When did the Pantages Theatre turn into a nostalgia rock concert venue? Lately, it certainly has been feeling that way: first Hair came on with its sensational '60s Be-In, followed by those 1891 angst-emo-rocking teens from Spring Awakening.
Now it's playing host to the national tour of ROCK OF AGES, the surprising yet undeniably hilarious Tony-nominated jukebox musical that features a conveyor belt of rock hits from the biggest hair bands of the 1980's such as Journey, Styx, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Steve Perry, Whitesnake, and Poison. This affectionately low-brow but impressively entertaining show charms the leather pants of its audience thanks to its wicked (albeit juvenile) humor, its self-effacing references, plenty of nostalgic sight-gags, and, of course, those ubiquitous 80's tunes most of us won't admit to really liking. Playing at the Pantages through February 27 (then at the Segerstrom Center of the Arts in Orange County, March 1-6), it's certainly a show chock-full of guilty pleasures.
Even before a single actor steps onto the Sunset Strip-bedazzled stage, there are already plenty of screams and devil-horn hand signs filling the theater. There's a genuine rock concert vibe here, accentuated, naturally, by lights and ear drum-shattering guitar riffs. Before the show became a modest hit on Broadway, it began its life as early as 2005 at the King King nightclub on Hollywood Boulevard before doing a six-week run at The Vanguard in 2006. Soon, the show began Off-Broadway in the fall of 2008 before moving into the Brooks Atkinson Theatre on Broadway in April 2009. The show eventually earned five Tony nominations including Best Musical and one for its lead actor Constantine Maroulis, who reprises the role here on the national tour. It's quite a full-circle moment, considering the show is now playing in a venue literally just a few miles from where the show's plot is actually set.
As with most Broadway jukebox musicals, story is the least important element in that kind of show. While ROCK OF AGES certainly does not deviate from this expected trait, it does however celebrate it, to the point where our naughty, lighthearted narrator Lonny (scene-stealing Patrick Lewallen) continuously breaks the fourth wall and speaks directly with the audience about the thin plot, to uproarious results, of course. What would normally be perceived as lazy or uninspired, actually comes off rather charming here. It's the kind of meta-awareness you don't see much in a stage musical, and here, it's a perfectly-inserted, welcome addition.
This being a stage musical rather than just a concert, Lonny declares that "every musical needs a love story!" And this one will feel familiar: shy aspiring rock musicIan Drew (Maroulis)—who now works as a lowly janitor/busboy at the historic Hollywood Club/Bar "The Bourbon Room"—falls head-over-boots for Sherrie (the radiant Rebecca Faulkenberry), who just arrived in L.A. from a small town in Kansas, hoping to pursue a career as, of course, an actress. Her beauty and tenacity quickly gets her a job as a waitress at The Bourbon, much to Drew's delight.
Meanwhile, a couple of Yuppie German developers Hertz (Bret Tuomi) and his melodramatic son Franz (Travis Walker) urge the bribe-taking Mayor to clean up the debauchery of the Sunset Strip, angering Regina (Casey Tuma) the City Planner, who sees the move as a destruction of the city's legacy (because, as the Starship song clearly states, they "built this city on rock and roll!").
Upon learning of these plans for the Strip, Dennis Dupree (the awesome gravel-voiced Nick Cordero), the owner of The Bourbon Room, convinces Stacee Jaxx (MiG Ayesa) to perform his final show with his band Arsenal—who recently announced the band's break up—at his club to generate enough funds to keep the landmark open. But the plans forge ahead with Regina leading the anti-redevelopment protests. As this unfolds, Drew and Sherrie mutually believe that the either of them are not interested in pursuing a romantic relationship.
Throughout the show, we are constantly reminded that everyone in ROCK OF AGES itself—from the terrific, hard-working on-stage band to the funny ensemble players—are all unabashedly in on the jokes, which they happily share with its happy audience. But, really, the plot and characters of ROCK OF AGES is just a tongue-in-cheek excuse to weave in these super fun iconic songs into a narrative trajectory. Drew—a city boy, born and raised in South Detroit—and Sherrie—just a small town girl, who took the midnight train—are star-crossed lovers with huge dreams of making it in the big city, which, of course, makes "Don't Stop Believing" their perfect anthem. The secondary plot involving the Disney-fication of the Sunset Strip allows protesters and the show's rockers to chant "We Built This City" and "We're Not Gonna Take It" as battle cries. Thanks to the fine work of Ethan Popp, songs that may have made some people cringe in the past are re-imagined in ROCK OF AGES as impressive Broadway-ready powerhouse ensemble numbers ("Here I Go Again" and "Don't Stop Believing") or even gorgeous, heartfelt ballads (Teresa Stanley's vocals on "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" is quite lovely).
Not taking itself too seriously with every turn, the jokes in ROCK OF AGES come at you at a steady, triumphant pace, and it's really hard to try to fight the laughter. Its comedy stems partly from our humorous, collective remembrance of the kooky, kitschy things that are often laughable about the 80's: legwarmers, acid-washed denim, even Bartles & James Wine Coolers... though I have to wonder, after the umpteenth mention of Arby's (the fast food joint), did I somehow miss why this running gag is so hilarious?
Part of the audience's enjoyment of the show's musical aspects is the unexpected ways in which a song is suddenly introduced. Sure, some songs don't exactly qualify as hard rock or metal songs—some straddle the popular adult-contemporary realm—but not one song in the show's catalog is immune from a chuckle or two when a character's story progression spontaneously breaks into a song that perfectly fits the action of the given moment. I won't spoil too much, but let's just say you'll be pleasantly surprised by the moment that causes the first few bars of "Can't Fight This Feeling" to start.
