Reviewed in Brief: Rock of Ages at the Orpheum

Every rose has it's thorn... 

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

And I pricked myself on a few at the touring performance of Rock of Ages last weekend.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

The crowd was ready to rock and roll (literally) as the first shreds came off the axe on stage Friday night. The opening number for Rock of Ages was truly electric; concert floodlights beamed through the audience and the hardcore backup band really went for it. Rock of Ages was on, and the crowd couldn't have been happier.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

Rock of Ages is basically the Mamma Mia of hair rock - many of your 1980s-era favorite earworms are loosely connected by a fabricated story attempting to make sense of the range of songs. The main difference here is that while Mamma Mia features only work by Abba (and has a decently fleshed out plot to support it), Rock of Ages hits across the spectrum of rock and roll bands - and the story is far floppier. Technically it's about a love story between two aspiring performers whose romance is interrupted by the appearance of a very famous, and very destructive, aging rock star; but the chemistry wasn't there for me, the content felt dated (especially in the era of #metoo), and overall I just wasn't buying what this show was laying down.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

The women were the standout vocalists here; particularly Kristina Walz and Emily Croft. Sam Harvey revealed a limber voice (and some thoroughly shredded abs) as smutty rock star Stacee Jaxx, and Anthony Nuccio did a decent imitation of Stephen Tyler-screaming vocals as the lead love interest Drew. Katie LaMark infused leading lady Sherrie with far more energy than I'd have thought possible for the caricature it draws, and she sold the vintage lewks with total conviction that I had to admire. John-Michael Breen squeezed out several laughs as the narrator, Lonny, and his dirty sense of humor was welcome despite the content to keep the show feeling like it was self aware. This cast sounded better to me as an ensemble than individually, but there was some definite vocal power, especially after they got warmed up.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

The "visual storytelling" (which I believe is a code for set design?) by David Gallo reminded me of those we typically see for Rent - gritty, grungy, and made of durable materials. As the bulk of the plot takes place in and between rock and roll clubs (think First Avenue in the Prince era), lighting and sound design (by Mike Baldassari and Cody Spencer, respectively) played a major role. In both instances it was pretty loud for me - the lights in particular could be blinding during bigger musical numbers, and the amps felt turned up about as high as they could go.

Photo by Jeremy Daniel

I have to say that overall something about Rock of Ages just felt... remiss? There was plenty of enthusiasm for the show on and off stage, but this one just wasn't for me personally. I've never preferred a Tom Cruise movie adaptation over a live performance of literally anything, but I suppose there's a first time for everything. At the end of the day though - what do I really know? Despite my lackluster reaction, this is also the only show I've seen people actually stand up to dance through at the Orpheum before the close of Act I. There were many loud cheers and hoots coming from the audience from the first chord and generally everyone else seemed to love it - so don't take my word for it. If you're a rock and roll aficionado, you may just enjoy this show. Rock of Ages is touring very briefly through the country this winter; for more information click here.