It’s time to get out your air guitars, wigs and ripped jeans again as the musical Rock of Ages rolls into Yorkshire for what could be the last time. The juke box musical based on the film version starring Tom Cruise, is on a ‘farewell tour’ around the country – giving the fans one last chance to enjoy this highly entertaining musical.
Girl meets boy
The storyline is of Sherrie (Gabriella Williams) a wannabee actress who, in an attempt to make a name for herself, takes a trip from her hometown in Kansas to the famous Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. She soon meets Drew (Sam Turrell) who gets her a job as a waitress at the Bourbon Room.
The bad news is that the club is under threat of being demolished by German developers to pay off a bad debt. Despite this, Sherrie and Drew start having feelings for each other and eventually fall in love – not before their paths go in different directions – though like all good love stories, they come back together. The chemistry between the two works well making them an effervescent coupling.
Their budding love story is jeopardised when Rock God Stacee Jaxx (Cameron Sharp) is asked to perform at the Bourbon Room by the club manager, Dennis Dupree (Kevin Kennedy), as a last-ditch attempt to raise money to try and save the club from the developers. Rather than saving the club though, he comes between Sherrie and Drew.
The musical is held together by narrator Lonny (Tim Oxbrow) who has some of the best humorous lines of the night: funny and charismatic, Oxbrow was the perfect host for the evening.
The comic timing between the German developer Hertz Klinneman (Vas Constanti) and his son Franz (David Breeds) was spot on – and both could sing a rock song that was just as powerful as any of the others in this highly talented cast.
Classic rock anthems
Natalie Winsor as Justice Charlier, owner of a gentlemen’s club was impressive as she nearly stole the show with her commanding vocals and dominant on-stage presence. She doesn’t appear in the musical until later but when she bursts onto stage to perform Shadows of the Night the moment really takes your breath away. Her commanding vocals making you think that a career as a solo artist would not be out of the question for Winsor.
The three-piece live band on stage were unobtrusive. though their musical prowess was never in question as they led the cast through rock classics such as Here I Go Again, We Built This City, The Final Countdown and More Than Words. Coincidentally, many of the songs in the show have been performed live in Bradford over the last thirty years, by the bands who actually wrote and sung the original versions!
There was an unexpected 40-minute extension to the interval due to ‘technical reasons’ which could have meant that the momentum of the first half the show might have been lost, but the excellent cast soon made up for lost time with narrator Lonny even making a quip of the delay at one point. The members of the audience who chose to leave at this point, missed out an impressive second half. Like all good stories there was a happy ending as the ensemble concluded the night with Don’t Stop Believin.
If you want a good night out and to remember all those rock classics from the eighties, set against a show that does not take itself too seriously then perhaps it is time to Feel The Noize as Rock of Ages rocks along for one last time. Highly enjoyable.
Rock of Ages, Bradford Alhambra – runs until Saturday 11 March 2023. After that, the farewell tour moves to Manchester and then on to other locations around the country. Tour details are available here.
