PEORIA -- The musical Rock of Ages is a high energy, slickly done but loud satire on rock music and the people involved with it. A kind of low rent Rent without the real issues and emotions of that fine play.
The musical rocked into the Peoria Civic Center on Jan. 17 and plays again on Jan. 18. It features scantily clad, sexy females and rocker-guys, backed by on-stage rock musicians. Everyone sings and dances well, though this is not an Actors Equity cast.
The set and special effects are brilliantly done, with artifacts from the past including a TWA travel bag, a giant mobile telephone, vintage t-shirts and a boom box. The play is set in the 1980s.
But no cliche is left unmentioned in the characters and plot, making this a very odd play -- a satire that also loves its subject.
The almost sell-out crowd was mostly 40 and 50-somethings, very happy to re-live their youthful days when rock was young and hip. Those older members of the audience were not as enthusiastic, and may have been baffled by unfamiliar rock music from the past.
This is not Sondheim or Andrew Lloyd Weber, or even Wicked.
It's amusing, OK for an evening's entertainment, but not nearly so good as many other plays in the Broadway series recently.
The weakness is the book, obviously crafted around the classic rock songs -- that once seemed fresh but now seem repetitious -- that the producers were able to get permission to use. It's pretty good, but not great. And loud.
Here's the well done PJS preview story on the show. It plays in St. Louis, Mo. on Feb. 3-5.
-- Elaine Hopkins
I haven't heard of Rock Of ages yet. This is a good read, worth my time spent in reading it! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Jelle | January 18, 2012 at 07:56 PM