The feel-good musical, Rock of Ages, finally travels to Milwaukee more than three years after the show opened on Broadway. With a thin romantic plot and a heavy dollop of hit songs from the 1980s, Rockis a Tony-nominated musical that has traveled worldwide, attracting audiences from all over the globe. The show’s main attraction is its string of well-known hits from the 1980s, from pop-rock groups such as Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benetar and Whitesnake.
However, history has shown that merely stringing together hit tunes doesn’t always a Mamma Mia! make. But Rock of Ages manages to inspire a party atmosphere – at least in Act I – and basically recreates the rock-concert experience for audiences.
This national tour has all the right elements, with one exception. Shannon Mullen, as Sherrie, is miscast in a role that requires a powerful voice and top-notch dancing. While Mullen goes through the paces, it’s almost as if she doesn’t get it. What puts her at a particular disadvantage is that the ensemble – comprised of a few stage veterans but mainly young, talented kids with few acting credits – really upstage her in the production numbers.
Although Mullen successfully led the national tour of Legally Blonde, she cannot hold the spotlight here and just doesn’t fit as an energetic country girl who longs for a shot at stardom. It’s not surprising that she lacks chemistry with Drew, the would-be rocker whom she meets on her first day in Los Angeles.
Drew cleans toilets at the renowned Bourbon Club as he dreams of rock stardom. Dominique Scott is fine as Drew. He’s physically right for the part, and his singing and guitar-playing are credible. He may not dazzle as did American Idol star Constantine Maroulis did on Broadway, but Scott does a fine job of demonstrating the character’s sweeter, more lovable side.
With so little going on between the two would-be lovers, there’s more attention paid to the Bourbon Club’s owner, Dennis, and his right-hand man, Lonny. Matt Bain as Dennis plays the part to a T, exhibiting all the right moves as the burned-out stoner who is clearly getting too old for the bar business. As Lonny, Justin Colombo practically steals the show as he prances, dances and mugs his way into the audience’s hearts.
As Stacy Jaxx, the rock star who returns to the Bourbon for a one-night performance, Universo Pereira offers a solid semblance of a rock star at his peak who can only head in one direction – down. Before that happens, he teaches Sherrie a few life lessons that sting her pride and separate her from the jealous Drew. Pereira does a nice job of delivering the tune, “Wanted Dead or Alive.”
The ensemble, who alternate as waitresses, bar patrons, protesters, LA “types” and strippers, are particularly appealing. Most of the girls appear wearing skimpy outfits that mesh with the testosterone-fueled tone of a rock musical.
The show’s formulaic ending can be seen a mile away, as Jaxx slides into obscurity while Sherrie and Drew eventually find love as they sing, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
As is the case on Broadway, the back-up band is composed of top musicians. They take a well-deserved bow before the curtain closes. The show’s set creatively conjures an old, down-at-the-heels rock club. Its walls are filled with memorabilia, as one would expect in such a famous club that launched the careers of many musicians. The sound is much louder than is typical for touring musicals, but this is, after all, supposed to emulate a concert experience.
The touring company of Rock of Ages has all the right moves, and younger audiences will particularly enjoy reliving an endless string of 1980s hit songs.
