Review: ROCK OF AGES at Paramount Theatre

HOW TO SAVE A BAR 1987 STYLE

The current production at the Paramount in Aurora is that fun and enjoyable "jukebox" musical Rock of Ages.

The band setting up on the stage catches your eye immediately. Big and long hair evoking the '80s - including the wind machine to blow that hair!

We are introduced to Lonny (Shea Coffman) who will be our narrator throughout the course of our journey....

Lonny introduces us to Drew (Chicago native Kieran McCabe who looks a lot like Steve Perry) who works as a busboy in the Hollywood club The Bourbon Room which is owned by Dennis (Karl Hamilton who seems like he just stepped out of the '80s). Drew of course dreams of being a rocker. A young woman from Paola, Kansas, Sherrie, walks in looking for job even though her dream is to be an actress (Taylor DiTola perfectly cast in her Paramount debut). Of course in any true musical form, Drew immediately falls for Sherrie and convinces Dennis to hire her as a waitress (correct term for the 1980s).

The German developer team of Hertz (Michael Ehlers speaking with a great German accent and dialogue) and his son Franz Klinemann (Nick Druzbanski drawing applause with each scene) persuade the mayor to abandon the "sex, drugs and rock-n-roll" lifestyle of the Strip and go to clean living. The City Planner Regina (Carisa Gonzalez' characterization is spot on) does not approve of this decision and sets out to stop the plan. The demolition plan includes getting rid of the Bourbon so Dennis decides to get Stacee Jaxx (Josh Scholl winner of ABC's Karaoke Battle USA), who got his start at the Bourbon and his band Arsenal to perform one last show. Drew continues his dream of being a rocker and Sherrie urges him to go after his dream. After an argument with her parents, Sherrie begins to have feelings for Drew at which time he is auditioning to open for Arsenal. Drew is finally able to finish the lyrics to a song and he realizes the words have come from his feelings for Sherrie. Drew gets to be the opening act for Arsenal and invites Sherrie to go on a picnic to calm their nerves. Mistakenly, he suggests that the two of them are merely friends, which ruins the date.

After Stacee Jaxx arrives at the Bourbon, Sherrie immediately develops a crush on him. Believing Drew is not interested in her, Sherrie has a tryst with Stacee in the men's room. While Drew is opening for Arsenal, he has no idea there is a record producer in the audience. After their tryst, Stacee tells Dennis to dismiss Sherrie. The guitarist in the band realizes what has happened and knocks out Stacee. The record producer is impressed with Drew and suggests he take over for Stacee which Drew accepts. When Sherrie is fired, she tries to get comfort from Drew but he knows what she and Stacee did and ignores her. All the while Regina continues her protest which is gathering steam and supporters.

Unemployed Sherrie meets Justice Charlier (Melody A. Betts with the powerhouse voice) the owner of the nearby Venus Club which Justice calls a "gentleman's club". She relates to Sherrie's story telling her many small town girls end up being strippers. As Act I closes out, Drew, Sherrie, Regina and Dennis, find themselves alone.

Act II begins with the demolition on the Strip. Franz begins to fall for Regina and alienates his father. Dennis and Lonny decide to join in the protest against the demolition. The record producer is unhappy with Drew's rocker image and Sherrie is learning how the Venus Club works. Drew and Sherrie meet accidentally on the street. Sherrie is embarrassed about her job and Drew is upset that the record company is trying to re-image him - they want to put him into a boy band called The Zee Guys. Sherrie admits to Drew that she was crazy about him. They part ways more confused after their conversation.

Later at the Venus, a drunk Stacee shows up and recognizes Sherrie. After being forced to give him a lap dance, Sherrie slugs him. Drew shows up to tell Sherrie how he feels but after he sees Sherrie and Stacee in a suggestive position, he storms out. Justice later tells Drew that Sherrie punched Stacee in the jaw. Meanwhile, Regina has convinced Franz to stand up to his father if he disagrees with his vision. Franz admits he has his own dream of opening a confectioner's store in Germany. He rebels against his father and admits his love for Regina. At the same time, Dennis and Lonny, fearing the loss of the Bourbon, admit they have feelings for each other - "Can't Fight This Feeling" - brilliantly performed. Sherrie decides to leave the Venus and Justice tells her she had a similar experience with her first love. As we see, everyone is in turmoil as they try to move on with their lives. Franz leaves for Germany and his father begins to regret the way he treated him. Regina explains to Hertz his son does not hate him - he just wants him to support his dream. Hertz then decides to return the deed to the Bourbon to Dennis and invest in his son's confectionery store. Drew is now delivering pizza and realizes none of his dreams have come true. He's not a rocker and Sherrie is leaving. Lonny arrives and breaks the fourth wall by explaining to Drew that he serves as the "dramatic conjurer" for the show and that if Drew really wants a happy ending it is up to him and not anyone else to get the girl. At this point Drew realizes he does not need fame to make him happy - just Sherrie. He finds her at the train station and in true musical fashion, they realize they have survived all the trials and tribulations and belong together.

To tie everything together nicely, there is an epilogue.

The Bourbon does not get demolished, Stacee Jaxx flees to Uruguay after certain activities, Franz has opened his confectionery store and is having a long distance relationship with Regina who is now the mayor of West Hollywood. Dennis passes away and leaves the Bourbon to Lonny. Sherrie and Drew move to Glendale and start a family. Lonny tells us that on the Strip sometimes the dreams you arrive with are not always the dreams you leave with but they still rock. The entire cast along with the audience sings "Don't Stop Believing".

This is a fun show and it accurately reflects the years in which the story is set. The music is a treasure trove of '80s classics. One of the true stars of the show is the band! They are on the stage from beginning to end where they get their own moment in the sun.

The Paramount has put on another great show! Director/choreographer Amber Mak has a high energy cast which delivers with every song. Her choreography is spectacular as well. Side note - this show was postponed from 2020 and auditions were done virtually. The costumes designed by Theresa Ham evoke the era. The band consists of conductor Kara Kesselring on keyboards, Bass - Janis Wallin; Drums - Jim Widlowski; Guitar 1 - Dan Peters; Guitar 2 - Scott Tipping. Bravo!!! The set, designed by Jeffrey D. Kmiec, had the bar on one side, the Venus on the other and the band in the middle. Perfect visual!

Everybody has dreams - some are fulfilled and some are not. Spend 2 hours hearing the songs that you will remember exactly where you were while laughing at certain references of the time. The plot of this show is as old as Broadway and Hollywood - don't stop believing.

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