BWW Reviews: ROCK OF AGES, King's Theatre, Glasgow, August 5 2014
There is a plot in Rock Of Ages. It's thin, but it's there. The mayor in LA decides to introduce clean living to the sunset strip and this means the Bourbon Room - a sleazy rock club which is responsible for the launch of numerous rock stars including the notorious Stacee Jaxx - is in jeopardy.
All the cliches are present, the groupies, the strippers, the obnoxious rockstar and the musician who dreams of fame.
Rock of Ages is a bit of a slow burner but it improves hugely by the entrance of Stacee Jaxx played by Ben Richards. His character is by far the most entertaining and Richards has an excellent voice. Noel Sullivan takes on the role of wannabe rockstar Drew and he does a decent job but the character is just a bit too weak for my liking.
The songs are all ones you know: Don't Stop Believin', We Built This City, The Final Countdown, Here I Go Again, and I Want To Know What Love Is are amoung those that feature. Not all the songs are complete as they have tried to cram over 30 of them in, which seems like overkill. The live band are onstage rather than in the orchestra pit which is a nice touch.
There are moments in the second half where Rock of Ages descends into pantomime: breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience with (borderline offensive) Scottish references and encouraging boos in another scene. It is also guilty of one of my little gripes which is encouraging the audience to stand for the final song- ensuring themselves a standing ovation.
Rock of Ages is not highbrow theatre, but it's not trying to be. It is somewhat of a party musical and it is a pretty fun night out if you don't take it too seriously.
Information for the Rock of Ages UK tour is available here.
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