It was a pleasure to be invited, along with my 13-year-old son, Sam, to Northwich on this warm August evening to see Together For Theatre’s School of Rock. This was my first time watching this Andrew Lloyd Webber adaptation although, like many people, I’m a big fan of the original 2003 film that inspired it.
For those not familiar, the musical tells the story of Dewey Finn, a down-on-his-luck rock musician who has been thrown out of his band and is overdue on his rent. An intercepted call meant for his flatmate, Ned Schneebly, gives him the opportunity to earn a quick buck by posing as a substitute teacher at the prestigious Horace Green School. High expectations set by Principal Rosalie Mullins fall on deaf ears and “Mr Schneebly” has every intention of putting the privileged kids into permanent recess. That is, until he overhears their music class and a plan forms to turn the perfect prep schoolers into princes and princesses of rock.
Director, Ben Evans-Clarke certainly had his work cut out, bringing this large cast of adults and younger performers to the stage. Despite some of the limitations with space, overall, the direction was well-paced and focused on allowing the characters to shine through.
Choreography by Teagan Bundy was well-suited to such a diverse cast and was suitably rock-y in all the right parts. Musical Direction under Ian Sherwood was equally assured and the small band provided a great sound. However, at times, the ensemble vocals felt tentative, and the occasional opening night mic mishap certainly didn’t help.
Technical aspects of the production were hindered largely by space with a very industrious backstage crew trying their hardest to negotiate a big set without much room to manoeuvre. The use of the promenade to provide additional playing space went some way toward giving the crew some additional time to deal with complicated changes. Sadly, the periaktoi used to transport us between locations had a bit of life of their own and ended up being quite distracting. Lighting was high energy and vivid blues and pinks were used to great effect to give us that stadium rock vibe.
As for the performances, the part of Dewey Finn is a gift for any comic actor and David Davenport certainly brought some Jack Black flair to the role, even if, at times, he struggled to sustain the energy levels needed for such a demanding part. It was undoubtedly in his relationship with the school kids where we saw the best of his characterisation.
Other adult principal roles were well-performed. Anise Lea was fussy and fastidious as Principal Mullins and provided an ethereal vocal performance in her Act 2 ballad, Where Did The Rock Go. The real Ned Schneebly, played by Greg Billing was suitably anxious and buttoned-up, providing comic contrast to Dewey and his over-bearing girlfriend, Patty Di Marco, played by Molly Quine.
But the real stars of this show are, of course, the kids. These impressive youngsters were not only singing, acting and dancing but the four principal band members were also playing, LIVE!
Zack Alliss gave an emotionally mature performance as lead guitarist Zack Mooneyham, giving some face-melting shreds as well as some tear-jerking vocals in If Only You Would Listen. Bass player Katie was ably portrayed by Cali Johanson providing some accomplished funk. Keyboard player Lawrence was characterised well by Alfie Warren, a reluctant rocker concerned he was too nerdy to be cool. Last, but not least, drummer Freddie Hamilton was brought to life by Isaac Birkett, a bundle of energy with a boat load of talent. Other notable performances were Sidney Causer who provided some impressive vocals as reluctant soul diva Tomika, Chloe Furlong as prissy band manager Summer and Florence Liggett as feisty stylist Billy who gave us some great comedy moments.
Overall, this was a fun show with some great all-round performances, especially from its younger cast. Unfortunately, technical difficulties on the night interrupted the flow onstage and caused a few too many distractions for the cast and audience alike. Many of these are issues which should hopefully be ironed out as their nearly sold-out run continues.
School of Rock runs until Sat 16th August 2025 at Northwich Memorial Court Theatre with tickets available at What’s on – Brio Entertainment.
Reviewer: Dan Grimes
Reviewed: 13th August 2025
North West End UK Rating: