Rock of Ages

‘Rock of Ages’ written by Chris D’Arienzo features many well loved classic rock songs from the 1980’s, in a jukebox style musical. The show was first staged in 2005 and moved onto Broadway in 2009, while still playing on Broadway the show was adapted into a film which was released in 2012. The narrative has a somewhat predictable plot, which is even joked upon by the narrator in the show. Loosely this follows the love story of an aspiring young rocker and a girl who wants to make it big as an actor. In addition to the going’s on at ‘The Bourbon Room Club’, which faces demolition due to german developers wanting to change ‘Sunset Strip’ to an area of ‘Clean Living’. The show, due to the well known music, has an upbeat and party feel. X-RAYS chose this script wisely after their superb 2015 production of ‘Ghost’, as it was a completely different style of production and really showed how adaptive the society can be. 

The opening of the show introduced us to our narrator ‘Lonny’, he comically guided us through the narrative, adding his own take on what was happening. The humour was brought to the stage very well, due to some good delivery of lines and also a well thought out characterisation, which was excellently maintained. We also got to see the on stage band for the first time, who were set as if they were the resident band within ‘The Bourbon Room’. These were costumed well, produced an authentic rock sound. Also getting involved in the script with a number of lines coming from band members. This added to the realism of the show and also the humour. It has to be said on occasion, the band seemed to quicken the pace of a few tracks but never the less the cast coped well with this.   

We also got to see the set during the shows opening. It was mainly static with the addition of a truck that seamlessly slotted in and out of the main stage area. Stage furniture was also used adequately, to show a change in location for some of the scenes. All of this worked well, was robust and looked the part of a functional Californian bar. 

As we moved through the show the audience were introduced to more characters, we saw some very good and varied characterisations, from the comedy and slightly cringe worthy narrator which opposed the harsh german developer and her effeminate son. All parts were played to display the characters personas, enabling the audience to easily recognise what type of people they were. The relationships between the characters was also acted very well, with the love story resonating throughout. The believability was good, mainly as the cast were made up of people who were right for the role. As well as the high standard of acting which was displayed. The chorus were also very animated and played up to the rocker stereotypes, drinking and dancing in the bar. The story was very well put across, so the audience could just sit back and enjoy the show. With the occasional dancing in their seats, without needing to over think the plot. 

The pace of the show was very quick, moving swiftly from one scene to the next without any unnecessary delays. This kept the show interesting to watch. In addition to the acting we were also treated to some nice vocals with everyone forming a close knit team with no weak links. A favourite part of the show was the when lovers, Drew and Sherrie, sang together which features the songs ‘Heaven, More than Words and To Be With You’. This was acted and sung superbly, we also enjoyed ‘Every Rose Has a Thorn’ in Act 2. The show ended on a real high with the lovers getting together and the club being saved. The song ‘Don’t Stop Belevin’ had everyone in the audience clapping and singing along. 

Choreography was very well suited to the style of music, we also saw a lot of variation between routines and the cast danced them well, in a way which helped to emphasise the harsh rock tones of the show. The utilisation of groups cannons was very effective and they had a nice range of individual, partner and group dances. Some people may have classed the choreography as a little ‘adult’ in nature, but this is exactly what the show is depicting so suited the narrative perfectly. Furthermore the costumes aided the style of show to be put across correctly. They were all well fitted, varied and suited the characters personalities.

The sound had a few issues with crackling and microphones dropping out. The sound balance was off resulting in the cast seeming to have to try and shout over the music, this meant that some of the dialogue wasn't heard very well, it is a shame as the cast have spent so long learning the lines and the audience missed some of the dialogue and humour. This however didn't disrupt the narrative, as the story it is ver easy to follow. We also has some black coloured head microphones on caucasian people which makes them stick out like a sore thumb. Lighting was good and it had a lot of variety, moving heads were used effectively.

Overall the show managed to showcase the talents of X-RAYS in a different way to last year. This show, lacks the finesse of traditional musicals, due to the brash harsh nature of the music. Never the less a story is told and the society managed to portray this very well. From stage crew to leading cast it is obvious that a lot of hard work had been put into staging this show and the results was worth the effort. We look forward to seeing what 2017 has in store.

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