Review: ‘Rock of Ages’ at Paramount Theatre is a proudly good-time show, just missing an emotional note
When I last saw “Rock of Ages” in 2017, I had this premonition of the children of the 1980s sitting in their retirement homes rocking out to Journey, Whitesnake and Poison, and getting all misty eyed over Bartles & Jaymes wine coolers and the phone-less life, wherein there was a chance someone might look you in the eye for more than 10 seconds. Five years on, and what a five years, the show feels yet more like a relic from a previous era.
I’m not talking about the era of this jukebox musical, either. I mean the musical itself. These are moral times for jukebox musicals; “Rock of Ages” now is a satirical outlier. Broadway would be scared stiff of producing it now.
I’ve had fun watching “Rock of Ages” since I first reviewed the show on Broadway in 2009. It is what you might call a party show, meaning that it appeals to hardworking folks on dates, or in groups, people who would rather turn off their brains for a weekend night, pull out a fake lighter, imbibe an adult beverage or two and sing along to Bon Jovi or REO Speedwagon without inhibition or referent to the correct key. Nothing wrong with having fun. The show has made a fortune over the last 15 years for its writer, Chris D’Arienzo. It’s been proven to work.
Good times certainly was the mood Thursday night in Aurora as a hardworking, COVID-challenged cast plowed their way through this story of Los Angeles’ Sunset Strip, of Dennis Dupree’s Bourbon Room, of the aspiring singer Drew and the aspiring actress Sherrie, as narrated by the mullet-haired Lonnie, a deadpan homage to the likes of “High Fidelity” and Jack Black. My program was filled with understudy announcements for supporting roles and I heard at least one member of the cast was giving their first performance. More power to them. Not easy.
As is typical at the Paramount Theatre, “Rock of Ages” comes with a huge set — far bigger than the original Broadway design and much cooler, too. Jeffrey D. Kmiec pays homage not just to Tower Records and the other clatter and clutter of La La Land, but also to the mighty amp, images of which make up a truly eye-popping design, enough to blow you away even as you sit down. This show is also wig central, and the big 1980s hair provided here by Katie Cordts is a show on all on its own. Director Amber Mak’s production also has a fine onstage band, led by Dan Peters on lead guitar, hair blowing in the breeze.
But the sound was rough Thursday night, with a lot of uneven mixing (perhaps due to all the changes in the cast), and something else wasn’t quite right, either.
All the times I’ve seen this show, I’ve always preferred productions that don’t lean in so much to the 1980s camp, tempting as that may be, but rather find the truth in what is, in essence, a sweet and small story. There’s a bit too much going on in this over-choreographed, over-frenetic and over-staged production and, frankly, the show’s central idea that West Hollywood is just small-town kids from the Midwest who caught the midnight train going anywhere, gets lost. The two leads, Kieran McCabe and Taylor DiTola, are fun individualists but they don’t come off as emotionally connected or all that needy of each other, which is supposed to be the point, really. Shea Coffman is a fun narrator and there’s a very centered performance from the experienced Melody A. Betts as Mother, but I had the sense the demands of the staging of the piece had pulled too much focus from what matters more: offering up warm, believable characters doing their best and trying to find their way.
Yes, even in “Rock of Ages.”
Note: The Paramount Theatre announced Friday that performances Friday through Sunday have been postponed due to COVID-related illness; ticketholders can contact the box office to reschedule. “Rock of Ages” is scheduled to resume Wednesday, May 11.
Chris Jones is a Tribune critic.
Review: “Rock of Ages”
When: Through May 29
Where: Paramount Theatre, 23 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora
Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Tickets: $36-$79 at 630-896-6666 or paramountaurora.com
