Credit: Richard Davenport
Based in the peak of the Los Angeles metal scene in the 1980s, Rock of Ages brings classic rock tunes to the stage. The metal club scene is in its heyday when outrageous hair, ripped jeans and attitude were what it’s about. Bands like Motley Crue, Poison, and Guns ‘N’ Roses were huge and they pushed back against Punk and Rap which were gaining popularity. The scene centred around the LA sunset strip where many actors and musicians gravitated to make it big.
Sherrie (Jodie Steele) dreams about being a movie star and leaves home to travel to LA, where she meets Drew (Luke Walsh) who is working at the Bourbon Room club while seeking fame as a rock star. They hit it off, but Drew misses his chance to score with Sherrie, instead she gets seduced by the rock star every woman wants and who every man wants to be, Stacee Jaxx (Antony Costa). The club where they are both working to try to pay the rent, is under threat of closure from the ambitious Father and Son, Franz (Andrew Carthy) and Hertz (Vas Constanti). They bribe the City Mayor and the re-development is kick started with a suitcase full of dollars. Regina (Rhiannon Chesterman) who works the mayors office is sacked for trying to stand up to them and then attempts to pull the Sunset strip community together to stop them demolishing the club.
The story is narrated by Lonny (Lucas Rush) who also plays the entertaining club host, and expertly hangs together the songs to keep the story moving. There are plenty of laughs to be had, some of them cheaply, but the show makes no apologies for its interpretation of the attitudes of the time.
Related: Theatre Review: In The Willows (Tour)
Some of the songs are less well known, but ‘We Built This City’, ‘Here I Go Again’ and the finale ‘Don’t Stop Believin’ are songs that we all know. The performances are fantastically over the top, and the show is absolutely full of energy. It makes the most of the ’80s era attitudes and stereotypes to recreate the rock scene as it was back in the day.
This is a great, fun show which will delight any fan of ’80s rock and metal music, and take you back to relive it in all it’s glory.
Rock Of Ages is currently touring until August 2019.
