Rock Of Ages – New Wimbledon Theatre

For a show that defiantly publicised itself as the worst show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the atmosphere at the New Wimbledon Theatre yesterday evening was one of indisputable excitement.

Rock of Ages, the undeniably funny musical that has lavished audiences with classic rock anthems that have been our guilty pleasures for decades, has returned to a packed out theatre.

It’s understandable why some just won’t like this show- the obvious objectification (and dismissal) of women being a prime example. This is obvious from ten minutes in when Sherrie Christian (Rhiannon Chesterman) bends down to pick something up whilst wearing very short shorts, giving Dennis Dupree (Ross Dawes), the owner of The Bourbon Room, the Hollywood bar where most of the show takes place, all the motivation he needs to give her a job. The same woman later has a door slammed in her face by a misogynistic rock star while another is told to ‘shut up’ for no real reason other than to allow two men to continue talking.

While this may seem grossly outdated and not at all in-keeping with the more feminist thinking of today, we have to remind ourselves that this show is set during the late eighties. Therefore, to a large extent, the blatant demonstration of misogyny is part of the point and to be taken more as farce than anything else.

Cast your thoughts back to late 1980s Hollywood; around the time of Pretty Woman (released June 1990, it would have been written and filmed in the years immediately prior). Though the story of an empowered woman taking her fate into her own hands, this would have never been as poignant or resonant with so many women without the quite realistic setting of the largely male dominated Hollywood of the time. The same could be said for Rock of Ages.

Further to this, I won’t leave out the fact that there were indeed many women at last night’s show, including myself and my companion, and from her reaction and what I could see of the women in the audience, everyone definitely seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Narrator Lonny Barnett (Joe Gash) enjoyably made sitting on the front row one of the most dangerous activities of the night (Lizzie, you have all our sympathies), delivering an extremely entertaining performance.

Regina (Gabriella Williams) might have been my favourite performer not least for a startling and beautiful singing voice, but for her ability to be a true comedienne and fully committing to her role.

As the tumultuous nature of love is explored along with all its misunderstandings and anxieties, what comes through just as clearly are the realities of working in the entertainment industry—something that most likely any reader of this will be able to acknowledge has gotten much more difficult of late. The hustle of making ends meet in between the dream jobs and the side gigs that somehow creep up to full time commitments is brought to the fore through the two leads diverse occupations as bartender, waitress, pizza delivery worker and exotic dancer.

Luke Walsh, playing lead Drew, delivers an enchanting performance, showcasing great musical talents alongside convincing acting. Rhiannon is ideally cast in her role, bringing a quiet but unshakable confidence to a character written to demonstrate how people grow from naivety to worldliness through experience.

One element that I found myself wishing for more of was the infamous Venus Club owner Justice. With such a captivating voice and stage presence, the star of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical Jenny Fitzpatrick makes the aspirational tangible.

The show is very much a team effort – everyone, from the essential company of dancers, captained by Morgan Scott, to the omnipresent band, directed by Liam Holmes, is indispensable and bring much appreciated vigour to the spectacle.

Rock of Ages continues in Wimbledon until Saturday 25^th September then continues on tour. https://www.rockofagesmusical.co.uk/tour/

Reviewer: Natalie J Romero

Reviewer: 21^st September 2021

North West End UK Rating: ★★★