Rock of Ages

Oh wow! What an opening night for LODS production of Rock of Ages. They must be congratulated on taking a punt with this juke box musical as it is very raunchy and gritty and the cast, which numbered over 40, needed to take on roles that reflected that. Sex, drugs and rock n roll take centre stage in this show containing well known 80’s bangers such as Waiting for a girl like you, Harden my heart and Don’t stop believing. Director, Claire Carr, and Production manager, Sophie Oxenbury, had sensitively pre-empted any possible awkwardness by having intimacy training and allowing cast members to choose their own costumes so that everyone felt comfortable in their roles.

The stage set was hired but adapted by the creative team to suit the stage and numbers of participants. I always admire directors who have the wisdom to leave out unnecessary pieces of the set to allow the maximum impact with the least obstruction to the flow of the show. And did this show flow! It was seamless. The band, under the direction of experienced MD Liam Holmes, was on stage the whole time at the centre back and retained a certain impassive, shades-wearing mystique throughout the show. They produced a fantastic rock sound coupled with the equally impressive vocals from the band and cast. What a great musical basis on which to sit the action. Liam’s experience of MD-ing for the UK professional tour showed in his great work with the cast, especially in the backing-singer supported songs and with the harmonies within the show.

 

 The action was pinpointed by superbly directed shafts of lights whilst any scenery or props were changed in the gloom of the rest of the stage. This kept the show flowing smoothly. But when all cast members were involved, some spilling out into the auditorium during the main ‘bangers’, the blinders and moving coloured lamps were at full stretch. I gather, for the techies amongst us, that there were over 600 lighting cues. I’m always amazed at how the tech crew, with only a couple of rehearsals, get their heads around this. My congratulations go to you all.

Now to the cast of this show. We are introduced to the characters and the storyline by Lonny Barnett, played by the charismatic James Cohen in his inimitable hyperactive style. His interactions with the audience were brilliant, well timed and with just the right amount of charm to get away with his often, cheeky observations. Arriving onstage from all corners of the set, he guided us through the plot until his own, surprising conclusion. His duet ‘Can’t fight this feeling’ with Dennis, the owner of the Bourbon Rooms, played by the long haired, hippy Lloyd Cast was delightful and the culmination of a smoke heart was very original. James has a great strong voice, exactly suited to the pop anthems he was belting out and was really suited to this part.

Drew and Sherrie, played by Matt Wallace and Eleanor Warner-Larthe, are the young lovers caught up in this seedy world set in the 80’s. Both showed delicious sensitivity underneath a shell of hurt defiance. Matt’s vulnerability was so lovely and we were all rooting for him to get his girl after finding her in the clutches of the evil manipulative Stacee Jaxx played so beautifully seedily by James Boatwright. Eleanor’s singing and dancing was impressive, as were her great collection of thigh length boots, as she learnt the tricks of the trade from Mumma, Justice Charlier played by Helen Sharpe. Helen had some of the best entrances with her blues-y voice cutting through the action so powerfully. What a lovely empathetic character she played as she oversaw Sherrie’s progress from innocent young girl to stripper and then on to ultimate happiness. Eleanor’s song, More than Words, was so beautiful, and the audience and I were left looking at each other in wonder at the end of this moving piece. Well done, Eleanor. They all possess the most wonderful voices and delivery which mesmerised the audience.

There are so many standout performances in this show, but out of a cast of over 40 people, I’m afraid I won’t be able to list them all. I must mention Klineman family. Hertz, the dad, played by Simon Sharpe, came into his own during a meltdown at the end when discovering how much he missed his son, Franz. Alex Abineri, as Franz, was wonderfully camp with impeccable comic timing and the duet Hit Me with Your Best Shot, between him and Regina, portrayed by Nadezhda Beaumont-Lockley was fantastic. Both dressed in matching rainbow leotards. Nadezhda has great comic delivery as the hippy, rebellious daughter to her real-life father, Richard Beaumont, playing the mayor. I must mention Waitress 1, Leah Floyd, who demonstrated that having a smaller part is no less important than having a larger one. Leah’s voice and dancing was superb. I look forward to seeing her in more roles.

If I have one small observation, it would be that sometimes the dialogue was a little fast and difficult to hear, which was a shame as the lines in this script contain a lot of comedic gems.

My congratulations to the costume and props team who must have spent some time digging in the back of their parents’ wardrobes and garages to collect together such an impressive set of 80’s paraphernalia.

The choreography is so impressive and all the cast could deliver the moves whatever their abilities. It was modern and creative with a whole heap of writhing sexy moves. I loved the torchlight sequence and strippers/bar girls set moves. Claire Carr, the director and choreographer, has managed to pull together an amazing show which was so worthy of the standing ovation on the opening night.

Well done LODs, this was a night to remember for me and thank you for making us feel so welcome

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