Rock Of Ages Review

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I don’t normally do this but I’m going to start boldly by saying that Rock Of Ages gets 5 stars from me. There was never any doubt in my mind as I love the movie and I’ve experienced the stage production before, so I knew exactly what to expect.

The biggest difference between the movie and the stage production is that the production doesn’t take itself as seriously. It’s way more fun and gets away with murder when it comes to the sexual references and innuendos.

It’s cheesy, camper than a row of pink tents and sexy as hell, as well as having the best soundtrack of any musical I’ve ever seen. What’s not to love?

Rock Of Ages is a jukebox musical built around classic rock songs from the 1980s, especially from the famous glam metal bands of that decade. 

The programme contains a warning... “THIS SHOW CONTAINS SCENES OF ROCK ‘N’ ROLL DEBAUCHERY” and they’re not wrong! Buckets of flesh, simulated erotic acts and plenty of lingerie and innuendo are to be expected. Even some of the ladies in attendance were impressed. And lads… the shorts are VERY short!

Sherrie (Rhiannon Chesterman) is a small town girl who dreams of getting her big break in Hollywood. After having her handbag stolen, Rock God wannabe Drew (Luke Walsh) comes to her rescue. Too late to stop the mugger, he helps by bagging Sherrie a job at the bar that we works in... the Bourbon Room owned by Dennis Dupree (Ross Dawes) with the help of his sound engineer and also the narrator for the show, Lonny (Joe Gash). Situated on the Sunset Strip, it’s a place where dreams are made and hearts are broken.

They are instantly attracted to each other and are very similar in their dreams for bigger and better things. However, when Rock Legend Stacee Jaxx (Strictly’s Kevin Clifton) arrives to play his final gig before going solo, and Drew inadvertently puts himself in the “friend zone”, Sherrie’s head is turned and a fumble in the gents room with Stacee is enough to put them both on a track that neither of them expected to be on.

And with German developers trying to demolish the Sunset Strip, the whole cast end up on a mission to save it, along with it’s infamous Bourbon Room.

Joe is definitely the star of the show as Lonny. It’s a fantastic pantomime style of performance in the way that he constantly breaks the fourth wall, and he was a perfect choice for the role. Sit on the front row at your own risk... Naomi will agree...

Luke was also great as Drew with a brilliant voice to match. Having seen him in the last tour, he has only came back stronger for this one! His confidence and also his ability to portray Drew’s innocence & naivety made him untouchable in the role.

I was quite honest in my last review of the tour about Jodie in the role of Sherrie, in that even though she was stunning with an equally amazing voice, she wouldn’t have been my first choice for the role. As a character Sherrie has an innocence and vulnerability about her which is integral to the story, and Jodie didn’t put this across well enough for me. I noted that Rhiannon Chesterman who played Regina in the production was Jodie’s understudy. She had a fantastic voice and I said that she would have had Sherrie’s innocence nailed down. I said that I would have liked to have seen her play the part, and as if by magic, Rhiannon is our Sherrie this time around! And I’m over the moon to say that I was absolutely right about her! She absolutely smashed it and her chemistry with Luke was undeniable!

It’s worth noting that both her & Luke have since opened Chesterman Walsh workshops, which helps professionals in training and operates a programme of after school clubs around London for aspiring young actors. I think it’s amazing that their experience is being used to help bring other aspiring performers into the fold.

Kevin was good as Stacee Jaxx, but still a little forgettable. Wether it’s the movie or the stage production, Stacee has kind of a mystical aura about him, and he is obviously hiding a lot of demons in the closet and yearns for true acceptance for who he really is rather than his stage persona. For me, Kevin didn’t pull this side of the character off, but it was solid enough to be enjoyable, and his speech about the return of theatre after the pandemic was fantastic!

Ross put in a great performance as Dennis, and had the dry humour to pull it off. I was really looking forward to his & Joe’s performance of “Can’t fight this feeling anymore”, and I wasn’t disappointed. Whilst camp and cringey, it’s really funny and they did a great job. It just gets funnier every time I see it!

The last tour saw Pop Idols’s Zoe Birkett in the role of Justice, and her voice was amazing. I did note that I felt she wasn’t old enough to play the mother figure of the gentleman’s club and I stand by that. Enter Jenny Fitzpatrick for this one. In 2013 she played the role of Tina Turner in the UK tour of “Soul Sister”. What better choice is there for this role? She was incredible and didn’t drop a single note. Her voice was smooth, silky and powerful when needed, and her presence just filled the stage. She performed one of the most beautiful renditions of “Every Rose Has It’s Thorn” I’ve ever heard, and I’d honestly pay to hear her perform a full album. The box office hit featuring Mary J Blige in the same role leaves some big boots to fill, and not only did she fill them, she went dancing in them! Definitely my performance of the night!

Gabriella Williams, Andrew Carthy & Vas Constanti also gave us plenty of laughs as Regina, Franz & Hertz!

And to top it all off, there was a live band on stage all the way through the performance, so it truly had the feeling of being at a rock concert to it. They were incredible and totally note perfect with some amazing guitar solos. This musical wouldn’t be as sharp as it is without them! Hats off!

Featuring over 25 classic rock anthems including We Built This City, The Final Countdown, Here I Go Again, Wanted Dead or Alive and I Wanna Know What Love Is, you can be sure to have your socks rocked off! See below for a teaser of what to expect.

Verdict: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

It's playing at the Regent Theatre NOW, up until and including Saturday 6th November. Tickets are on sale and are available by calling the Regent Theatre Box Office on 0844 871 7649. You can also visit www.atgtickets.com/stoke for tickets and info.