Big hair music is back in this glorious pastiche of the ‘80s, the decade when rock gods took excess to excess.
It is hardly a work of Shakespearean measure but I found myself warming to the piece through the sheer force of performance from every member of this gifted cast.
Rarely have I heard such vocal strength from so many lead singers on the same stage. The Don’t Stop Believing finale simply blew my socks off!
The plot is all about the pursuit of dreams which don’t always turn out quite how they were imagined.
It’s standard fare. Into LA comes hayseed chick Sherrie (Jodie Steele) searching for Hollywood stardom but has to start by hustling drinks in a Sunset Strip bar run by ageing hippie Dennis. Kevin ‘Curly Watts’ Kennedy has a blast, revealing a rasping hard rock voice to go with his obvious acting skills, although the dad dancing did look a bit dodgy.
Sherrie meets wannabe singer Drew (Luke Walsh) and they fall in love, but have to travel a troubled road, overcoming obstacles like sex-driven rock legend Stacee Jaxx’s lust for the girl. We knew Strictly star Kevin Clifton was a peerless dancer, but who knew he could sing and act like this?
A sub-story has a German developer, played for laughs by Vas Constanti, planning to demolish the Strip and replace it with a shopping mall. Cue protests led by gawky Regina (Rhiannon Chesterman), another belting vocalist.
And then there is strip club owner Justice. Zoe Birkett’s thunderous rendition of the Pat Benatar hit Shadows Of The Night was mightily impressive.
Knitting everything, hilariously, together is Lonny (Lucas Rush) who hams it up panto-style and even pulls in a bit of audience participation. I did feel sorry for Dee in the front row.
Rock of Ages is loud and lewd, fast and funny. As a Sixties teenager, this later decade kind of passed me by … but I still loved the show.
Rock of Ages is at the Theatre Royal, Nottingham until Saturday, April 6. For tickets call 0115 989 5555 or visit trch.co.uk.
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