Rock of Ages

Thanks to Kris Ikejiri

My thoughts on Rock of Ages or…”it don’t get better than this!”

Once in a while in theater, a production occurs that is so overwhelmingly entertaining that I wouldn’t change a thing about it. The Firehouse Theatre’s Rock of Ages is such a production. This jukebox musical first produced twenty years ago, with a book by Chris D’Arienzo and arrangements and orchestrations by Ethan Popp, is a nostalgic time trip to the late 1980’s big hair band days, the days where pop and rock were side by side on the Top 40. It’s loud (The Firehouse actually offers earplugs to attendees, but I found them unnecessary), raucous, bawdy, profane, and endless fun as one hit after another rocks the auditorium. Special shout out to Music Director Bryce Biffle and that band that “rocked us all night long.” This is the first time in a long while that I’ve seen three quarters of the audience stay after the final bows until the band played its last note. That is quite an endorsement of the skills of these musicians.

In brief, Rock of Ages is set in the Bourbon Room, an iconic music venue on the Sunset Strip. It’s under the threat of demolition by German developers. Amidst the drama and turmoil of trying to save the Bourbon Room, the love story of our protagonists, Drew and Sherrie, unfolds with rock hits of the era underscoring all the events.

Logan Uhtenwoldt’s set is actually better than the one in the last national tour I saw. It captures all the seedy grubbiness of the Bourbon Room . From the metal railed balcony to the walls covered with fading posters, it all looks real. You can almost smell the old beer and sweat. Lighting Designer Mia Lindemann, in addition to her excellent lighting of the cast, includes a wall of rectangular lights behind the balcony that change colors and do much to create the mood of the musical. Sound Designer Michael Marbry kept the audio flawless on opening night. Reigning Costume Designer queen of the Firehouse keeps her crown as she brings all the grunge and glitz of the period to the costumes that go from looking like they’ve just been pulled out of the dirty clothes hamper to sleek, satiny, and sexy.

Carlos Strudwick’s off the charts energetic choreography is an homage to all those 80’s MTV videos. The female members of the cast get quite a workout as the dance numbers are frequent and Strudwick and Dance Captain Christina Kudlicki keep the dance moves precise and well executed.

Director Benjamin Keegan Arnold, assisted here by Samantha Padilla, has a keen eye for comedy and staging musical numbers. He also knows how to put together an incredible cast and mined some of DFW finest talent for Rock of Ages.

Austin Bender-Davis leads the cast as Lonny, assistant manager of the Bourbon Room and also serves as our genial narrator of the play. Bender-Davis could not be more suited for this role. He’s got all the charisma and assured delivery the witty, amiable character needs. He breaks the fourth wall, often reminding us (and other characters) that we are watching (or in) a musical. He also displays some fine vocals, especially when he discovers he “can’t fight the feeling” he has for the owner of the venue, an aging hippie named Dennis Dupree. Dupree is played by the always amazing Grant Hollowell, who brings gruff charm to the character that is at least twenty to thirty years Hollowell’s senior.

“Just a city boy born and raised in South Detroit” is Drew played by Austin Jon Hines. Drew is a busboy at the Bourbon Room but longs to be a rock star himself. Hines brings such honesty and hopefulness to the character that he is irresistible and we are on Drew’s side immediately. Hines has the requisite rock star voice but it is his easy going, sincere demeanor that makes us root for him.

Into Drew’s life comes Sherrie, “ a small town girl living in a lonely world” who comes to Hollywood in search of stardom but winds up meeting Drew and getting a job with him. There is a love connection almost immediately but their road to happiness is far from smooth. Playing Sherrie is the dynamic Brooke Matthews who gives Sherrie a sweetness with a tough edge. Matthews has a powerful belt that literally brings chills. Matthews and Hines have an excellent rapport and are terrific as the protagonists of the show.

More than convincing as the sexy, amoral rock star Stacee Jaxx whose career is on the wane is Dayton Wilson in a role that could have been written for him. Wilson brings all the provocative posturing and over confidant swagger to Jaxx and has a rock tenor to back up Jaxx’s star status. The polar opposite of Drew, Jaxx is unlikeable but the talented Wilson finds the humor in the character and makes the womanizing Jaxx a conceited, self centered ego maniac impossible to ignore. And what really happened with Jaxx and a llama in that hotel???

Janette Robinson is Justice Charlier, proprietor of the adjacent Venus Club, a strip club for gentlemen. She’s a woman with a past who befriends Sherrie and knows what it’s like to have your heart broken. Robinson is sensuality personified in the role. Her assurance and smooth catlike moves give Justice an allure and when she sings consider yourself seduced.

As Hertz and Franz, the father and son German entrepreneurs who want to tear down the Bourbon Room, Geoff Lutz and Trenton Mosty may be the comedy duo of the summer. With his perfect German accent, Lutz is excellent as the demanding, stern father focused solely on remaking LA. He’s a villain, but a hilarious one. Also excellent, Mosty as Franz tries to be the ruthless, heartless man his father wants him to be but he is reticent and sweet natured and really wants to open a candy store. Lutz and Mosty play off each other like a German flavored vaudeville team eliciting laugh after laugh. And when Franz falls in love with Regina…

Ah, Regina. She’s a city official turned activist against the aggressive German duo. She’s bespectacled and more than a little mousy but outspoken and determined. Behind those specs and under that wig is the powerhouse actor Briana Berk, who gives a lesson here in how to make a huge impression in a supporting role. No costume can hide Berk’s remarkable stage presence, comic timing, and thrilling voice. In a scene that stopped the show on opening night Mosty’s Franz, ready to stand up to his father. breaks out into a hysterical rendition of Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot.” Berk joins him and they literally bring the house down.

Arnold also has a talented, high energy ensemble working constantly to make Rock of Ages the winner it is. Some members like Shanespeare Alexander, who is a true comic chameleon, play multiple roles as well as singing and dancing. The ensemble includes Aaron Black, Nicole Carrano, Jessica Deskewies, Jordan Gibson, Hailey Hatfield, Christina Kudlicki, Zane Syjansky, and Brian Vazquez.

If you want to have “nothing but a good time” Rock of Ages at the Firehouse Theatre is the musical for you. Everything about this production is designed to entertain. The energy of the cast is infectious and will have you nostalgic for a little head banging. “Don’t Stop Believing” in the power of musical theater! Rock of Ages “Styx” with you all the way home.

Photos by Jason Anderson/Pendleton Photography