Avon View ready to rock you
Musical Rock of Ages will deliver ’80s nostalgia to Windsor audiences
Avon View High School is about to put on its largest musical production to date.
Rock of Ages will take the stage May 3-5 at 7:30 p.m. at the Windsor- based high school. Doors open at 6:45 p.m.
“All told, we’re at 50 or 50plus with staff and students. It is our largest musical so far,” said Donna MacMillan, the school’s drama teacher and director of the show.
Rock of Ages: High School Edition is a show that MacMillan says will have the audience singing along.
“You don’t need to over-think... It just rolls so quickly from musical number to musical number to musical number. It almost ends up being more like a rock concert, to be honest with ballad breaks every once and a while,” she said.
The music director is Graham Howes, who MacMillan said has “become a regular fixture in musicals all over the Valley.”
The music will feature hit tunes from popular bands like Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake.
Grade 12 student Olivia Lee, who hopes to pursue musical theatre after taking a year off to travel, is described as being a triple threat: she sings, dances and acts. She’s one of the leading stars in the show — and she’s also juggling a behind- the- scenes job as well. She’s serving as the show’s choreographer.
Lee, who has starred in other theatre productions – including with Quick As A Wink Theatre, says MacMillan didn’t need to twist her arm to get involved as the show’s choreographer.
Lee says she thinks the audience will enjoy the show as it’s upbeat and easy to get into.
“It’s just fun; it’s easy to watch. You just sit back, relax and have a good time. It doesn’t need convincing,” she said. “It’s music you know, it’s music you love.”
Grade 11 student Molly Brown, who hopes to get into costume design following high school, is serving as the production’s costume designer. She also has a role on stage. She’s taken great effort to come up with costumes that are authentic to the 1989 time period.
“If you look up 80s clothes, you’ll see a lot of costumey things, which, obviously, these are costumes but it’s trying to be very real,” said Brown, adding there was a diverse section of styles in the 1980s — not just people who lived glamorous lifestyles and tried to look like Cyndi Lauper.
Brown said the show will appeal to all ages, especially people who grew up in the 80s.
“It’s music everyone can enjoy. People who were alive in the 80s will recognize things they’re seeing a lot and it’ll just spark that nostalgia in them but like children coming in will still love it, I think,” Brown said.
The show is a family-friendly affair, MacMillan said.