Rock of Ages
Five Things To Love About Rock of Ages
The Jukebox Musical That Lived
Jukebox musicals are to theater what boy bands are to pop; and, just as only one or two boy bands were ever really worth listening to (The Backstreet Boys, Boyz II Men, maybe that group that Robbie Williams used to be part of back in the ‘90s), Rock of Ages is one of the few musicals born of a Wurlitzer that’s actually worth seeing. Written by Chris D'Arienzo and first staged out west in a bar on Hollywood Boulevard, Rock of Ages opened on Broadway in 2009. It ran for six glam-packed years, and is now back for a tenth anniversary victory lap. Rock of Ages works because it’s a jukebox musical that knows it’s a jukebox musical, and knows that we know, and doesn’t give a fig.
Mitchell Jarvis
Mitchell Jarvis originated the role of Lonny, the show’s host and narrator, on Broadway in 2009. More than 1200 performances later – to paraphrase Carlotta Campion in Follies, a show to which Rock of Ages is rarely compared – he’s still here. But unlike James Tyrone in A Long Day’s Journey Into Night – another play that you’ll seldom find sharing a sentence with Rock of Ages – playing the same role for all that time hasn’t robbed him of the will to live. He’s willing. And lively. And simply a hoot.
Katie Webber
One of the pleasures of live theater is discovering a standout in the ensemble. The leads are always soaking up the spotlight, declaiming this or belting out that, so to shine as a member of the chorus you have to amp up your awesomeness to 11. Katie Weber (Waitress #1) does that here. Deliciously fierce and endlessly energetic, Weber far outstrips any waitress of my acquaintance. Clearly I need to spend more time on Hollywood Boulevard.
Def Leppard
Just about every hair metal band you can imagine agreed to play along and license their songs for use in Rock of Ages. Def Leppard did not. Ten years on, however, they’ve agreed to allow the use of both the title song and Pour Some Sugar On Me. Given that Def Leppard (inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame earlier this year) hardly need the money, this change of heart must surely reflect a newfound love for musical theater. Lead singer Joe Elliott summed it up neatly in an interview with The New York Times: “People are going to go, ‘Ah, it’s good enough for you now but it wasn’t then.’ Well, yeah. That’s exactly right.” Can’t say fairer than that, mate.
A Sippy-Cup Free Zone
The Enthusiast could easily jot down Five Things To Love About New World Stages, but will note but one for now: it’s one of the very few theaters in the city that lets you bring a drink to your seat – that is to say, an actual can of beer or a glass of wine, not a plastic sippy cup. The sound of black plastic lids being snapped onto logo-emblazoned cups at the crush bar became part of the melody of Broadway two decades ago, and frankly it’s time for a fightback. We’re not going to take it. No – we ain’t gonna take it. We’re not going to take it anymore.
