Review: SCHOOL OF ROCK at Cultural Arts Playhouse-Merrick

With a central character seemingly a charming, albeit selfish, peccadillo who goes on redemption journey to connect his passion with his dreams, “School of Rock,” brings humor, honor, and hype to the standing up for yourself no matter how “acceptable” the responsible path is presented.

Director Bruce Grossman created a production of high-energy and quick insults that created united characters and left the audience cheering on the powerful, and necessary, insolence of rock ‘n roll music and lifestyle.

Domenick Napoli had a triple crown in this production as Assistant Director, Set Designer, and lovable lead, Dewey Finn. From our first meeting with Napoli’s Dewey, we see first-hand how his ambitions do not fit on the stage where he performs and how tumultuous that makes his spirit.

Napoli had a wonderfully humorous approach to Dewey with great comedic timing and build up for the punchlines. Napoli’s voice was between 90s grunge and alternative rock and enough of a scream to be frontman. His confidence and prowess with instruments (even when just props like the air guitar sequence) added so much to the ambiance of the show being filled with musicians and music lovers.

When encountering his Best Friend’s fed-up girlfriend, Patty DiMarco (Kara Burke), played with the shrill, shrewish opposite of Dewey’s lackadaisical approach to responsibilities of the grown-up world, Napoli’s teasing is straight out of an elementary playground. Burke makes Patty’s adult, practical views understood with her physical affectations of frustration and sophistication.

Nicole Gonzalez as Rosalie Mullins seemed to be dressed as Selma Blair’s character in “Legally Blonde” (who is referred to as a “constipated b*t$%”) and the conservative knee-length skirts, fitted blazers and clipped back hair exaggerated Gonzalez’s hilarious nervous and fascist energy as school headmistress.

When a hidden love of Stevie Nicks is revealed, Gonzalez’s performance is executed with the same control as Mullins’s day job, but with a different idol. The physicality of her role in the second half of the show is sidesplitting because of the way she gets possessed by the twirls of Nicks. The operatic flourishes of Gonazalez’s voice were a surprise for the light-hearted vibe of the show, but an incredibly welcome feature as she soared at the top of the scale and with opera, rounded out the performance genres of music.

Warren Tierney as Ned Schneebly, the tamed rock ‘n roller turned substitute teacher had such an endearing kindness in his portrayal of wanting to please the ones he loves. When Ned gets to let loose, like in “Children of Rock” with Dewey, he unleashes some signature dance moves and a strong voice that longs for the days of mosh pits.

Noa Wellen as pint-sized powerhouse Summer Hathaway was a fantastic actress who landed the rule-enforcer character with her condescending expressions and her hands akimbo like a punk Matilda. When the second act opens and we get a solo from Wellen in “Time to Play,” where the sheer power, timbre, and crescendo of her voice could have been its own show.

The students of Horace Green Academy (played with charm and rocker defiance by Dylan Worgul, Benjamin Law, Eric Vaglio, Saraphina Dinn, Andrew Boylan, Michaela Smith, Charlie Rosenblum, Gabby Lotito, Sabrina Richards, Sarah Falls, Alana Spiegel, Lukas Megi, and JJ Jones) created a big heart for this comedy musical with enthusiastic choreography and voices that made a statement proud enough to fill an arena in “Stick it to the Men.” With instruments like the guitar, bass, keyboard, and drums played live onstage, the potential is boundless for these junior performers.

The camaraderie built between the young performers was abundant and joyful and their music was built on friendship.