School of Rock – the Next Generation

School of Rock opened with a pizzazz and energy, with Dewey Finn in his band where he appears to be the oldest member, and the others seem content to pose and be arrogant rather than be about creating music to share: the song “I’m Too Hot For You” is that ironic arrogant song that is actually too funny to take offence at. But what stood out immediately about this particular performance is Liam Watts as the leader of the band with a stunning, strong and lyrical voice and amazing stage presence, making you wish that he actually was the leader of a rock band and you were watching a live gig. Perhaps an exciting future awaits such a star. 

School of Rock was originally a film and a star vehicle for Jack Black in the lead. It’s therefore a really ambitious show for any company to do, at any level, because the lead has to match Jack Black’s style and energy as well as musical talent. Any production relies heavily on how good their Dewey Finn is: and Simon Fellingham was super. He’s studied the character and Jack Black’s performance, channelling the rock life vibe, giving a character full performance with an energy that never dips. He literally drives the show, which is difficult in the scenes where he supposed to be lethargic, but he balanced this energy really well so it never dipped. His voice also really suits this part and was a joy to hear, as was watching him play guitar. Really super work.  

His counterpoint in almost every way was Karen Brown as stiff upper lip Head Teacher Rosalie Mullins. She played her with depth and character rather than just making her a comedic role which was such an interesting and welcome choice. Her rediscovery of herself through music in the Bar scene was not just fun, it was really touching, with something to think about long after the show ended: how we can lose ourselves by trying to be too sensible and a restrained version of adult. Her way of physicalising her stiffness also really worked, and the way she sang arias and then loosened up singing Stevie Nicks was really great. It was really incredible to hear her singing the famous excerpt from the “Queen of the Night” aria from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”, not once but twice, with perfect precision, as it’s known to be the most difficult aria in the world. Her soprano voice is quite magical, with a beautiful tone and quality. 

Obviously not every actor can be singled out and there is much multi-rolling in this huge cast which worked really well. The young people in the class the Dewey teaches were a delight to watch on stage, with such an awareness of space, generous performances, and knowing exactly what they were doing with confidence. Orla Pooley was very special as Summer, the bossy Band Manager who managed to be enchanting and funny instead of annoyingly bossy. Lyla Anicet taking centre stage to sing a cappella “Amazing Grace” did a brilliant job and held the audience beautifully: she has such potential with her voice where the more control she has over it, the better it will become.  

The young people in the band playing instruments were amazing: Elijah Goodall on drums, Lilly Hadden on Keys, Samuel Hadden on Guitar – so skilled and incredible to watch, and Ivy Brown on Bass - who had never played a Bass Guitar before rehearsals for the show started. They made a wonderful band together, so believable, and a joy to hear play live on stage. The director of the original film scoured the U.S. for talented musicians to be in the film, so acting and musical talent this young is not common, but here they have all managed it with aplomb, plus speaking in authentic American accents at the same time! Accents across the board for everyone were really well done, with no slips. We were well and truly in the U.S.. 

Staging was super throughout. There were such interesting shapes and choreo sections through the show, often with a lot of people on the stage, everyone knowing their places and performing with confidence. “Stick it to the Man” was really terrifically eyecatching with timed choreo gathering momentum. “If Only You Would Listen” was so poignant, a plea from every child across the ages regardless of decade or level of privilege. They put so much emotion into the song it was really wonderful. Some of the words got lost at times in the bigger group songs which was a shame as the words are so good. Some changes happened while the scenes were starting which was great and modern, it would have been lovely to see more transitions in this modern way without blackouts and waiting, which takes the audience out of the moment. Perhaps also a couple of the actors could be redirected away from saying all of their lines out to the front in the future. 

There were so many lovely standout moments in the show with pictures that stay with you: the freeze into statues by the children sneaking out of school; Dewey picking up one of the children in his arms and pretending she was sick, where she just draped over his arms like a ragdoll, and the guitar hero section with choreo are three examples that made the audience laugh out loud. The music throughout was amazing to listen to, such skilled musicians in the orchestra. The directing team: Director James Hadden, Musical Director Anna Hadden and Choreographer Jo Lintern-Goodall can be extremely proud of such a brilliant show that left people singing their little rock hearts out as they were leaving. This is not only a feel-good show but a feel-good production: congratulations to everyone involved. 

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