Review: Rock of Ages

80’s Rock Songs and a Plot for Good Measure
By Lauren Yarger
The scene: long-haired, leather-studded, tongue-flicking rock stars; special lighting and fog effects; lots of drinks in the house; lighters waving in salute to the music. Oh, did I mention that this is in a Broadway theater, not a rock concert?

It’s Rock of Ages, playing at the Brooks Atkinson Theater where 80’s rock hits by Queen, Poison, Journey and other bands are showcased around a silly plot (book by Chris D’Arienzo) involving the romance of a small-town girl and a boy who dreams of becoming a rock star while working at the Bourbon Room, a club owned by friend Dennis (Adam Dannheisser).

Amy Spangler is Sherrie, the girl form Kansas, who misses true love with the boy, Drew (Constantine Maroulis, though I saw understudy Jeremy Jordan, who did well), when she takes up with hard-core rocker Stacee Jaxx (James Carpinello), whom “women love and who men want to be” (although an invitation to have sex in the men’s room at a club wouldn’t cause me to swoon).

Meanwhile, father-son developers Hertz and Franz (Paul Schoeffler and Wesley Taylor), with the help of the mayor (Andre Ward), try to close down the club, which they believe is a bad influence on youth, so they can proceed with development. Planner Regina (Lauren Molina) leads protests against the development and finds romance with the effeminate Franz.

Sherrie, used and dropped by Stacee, finds herself working on the shady side of town at the Venus Club, run by “Mama” who tells her that many small-town girls end up stripping at her “gentlemen’s club.” Lenny, the technical guy at Bourbon, is a sort of narrator for the musical and provides a great deal of its humor.

All of the look of ‘80s rock is recreated by costume designer Gregory Gale and makeup designer Angelina Avallone. The ever-talented Beowulf Boritt designed the set which extends into the house where Director Kristin Hanggi makes good use of space having actors interact with audience members on both orchestra and mezzanine levels. The bumping and grinding choreography is by Kelly Devine.

I’m not a fan of ’80s rock (OK, I’m not a fan of any kind of rock, or the 1980s, for that matter), but surprisingly, I knew a lot of the songs. Still, I didn’t feel qualified to comment on the music experience, except that I can tell you the band rocks the place out (Music Direction by Henry Aronson). So I chatted with a few audience members during intermission to get their reactions and they thought the songs sounded authentic, but that Spangler has a Broadway, rather than a rock voice.

The musical certainly feels more like a rock concert (yes, I have been to one, so I can compare) than a Broadway show, and it probably felt more at home off-Broadway (it ran there last season). The younger-than usual audience seemed to be enjoying it, however, especially the “drinks-in-the-house policy.”

Rock of Ages plays at the Brooks Atkinson, 256 W. 47th St., NYC. For tickets, call (212) 307-4100/ (800) 755-4000. For special group rates, click here.

Christians also might like to know:

• Suggestive dialogue and movements
• Scantily clad women and men
• Language
• God’s name taken in vain
• Sex Outside of Marriage
• Cross Gender/bondage
• Dennis returns from the dead as some sort of winged angel