The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The kids wanna rock at the Fox
When you think of Andrew Lloyd Webber, the obvious links are “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Jesus Christ Superstar” and, for better or worse, “Cats.”
A musical based on a 2003 movie that showcased the manic energy of Jack Black and focuses on a failed rock star who pretends to be a substit uteteacher and winds up forming a band with fifth-graders isn’t a natural association for the knighted (and now EGOT-earning) theater composer.
But indeed, Lloyd Webber penned the music for “School of Rock,” while Glenn Slater (“The Little Mermaid,” “Sister Act”) wrote the lyrics and Julian Fellowes (“Gosford Park,” “Downton Abbey”), the book. The show opened on Broadway in December 2015 and just announced a closing date of Jan. 20, following 1,307 regular performances and a quartet of Tony Awards nominations.
Earlier this year, the charming Lloyd Webber said at a red carpet Grammy event that the musical, which is playing its national tour debut at the Fox Theatre through Sunday, is about “the empowering force of music — and kids. (They) can really rock out. I think they’ll probably grow up to be musicians,” he commented of those in the Broadway cast.
The same might be said of the youngsters taking the stage on tour; all are ages 9-13 with the ability to sing, dance, act and play an instrument.
Two members of the cast — Bella Fraker, 12, a swing player and understudy for the roles of “Summer,” “Marcy,” “Katie” and “Shonelle,” and Jacob Moran, 10, who plays “James” and is the understudy for “Freddy” — call Atlanta home.
The pair answered questions via email about their involvement in “School of Rock,” their favorite types of music and their acting and musical aspirations.
Here are the dossiers on Fraker and Moran, who hail from Milton and Buckhead, respectively. Full name: Bella Grace Fraker What instrument(s) do you play?
I play bass guitar ,p iano, ukulele and a little drums.
What musical training did you have before joining “School of Rock”?
I took piano lessons and bass guitar lessons. My dad and I would play around on the drums. I also took dance and voice lessons.
What professional acting did you do before “School of Rock”?