Hey! Did you ever wear your sunglasses at night?Did you ever own a denim jacket? Acid wash and/or shoulder pads/and/or fringe and/or/other?
Did you ever enjoy a wine cooler?
Did you ever rock?
Do you wanna rock now?
Of course you do!
Get thyself--and a friend--(preferably someone who also suffered through the 80's with you) to the delightful off-Broadway musical Rock of Ages at New World Stages. I didn't know what to expect beforehand other than that it starred Constantine Maroulis (of American Idol "fame") and that my favorite rock ballads n' hair bands would be featured:
Featuring the Classic hits of REO Speedwagon, STYX, Journey, Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Whitesnake, Night Ranger, Quarterflash, Poison, Asia, Damn Yankees and MANY MORE!
Who needs a plot when you've got "I Wanna Know What Love Is" or "I Hate Myself For Lovin' You" to stir up those funtime memories of crunchy bangs and unrequited teenage crush on an unworthy teenage turd?
But there is a plot, set in LA's Sunset Strip in the 1980's, where the bad guys (German developers) threaten to tear down the music club where Drew (played by Constantine Maroulis) and his girlfriend Sherrie (Kelli Barrett) work. Drew is an aspiring musician cleaning toilets in the joint to pay the bills, and Sherri is an aspiring actress new in town, just havin' blown in from Kansas, so of course there's a love story there, complicated hilariously by the Bret Michaels-esque lothario Stacee Jaxx (Will Swenson). I really was quite impressed with Mr. Maroulis's Drew--his personality genuine and his voice strong--and if I were in high school, and it was the 1980's, I totally would have possibly slow danced with him to Here I Go Again after a few wine coolers in the parking lot.
The show's high-energy narrator, Lonny (played by Mitchell Jarvis) was entertaining and kept the show rollin' along, as did the scantily clad broads with frizzled hair who sang and danced all over the gritty set which was designed perfectly--the onstage club looked as if it smelled of beer--or worse. The show is funny--half reverence and half spoof. All good. Ushers handed out halogen "lighters" to wave during the band's rockin' covers, and there was direct-to-seat waitservice for that wine cooler substitute of your choice. What's not to love?
Rock of Ages! It's a rock concert. It's a musical. It's a comedy. It's the 1980's. It's a hoot.
Special thanks to artmeetscommerce.net!
2 comments:
Please tell me theres a dance fight scene to "The Heat is On"!
totes. and even if there isn't, you'll come away from the show thinkin' there was, and how bad is that when the heat is on, right?
Post a Comment