BWW Reviews: A Rockin' ROCK OF AGES in Carlisle

Carlisle Theatre Company was billing ROCK OF AGES as "the new hit musical comedy." It's not all that new at this point, and your kids think the songs, all from the 80's glam bands, are oldies, but what the hell. It's a fun show, one that invites the audience to show up with big hair and loud voices and to sing along. Jukebox musicals are normally problematic, but ROCK OF AGES succeeds amazingly where many other jukebox musicals haven't (especially, for me, combining "jukebox musical" and "80's glam rock" in one concept) precisely because, unlike, say, MAMMA MIA, ROCK OF AGES completely fails to take itself seriously. It knows it's all one big joke, and expects its audience to be in on the idea.

Just finished at Carlisle Theatre Company, the enterprise was entirely successful, as neither director Dustin LeBlanc and his big glam rock wig, nor the cast behaved seriously on stage, though the work they put into this production was serious indeed. It may be a loud, raucous party on stage, but there's a lot of effort in making the loud, raucous party successful. Music director Nick Werner, choreographer Janel Gleeson, and projection manager Mary Ann Parks also contributed to the mix with some serious labor. Parks, especially, working with LeBlanc, managed to use projection and video footage that actually enhanced the production. Too many times, projection is an excuse for weak set design or distracts from the production; this is, in fact, one of the first area productions incorporating heavy projection on stage I've found entirely successful, including at local professional theatres.

Rather than being the traditional Broadway rags-to-riches, Ruby Keeler musical, ROCK OF AGES is a down-and-out, "Bullwinkle, that trick NEVER works" Sunset Strip story. It asks the audience to believe that unsuccessful, would-be stars who travel to Hollywood probably won't make it, and could get further down on their luck than they were when they arrived, but that they can have some amazing adventures along the way to chucking it all and moving to the Valley.

Drew, or would-be glam rocker Wolfgang, is played by Michael Miller, who comes out of the gate slowly, but races to the finish guitar in hand, despite his manager's efforts to drive him into a boy band. Hillary Miller is Sherrie, who comes to LA to be a star, but winds up waiting tables at Drew's bar. Hillary Miller is all voice, belting out everything from Night Ranger to Joan Jett with aplomb. Chad Alan Carr plays top glam artist Stacee Jaxx with high heels and plenty of lung power, and some great dance moves as he makes his way from going solo to running from the long arm of the law. Bar owner Dennis, Ryan Boyles, gives his on-stage dingy dive club the same effort he gave Edna in HAIRSPRAY previously at Carlisle; he's always great fun on stage. But it's Danny Sites as Lonny, Dennis' assistant and the story's narrator, who owns this production. He's a bouncing ball of crazy energy, wild dance, and belting out David Lee Roth that never needs to stop for a breath, and he carries the audience with him in his cheerful insanity.

Also great were Bryden McCurdy as Justice, owner and big mama of the local "gentlemen's club," who rescues Sherrie from her downslide, though possibly to further detriment; Tatiana Dalton as a completely hysterical Regina, the leftover earth mother of city development and planning; and Bryan Loy as Franz, son of the German developer who wants to take sex, drugs, and rock and roll out of the Strip and replace it with an urban planning, all-cities-look-alike spectacle. Loy is perfect as the metrosexual, gay-or-European modernist fashion victim with a secret dream to be a chocolatier, as well as to run off with his father's enemy, Regina.

Singing and dancing reign supreme here, with plenty of room for laughs and for a thoroughly preposterous cameo by director LeBlanc which was worth the price of admission all by itself.

The audience was live and singing when this reviewer saw it, the only thing missing being dancing in the aisles, but there was certainly rolling in seats with laughter. ROCK OF AGES is distinguished by its total lack of seriousness, while it really does make the point that it's the seedy side of town that has all the character... as well as the characters. Up next at Carlisle Theatre Company, starting their 2017 season, DISENCHANTED! and SISTER ACT. Visit CarlisleTheatreCompany.com for tickets and information.