Goofy musical good fun

REVIEW

Get ready to party. The 80s are back in a big way.

In Rock of Ages the excesses of 80s stadium rock get the full-on musical theatre treatment, albeit neatly wrapped around one of those all-pervasive boy meets, loses, and finds girl again ‘lurve’ stories, all while working out his true calling in life.

The goofy cliches and the portentous anthemic rock songs are all part of the fun in a colourful, musical extravaganza that doesn’t take itself at all seriously, and from a cast who delight in making sure the audience is having a great time.

It doesn’t matter too much that the stonking five-piece onstage band overpowers dialogue and lyrics from time to time.

The story is so comprehensively telegraphed, the gaps are easy to fill in.

Two standout features in a show laden with goodies are the set and the choreography.

While the set design is a thing of detailed and functional beauty, choreographer Cara Hesselin has the dance moves nailed.

The routines are a combination of originality, sass, flair, dynamism and discipline that give the production propulsion and panache.

Tyrell Beck as wannabe rock star Drew Boley gives his best young Bryan Adams impersonation, with 16-year-old Riley Booth acquitting herself well in her first principal role as Sherrie Christian.

However, leading man and lady have serious competition from performances by Nick Ross as the cheeky, cheesy breaking-the-fourth-wall show host Lonny Barnett, Gary Clark as Dennis Dupree, hippy-esque owner of the Bourbon Club, and Liam Taylor as odious rock ‘‘god’’, Stacee Jaxx.

If only the real 80s had been this much whacko fun. Rock of Ages, by Abbey Musical Theatre, Wallace Development Company Theatre, Palmerston North, until December 9. Reviewed by Richard Mays