; the neon signage was an excellent addition. The limited use of animated projections was very effective and brought another layer to the production. Sometimes the use of haze was a little heavy-handed; it was difficult to see the actors during the Act One finale. The sound was good, although there was some feedback, and the radio mics needed more balance. Occasionally, it was far too loud, particularly towards the start, so much so it actually hurt my ears. Huge congratulations to Rachael Hockmeyer for a wonderful array of eighties’ costumes, they were fun, lively and colourful, complimenting each character perfectly.

Rock of Ages was a prime example of great quality theatre in our region, it was very well directed and produced (great work, Annabel Cooper), showcasing the talents of many local performers, technicians and backstage crew (well done to stage manager, Kip Barrs, and his team, for a very slickly run show). Big congratulations to every single person involved, you really did rock Blackfriars Arts Centre and left your audience wanted more. I, for one, am very excited to see your next production, just turn the volume down next time please.

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.