Rock of Ages Archives - North West End UK

19Mar

By Tracey BellNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Rock of Ages – Sheffield Lyceum

A Racy, raucous feast of Rock! Rocking its way to the Sheffield Lyceum, Croft House Theatre Company, who never fail to impress, catapult the comedy and rouse the raucous in the aptly named Rock of Ages. Book by Chris D’Arienzo and Musical arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp. Directed and choreographed with flair by Claire Harriott, this difficult script is given an energetic and racy outing, with a strong and able cast of principals and ensemble, filling the stage and creating the crazy hedonistic era. Matt Symonds does a superb job as Musical Director and Keys, he has his work cut out with the full on and complex score. Liam Stevenson on Lead Guitar plays some excellent guitar solo’s joined by Jeff Swift on Guitar two, Matt Jackson (great wig!) on Bass Guitar and the excellen...

23May

By Damian RiverolNo Comments

North West

Rock Of Ages – Northwich Memorial Court

Knutsford Musical Theatre Company return to Northwich Memorial Court ready to blow the roof off with the incredible Rock of Ages. This jukebox musical is built around songs from the 1980s including Styx, Journey and Bon Jovi to name but a few. We follow the story of two dreamers on the Sunset strip, trying to become something more but hitting many obstacles throughout, meeting many interesting characters along the way. Narrated by Lonny, played by the hilarious Jon Hall, we follow numerous stories of possible demolition, the fight to save the Bourbon Room and in turn saving Rock and Roll and love stories in many different shapes and sizes. Hall shines in the role of Lonny and a standout in this production, keeping the audience in the palm of his hands, breaking the fourth wall to int...

11Apr

By David S ClarkeNo Comments

North West

Rock of Ages – New Mills Art Theatre

As NK Theatre Arts still do not currently have access to their home venue at the Romiley Forum, this production was staged at the 500-seat capacity New Mills Art Theatre, which is a considerable distance from their usual venue, but thanks go to them for accommodating this performance directed by Paul Wilson. Before the show even started many cast members took to the stage, which created a superb atmosphere at the “Bourbon Club” in downtown LA. The show was enhanced by the use of live musicians who were ably directed by Ceri Graves. All the action took place in the club, and it was non-stop right from the word go, with superb choreography from Dawn Wrigley and Rivkah Kneen which contributed hugely to the show’s success. One classic song after another, mainly originating from 80’s Amer...

17May

By Jackie FoottitNo Comments

Yorkshire & Humber

Rock of Ages – Hull New Theatre

“Are you ready to have your face mel-ted?” is the unusual question we in the Hull New Theatre audience were asked, on Tuesday evening, when Rock of Ages erupted on to the stage. Shouted out by the show’s narrator, Lonny Barnet (Tim Oxbrow), before I could make up my mind, yes or no, he had already moved on to other madcap musings - a theme he never wavered from throughout the ear-splitting show. I’ve enjoyed watching many a shake, rattle and roll rock band in my time, but this is the first time my bones have involuntarily rattled and rolled - so piercing and loud was the drumbeat. Even my theatre seat on Row O juddered. I kid you not. The story, set in 1987 Hollywood, centres around The Bourbon Room, a bar/club owned by Dennis Dupree (Kevin Kennedy - Curly Watts of Coronation Stre...

Rock of Ages – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

21Feb

By Gill LewisNo Comments

North West

Rock of Ages – Winter Gardens, Blackpool

Are you ready to rock? Buckle up for this jukebox musical, belting out nonstop 80s classic soft rock riffs which will leave you fist pumping and head bobbing well after the final guitar crunch. 1980’s USA is a country still recovering from the post-Vietnam war conflict which caused economic and political uncertainty, creating an anxiety which led to an American identity crisis. Bands such as Journey, Europe and Starship were making music and writing lyrics which talked to the disenfranchised youth of the day with messages of hope, fighting for what you believe in and pursuing your dreams. These messages resonated with young people who admired the flamboyant, long haired rock gods, their vitality representing freedom and liberation in contrast to the condescending voices of a...

31Aug

By Kathleen MansfieldNo Comments

Scotland

Rock of Ages – King’s Theatre, Glasgow

“Amazing!” Blondie exclaimed as she dried her hands in the loo at the end of the night, while “It’s a game of two halves,” might have been uttered by the man watching football on his mobile at half-time. What he actually said was: “It’s not great. I’ve seen it before. It must be understudies.” So, there you have it. The first half was rushed and heartless. The diction was unclear. Less than half the audience were clapping along. For an audience-participation-style show that’s not great. The second half, however, brought a smile to my face and roars of appreciation from a very loyal fan-base. The final number was brilliant and had everyone on their feet. If only there had been more of that. If only they’d played to win from the start. The Page Three depiction of females as sex obje...

11May

By Beth EltringhamNo Comments

Scotland

Rock Of Ages – Edinburgh Playhouse

Rock of Ages is a cheesy jukebox musical that plays as the perfect throw back to everyone’s favourite 80s and 90s rock anthems such as “Here I Go Again”, “Dead or Alive” and “Don’t Stop Believing”. There are several stories told throughout by fantastic narrator Lonny (played by Joe Gash), the main one being of star crossed lovers Sherrie (Gabriella Williams) and Drew (Sam Turrell) who both moved to the Sunset Strip to find fame but instead found each other however the one and only Stacee Jaxx (Matt Terry) proves to become their biggest obstacle. There is another secondary plot concerning the demolition of the Sunset Strip. It goes without saying that this production is near perfect! The cast are all incredibly talented and perfectly cast, we all already love the music, an...

7Oct

By Anne PritchardNo Comments

North West

Rock of Ages – Manchester Opera House

We were asked for proof of COVID vaccinations as we entered the theatre; those who couldn’t produce them were asked to take a temperature check at the side entrance. All theatre staff were wearing masks. The theatre was two thirds full: mostly with a 23-35 year old age group with a sprinkling of older theatre-goers. There was an air of anticipation as we waited for the curtain to go up. Once it did, two lone guitarists appeared beneath projected images of USA; the set was a nightclub, The Bourbon Room, with a small stage and a bar with tables and chairs. Rock of Ages doesn’t have much of a story, but for what there is, it is a typical love story, well three love stories really but the main story concerns a small town girl, Sherrie (Rhiannon Chesterman), who relocate...

23Sep

By Natalie J RomeoNo Comments

London

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 motivatio...

16Sep

By Jan MellorNo Comments

North West

Rock of Ages – Liverpool Empire

Theatre! Theatre! Theatre! So good they said it thrice! How absolutely wonderful to be back in the theatre watching live performances once again! This was my first visit to the theatre in 18 months (as it probably was for a lot of people here at the grand Liverpool Empire this evening) and I was to see a show that, although I have seen before, I was gasping for breath to see. I needed a laugh, some upliftment and an escape from the fear and dreariness of the last year or so and I was hoping that ‘Rock of Ages’ could do this. So, on entering the theatre, I wasn’t that surprised that the auditorium was half empty, people are still cautious, I appreciate that – although I must add that there are safety measures in place at the Empire (evidence of negative lateral flow test or proof o...