AmericanTheaterWeb Original News & Reviews

Rock hits from the likes of Bon Jovi, Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister and REO Speedwagon get repackaged in the surprisingly entertaining new jukebox musical Rock of Ages, which opened last night at New World Stages.

Chris D'Arienzo's book for "Ages" may not be one for the ages as it tells the story of how Sherrie (a sweet-faced and iron-lunged Kelli Barrett), FOB from Kansas, ends up on the Sunset Strip seeking stardom just as Hertz (played with Teutonic precision by Paul Schoeffler) and Franz (an amusingly mincing Wesley Taylor), a father and son team of German developers, are about to demolish all of the bars and strip clubs that give it color.

Sherrie's first job is at Dupree's Bourbon Room, a rock 'n' roll joint run by Dennis Dupree (a distantly dry, and very funny, Adam Dannheisser), a holdover hippie from the 60s. She inevitably falls for barback Drew (American Idol's baby-faced and completely endearing Constantine Maroulis), who has dreams of his own – becoming a rock great under the name Wolfgang von Colt. Their tentative love affair hits a snag, however, when she has a quickie with David Lee Roth-like star Stacee Jazz (played with oily sexiness and swagger by Will Swenson), a guy abandoning his own group Arsenal in search of superstardom in a solo career. Not only does Sherrie's tryst with Stacee put her relationship with Drew on the skids, it also costs her her job, and she ends up working as an exotic dancer for Justice Charlier (the fantastic, but under-utilized, Michele Mais)

It's little surprise that the course of love ultimately runs true and demolishment of the Strip is averted in this musical that Lonny (imbued with Pat Harrington-like smarminess by Mitchell Jarvis), the show's smartass narrator and another employee at Dupree's, describes early on as being "more Guys & Dolls than the actual Strip." But that doesn't stop the journey to a happy ending from being a fun one as the winning, tireless and vocally powerful company delivers some 30 hits from the 1980s (which are beautifully represented in the show by Gregory Gale's pitch-perfect period costumes).

Director Kristin Hanggi's full-throttle staging never completely masks the uncomfortable tonal duality of D'Arienzo's book, which veers from sentimentality to snarky, but it moves with music video-like swiftness within the framework of Beowulf Boritt's clever scenic design that features primarily the seedy interior of Dupree's club, alongside elements of exterior locations. Kelly Devine's choreography also calls to mind the styles of MTV hits of the era, but never feels unduly derivative or cliché.

What's perhaps most impressive about "Ages" is D'Arienzo's careful integration of songs, which often seem as if they had been written not as stand-alone hits, but rather were part of the book. Joan Jett's "I Hate Myself for Loving You" becomes a perfect anthem for Sherrie as she finds herself once again drawn to Stacee. Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" serves as a terrific musical chant for Regina (Lauren Molina who seems to channel Andrea Martin), the dogoodnik who's leading a crusade against Hertz and Franz. Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" and REO Speedwagon's "Can't Fight This Feeling" are both used ironically, creating two of the evening's funniest musical sequences.
As "Ages" wends toward its happy end, there's a lot of talk about the "dreams" that Sherrie, Drew and others have brought to the Strip, which begs a question about the sort of dreams that young people may be having about musical theater today. Do they imagine creating new shows with songs that have been written specifically for their stories or do they simply consider musical theater to be a form in which the familiar is repackaged and resold? One hopes that it's the former, but if it's the latter, then, an entertainment like "Rock of Ages" might be a good source of inspiration.

---- Andy Propst

Rock of Ages plays at New World Stages (340 West 50th Street). Performances are Monday, Wednesday and Thursday at 8pm; Friday at 7 & 10pm; Saturday at 2 & 8pm; and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $46.50 - $80.50 and can be purchased by calling 212-239-6200 or by visiting www.telecharge.com. Tickets offering seat-side cocktail service are also available for $126.50. Further information is available online at www.RockOfAgesMusical.com