Rock of Ages brings the laughs and nostalgia

The cast of Rock of Ages
[Photo credit: Scott Suchman]

You can tell that Rock of Ages is not your family friendly musical just by walking into the theatre. The stage is meticulously designed to look like your local dive bar. It comes complete with scrawling graffiti, strewn underwear, and signage from the neighbourhood strip club... er... gentlemen's club.

Not surprisingly, the opening night audience for Rock of Ages was different from your usual showtune crowd. No kids or older folks to be seen here. The age range was decidedly concentrated around the thirty to forty-somethings who had come to enjoy some classic rock from the 80s.

Rock of Ages
Centre for Performing Arts in Vancouver
May 8 - 13, 2012 
Tickets via [Ticketmaster] 

Rock of Ages does a number of tounge-in-cheek throwbacks to the 80s which do a great job of evoking laughter from the audience. And honestly, that's probably the best, if not the only reason to see the show. The play itself is a sometimes confusing tapestry of theatrical styles. The very thin plot is loosely strung together by self aware soliloquies from the narrator, shamelessly played by Justin Columbo. Despite his hilarious antics, the scenes do little to hold the forgetful plot together. At its best, Rock of Ages feels like a kickass concert or a really campy, upbeat musical.

Justin Columbo as Lonny, the narrator
[Photo credit: Scott Suchman]

The show features a young, attractive cast who sing and dance their way through the show in various rock outfits and state of undress. Honestly, you'll be seeing more fringe and panties than a retro garage sale. Many of the costumes were definite homages to the best (and worst!) looks from the 80s. Of the select number of older performers, Amma Osei (Justice) captured the audience and definitely didn't get enough numbers to showcase her soulful diva belt.

Dominique Scott with the hot ensemble

Shannon Mullen (Sherrie) proved to be the stronger of the two leads, holding the audience with a sweet naivete that turns into an edgier, rock star stage presence that her romantic counterpart was somewhat lacking. Tymisha "Tush" Harris deserves special mention, not only for her awesome name in the program, but for her killer body and dance moves that stole moments in the show. I'm pretty sure this is one musical where the straight men in the audience were not complaining about being dragged along.

Lead guitarist opens the show

In an unexpected twist that had me laughing my ass off, the romantic leads do not get to sing the happy romantic number in the show. Instead, that honour went to the narrator Lonny and hunky bar owner Dennis (Matt Ban). The number is done with so much comedy that it's hard to tell how genuine the characters really are. But at times it goes just far enough to let you know that you're just watching yet another "bromance."

Overall, the show is enjoyable enough as long as you enjoy the rock genre. I use the term "rock" lightly here. The song list is definitely more "pop rock" more than anything. As risque as the show can be, a lot of the more crass moments in the show are diluted (in a good way) by punchlines, goofy antics, or youthful energy as only a musical full of dancing twenty-somethings can deliver.

The upcoming movie, released a mere three years after the original theatre production hit Broadway, is a testament to this show's massive drawing power. Whether they fix the fragile plot or not, you can bet that we'll be hearing more about this show in the near future.

Posted by Filipina Colada