To the cast/crew of "Rock of Ages" for Opening Night...

[VocalLizzy]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 7:11am

In lieu of flowers or a "telegram" (how terribly old-school!), I wanted to write a little something from my heart...

Fellow BBWers, please forgive my little bit of self-indulgence, but perhaps some of you may see yourselves a little in this...if you do, you owe it to yourself to see the show...

-----------------------------------------

Let me set the scene for you…Miami, Florida, fall of 1987. A chubby, unpopular girl has entered her senior year of high school. Her biggest worries are improving her SAT scores and sleeping out for concert
tickets.

When her spirits sag on a dateless Saturday night, or she’s bored from her endless homework, she turns on her music and escapes…Styx helps her sail away, Journey welcomes her with open arms, Bon Jovi helps her live on a prayer.

She comes alive when the bands come to town. She knows every lyric, every bit of trivia. She’s the one that’s every band’s perfect fan – their “little sister”. Not a groupie, as being a little too well-rounded makes her somewhat invisible…just a Band-Aid, with fresh baked cookies and a shoulder to lean on. She has a familiar, friendly face backstage and a scrapbook full of memories at home.

She always remembers how the music makes her feel…the rockers that make her dance all night, the ballads that remind her how her heart isn’t always the only broken one in the world, that it would mend again. As the years pass, she goes to the concerts when “her” bands are in town, never missing a lyric or a hug.

Fast-forward to 2007. The no-longer chubby girl is all grown up, making her way in the world, a life filled with friends, a great job, a cozy little apartment to call home…and word gets out of a reading for a show trying to open off Broadway, based on the songs of her teenage years. Even its title shares itself with a Def Leppard song she remembers from the days when MTV actually showed music videos. At the reading, she realizes that she knows EVERY word to EVERY song…and woven together, they tell a story of reaching for your dreams, and finding love and happiness along the way.

Today, it is October 16, 2008. The little show with the songs the woman loves is opening off-Broadway. She knows that for those two hours, every person in the audience, if they just let go, will get to go back in time to when things might have been simpler, or more fun, or just plain louder. They’ll have more fun than they thought possible and will walk out with grins on their faces and familiar songs on their lips.

To the producers, crew, band, and incredible cast of "Rock of Ages", I want to wish you all “break a leg” tonight and thank you, for letting me, and certainly many others like me, be 17 years old again, even if
just for a few hours.

Don’t EVER stop believin’!

With a lighter in my hand and a song in my heart,

Miss Lizzy

[BlueforBroadway]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 8:37am

Awesome post! I get to see the show Saturday. I've heard so many good things about the show already. I can't wait to see it live!

To everyone in this cast:

Break a leg and Congrats!

[Attendthetale331]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 10:04am

Love the post! This show totally Rocks! I have seen it twice.

I loves me some Whitesnake!

[TheresaG]

Posted: 10/16/08 at 3:08pm

Aw Miss Lizzy, that was a super post. I had to wipe a little tear away after I finished reading it. Nice how much this show means to you.

The music of this show was not what I had during my teen years. I've seen it 3 times already and had fun every time. I ended up knowing every song just never knew their titles before.

To the ROA cast: Break a leg tonight!