There aren\u2019t many musicals like \u201cRock of Ages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sure, you\u2019ve got \u201cMamma Mia!\u201d featuring the songs of ABBA, but having the opportunity to rock out to songs like \u201cHit Me With Your Best Shot\u201d and \u201cCan\u2019t Fight This Feeling\u201d provides an experience unlike anything else.<\/p>\n
The show, which came to the Vilar Performing Arts Center on Thursday, tells the story of a young duo, Drew and Sherri, searching for fame in Los Angeles in 1987 (roughly). Along the way, Drew\u2019s friends Lonny and Dennis persuade\u00a0fading rock star Stacee Jaxx to perform at their club to avoid being bought out, and Regina fights the gentrification of Sunset Strip.<\/p>\n
The show is written to be silly, even eye-roll-worthy, but that\u2019s exactly what makes it so fun. Outrageously high hairdos and neon outfits look like something straight out of a high school yearbook, and Lonny\u2019s narration often reminds the audience of the general rock \u2018n\u2019 roll attitude of the \u201980s.<\/p>\n
Kristina Walz as Regina was the best part of the show, and Chris Renald\u2019s Franz \u2014 the son of German developer and antagonist Hertz \u2014 also provided some of the show\u2019s biggest laughs.<\/p>\n
Additionally, \u201cHere I Go Again\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Stop Believin’\u201d brought the audience to their feet.<\/p>\n
This particular production served as a stop on the show\u2019s 10th-anniversary tour, heading all across the country and into Canada. While the production value was high and the show is totally unique from any other live musical you\u2019ll see, it doesn\u2019t quite have the heavy-hitting gravitas of an original touring production, as was obvious in the choreography. In addition, some notes were flubbed every once in a while.<\/p>\n
The brilliance of the show lies within the fact that its mistakes can be chalked up to the show\u2019s intentional laughability, so anything that looked cheap or ingenuine could easily be shaken off, making for a highly rewarding performance with little to complain about.<\/p>\n
Arts & Entertainment Editor Nate Day can be reached at nday@vaildaily.com<\/a> or 970-748-2932.<\/em><\/p>\n