Rock of Ages Review 07/11/18
(Originally written for Quench magazine 07/11/18 https://cardiffstudentmedia.co.uk/quench/culture/review-rock-ages/)
I wanna rock, was one of my first thoughts as I approached the theatre. Rock of Ages is a colourful and comedic celebration of the music of the 80s! The musical tells the story of Sherry (Danielle Hope) who moves to LA to become an actress, she then meets and falls in love with Drew (Luke Walsh) and overcomes various problems being a “small town girl, living in a lonely world” whilst singing nonstop 80s hits. Not only did the lead actors display a realistic chemistry which made their romance believable, they also sang romantic rock ballads effortlessly. Danielle Hope who formerly starred as Dorothy in the west end production of the Wizard of Oz showed she was definitely Somewhere Over the Rainbow, by demonstrating her impressive vocal range with a show which featured a completely different genre of music. The music itself encapsulated the audience as the live band did not miss a beat, meaning everyone in the audience definitely could feel the noize!
This upbeat musical not only entertained me, but also the whole audience as they couldn’t fight this (constant) feeling to sing their favourite classic songs. The audience also couldn’t hold back their laughter due to the precise comedic timing of the musical, especially through the character of Lonny/ The Narrator (Lucas Rush). He manages to capture the audience from beginning to end and creating nonstop laughter, he does this through including the audience throughout making them feel welcome! The New Theatre was therefore the best place to host the musical, as no matter where you are sitting you have a brilliant view and immediately feel involved with the cast (Especially if you are sat in the front, prepare to be picked on!).
As someone who has seen the show before done both professionally and amateurly, I went in to the theatre ready to be very critical of the performance. Although, I compared the show with other versions I have seen I truly did not stop believin’ (That one was a push, even for me) that this overall production of the show was incredibly impressive, and I could not find a fault. I was even more impressed by the fact it was the opening night, and nothing seemed to go wrong, granting if anything did go wrong in a show so upbeat and fun it would be easy to play off as something purposeful! I would need more than words to describe the feeling of wanting to get up on the stage myself with the cast and sing along! It was my third time seeing the musical and I would definitely [Here I] go again! If you love upbeat and fun musicals, or even if musicals aren’t your thing but you love music from the 80s, then I would 100% recommend this show! Rock of Ages will be in the New Theatre until the 10th of November so get tickets while you still can, it’s the final countdown!
Pun Count: 9
