Rock of Ages has something for all
Musical based on 1980s music invites audience to join in
“I think the key to success for any stage show is having a really good, honest story that people can connect to.”
ADAM JOHN HUNTER,
DIRECTOR
There are those cynics who, if queried, would suggest that the greatest rock hits from the 1980s could easily be inscribed on the back of a book of matches. Without question, the pop music from this decade has been the most mocked since Elvis first started swivelling his hips.
Reviled in so many quarters, this ’80s music has also spawned and served as a backdrop for one of the most successful musicals — pop or otherwise — in recent memory: the apparently aptly titled Rock of Ages.
The creators of Rock of Ages clearly “don’t stop believing” — to borrow from the words of that oft-cursed Journey tune that is blasted during the show — and continue in their conquest of stages around the world. After first rocking Broadway — where it still packs houses — and the U.S., the musical has taken hold of audiences from England to Australia to South Korea. The musical’s 18 artists and five musicians now have their sights set on shaking up audiences in Montreal when it hits Théâtre St. Denis Tuesday to begin an eight-gig run.
It will be interesting to see if locals, too, “can’t fight this feeling” — yes, this REO Speedwagon hit also makes its way into the musical.
The Rock of Ages story is simple and to the point: Small-town gal and big-city dude hook up at L.A.’s hippest club in 1987. They tumble, madly, deeply in love, with the tunes of Foreigner, Styx, Whitesnake as well as Journey and Speedwagon serving as the musical glue to their romance.
The Montreal stop will mark the seventh different staging of Rock of Ages for its associate director Adam John Hunter, who began work on the show four years ago on Broadway. Along with cast and crew, he will be ar- riving in town Tuesday, mere hours before the musical’s first presentation at Théâtre St. Denis.
Rock of Age’s rocket-ride comes as no surprise to Hunter, whose only grown-up job has been in theatre and who has worked on such hugely successful stage shows as Sweeney Todd, Little Shop of Horrors, 42nd Street and Gypsy (with Patti LuPone).
“I think it’s because the show has a real heart to it,” Hunter says in a phone interview.
“It definitely exceeds people’s expectations. The jukebox musical may have a bit of a negative connotation, but once people get there, they soon realize the show is even more than what they had imagined it to be.”
Nor does Hunter have any problems with the music of the ’80s as a central theme. “That was the defining creative idea, to stick to that genre as much as possible,” he says.
As for his personal take on that decade’s music: “I’m more so (big on it) after spending time with it on the show. It was a music at a certain point in my youth, but it didn’t stay with me until I got back to it here.”
It’s also no surprise to Hunter that the Rock of Ages film spinoff didn’t fare nearly as well as the stage version.
“There were a fair amount of changes to the plot in the film,” he explains. “When you mess with the magic of the recipe, it doesn’t turn out the same.
“I think the key to success for any stage show is having a really good, honest story that people can connect to and focus on. There’s an old theatre saying that you have to have a gimmick, but before you have a gimmick, you have to have a good story.”
Nor does it hurt that the stage players mix it up with their audiences at different intervals during the performances.
“We want to include the audience. That’s something that the live show really feeds off, allowing the audience to participate vocally and with their energy. That’s more so than any other show I’ve been part of, and it really brings this show to another level.”
This touring production of Rock of Ages will be arriving here Tuesday from upstate New York. It is quite the operational challenge to set up stakes only hours before the performers hit the stage.
“That is a show in itself,” Hunter marvels of the 10 travelling crew members. “They have about six to eight hours to unload the trucks and set everything up. That’s almost worth the price of admission alone just to watch those guys in action.
“A lot of times, the show only plays for one night, so they set up the show in the morning, take it apart at night, move to the next city, where they repeat the entire process the next day.
“It’s amazing what they do,” he said.
“They deserve a lot of credit for the success of the show, because they are able to make the set look the same no matter where we go.
“At least in Montreal, they have the luxury of being in the same city for a week.”
Rock of Ages runs Tuesday to March 3, at Théâtre St. Denis, 1594 St. Denis St. Showtimes: Tuesday to Friday at 8 p.m.; March 2 at 2 and 8 p.m.; March 3 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $61.50 to $91.50, and are available at the St. Denis box office or by calling 514-790-1111. To order online, go to www. ticketpro.ca or www.evenko. ca.