Goofy rock show hits right note

ROCK OF AGES

Get ready to party. The 80s are back in a big way.

In ROCK OF AGES the excesses of 80s stadium rock get the full on musical theatre treatment, albeit neatly wrapped around one of those all pervasive boy meets, loses and finds girl again ‘lurve’ stories, while working out his true calling.

The goofy clichés and the portentous anthemic rock songs are all part of the fun in a colourful musical extravaganza that doesn’t take itself at all seriously, and from a cast that delights in making sure the audience has a great time.

It doesn’t matter too much that the stonking five piece on-stage band overpowers dialogue and lyrics from time to time. The story is so comprehensively telegraphed, the gaps are easy to fill in.

Two standout features in a show laden with goodies are the set and the choreography.

While the set design is a thing of detailed and functional beauty, choreographer Cara Hesselin has the dance moves nailed. The routines are a combination of originality, sass, flair, dynamism and discipline that give the production propulsion and panache.

Tyrell Beck as wannabe rock star Drew Boley gives his best young Bryan Adams impersonation, with 16 year old Riley Booth acquitting herself well in her first principal role as Sherrie Christian.

However, leading man and lady have serious competition from performances by Nick Ross as the cheeky, cheesy breaking-the-fourth-wall show host Lonny Barnett, Gary Clark as Dennis Dupree, hippy-esque owner of the Bourbon Club, and Liam Taylor as odious rock “god” Stacee Jaxx.

There’s some serious scene stealing too from the double act of Ben Pryor and Jason Harkett as Hertz and Franz Klinemann, the German father and son developers who want to take LA’s famous Sunset Strip all the way down.

Erica Ward delivers great presence and vocals as strip club owner Justice Charlier and Jacob McDonald’s understated over-dressed antics in drag are priceless.

If only the real 80s has been this much whacko fun.

(Richard Mays)