ROCK of Ages has returned to Darlington Hippodrome; this musical is crammed with classic rock songs from the 1980s and at the opening night the audiences were certainly rocking in their seats.
This light hearted, tongue and cheek story has Sherrie, Rhiannon Chesterman, arriving on Sunset Strip full of dreams to become an actress. She enters The Bourbon Room, a bar owned by Dennis, Ross Dawes, where she finds work to keep her going. Also working in the bar is aspiring rocker Drew, Luke Walsh, who instantly falls in love with Sherrie. Clearly the love story of boy meets girl is on, off with, of course, the final happy ending. Add to the plot a pair of German developers Hertz, Vas Constanti, and his son Franz, Andrew Carthy, who persuade the mayor, Adam Strong, to introduce clean living to the city to abandon the sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, as they demolish the Sunset Strip. Much to the anger of the city planner Regina, Gabriella Williams. It continues fast and furious as Stacee Jaxx, Kevin Clifton, playing as a Rock Star, shows it’s not only his dancing which excels, but also his voice. Jenny Fitzpatrick as Justice shows such a powerful voice. Of course, the narrator of the story as Joe Gash playing Lonny can’t be forgotten, he breaks the fourth wall with perfection as he directly addresses the audience, he certainly turns it into glam rock and much more.
Although the cast are faultless and the strong story flows, there are still two members of the cast who stand out, which are Rhiannon Chesterman and Luke Walsh, the most amazing voices you need to see on stage.
The show may be risque and would be taken by children with caution. As the cast say after the last 18 months, theatre is back and this is one show to have a great night out.
Runs until Saturday 27th November at Darlington Hippodrome.
