If you’re looking for a high-energy, 80s display of sex, drugs and rock and roll, Rock of Ages at the King’s Theatre in Glagsow is your ideal night out! Rock of Ages follows the story of a young country sweetheart Sherrie Christian as she makes the move to the Sunset Strip seeking stardom. Instead, she finds herself in a complicated relationship with another aspiring star, Drew Boley (or as he prefers, Wolfgang Von Colt). If young love wasn’t tricky enough, The infamous strip which includes the Bourbon Rooms where the young pair work to make ends meet, is under threat of destruction by German fascists Hertz and Franz. Time is running out to save the Bourbon and it’s not looking good for the future of glam rock. Will activist Regina and her friends save the strip in time?
Joe Gash is no stranger to Rock of Ages, and his astounding performance as Lonny proves he is truly a master of his craft. Lonny is wild, filthy, and truly hilarious, and Gash’s charisma and confidence pull this off perfectly. Joe provides some stellar vocals with his seriously impressive tenor belt, and shows some sweeter moments in times like “I can’t fight this feeling.”
Our romantic leads are played by Gabriella Williams as Sherrie and Sam Turrell as Drew. This pair portray these characters perfectly and handle these challenging roles with ease. Gabriella’s Sherrie is sweet and innocent but also strong, and encapsulates the character expertly. Her stunning vocals pair perfectly with Sam’s tenor pipes, who handles an incredibly difficult score with no issues. These two build romantic tension and chemistry in a way that has the whole audience rooting for them, but never take themselves too seriously either and have excellent comedic timing in moments like The Search is Over.
The illustrious rock-god Stacee Jaxx is played by Cameron Sharp. Sharp oozes the rock-star aura of Stacee, with a perfect balance of being sexy and mysterious but also being completely full of himself and insufferable to be around! Sharp is also familiar with the show, having played Alternate Drew and Franz in the past. After his performance as Stacee I would have loved to see him in these tracks also! A standout performance.
Natalie Windsor is a total powerhouse as Justice, with her smooth vocals filling the entire theatre. Justice is powerful and commands attention but Windsor also does brilliantly to show the true vulnerability in her character, providing some beautiful moments in scenes with Sherrie. Kevin Kennedy plays the hilarious Dennis Dupree and brings us some great comedic moments and some touching scenes with his partner-in-crime Lonny. Vicki Manser as Regina also shines, and I really enjoyed that she had a chance to show off that voice in some of the chorus numbers, particularly with some outstanding riffs in Don’t Stop Believing.
Vas Constanti and David Breeds bring us the hilarious father son duo as Hertz and Franz Klinemann respectively, and they both did a fabulous job. Special mention must go to Breeds’ hilarious performance as Franz, he was truly a scene stealer and had the audience in bits every time he was on stage! Excellent stuff.
The ensemble of this show brings such energy, light and laughter. The rest of the company is made up of Erin Bell (Constance/Assistant Dance Captain), Billy Roberts (Mayor/Keith Gil), Scott Hayward (Joey Primo), Phoebe Samuel-Gray (Ensemble/ Onstage Swing), Darius James (Ensemble), Tianna Sealy-Jewiss (Ensemble), Reece Duncan (Ensemble), Hollie-Anne Lowe (Swing), Morgan Scott (Swing/Dance Captain). A special mention must go to Erin Bell for her standout performance in the ensemble and as Constance, my friend and I both agreed you could not take your eyes off her whenever she was on stage! A standout performance.
No show is without its creative team, and some commendations are definitely in order here. Rock of Ages is a show very close to my heart, and Nick Winston (Director and Choreographer) has done an excellent job at preserving the fun, sexy, loud nature of the musical whilst also allowing the actors freedom to express themselves through their characters. I enjoyed the few changes I noticed from seeing previous productions, particularly the hilarious moments in The Search is Over and Waiting for a Girl Like You (I won’t give too much away). The only slight issue I had with the show was potential staging where moments on top of the steel deck on stage left were blocked for my view, although this is always a risk in the theatre. The rest of the creative team features Morgan Large (Set & Costume Designer), Ben Cracknell (Lighting Designer), Ben Harrison (Sound Designer), Duncan McLean (Video & Projection Designer), Jim Arnold CDG (Casting Director, Victoria Gimby (Associate Director), Ryan-Lee Seager (Associate Choreographer) and Lee Tassie (Costume Supervisor). Props to all the team for making this show as visually and audibly incredible as the cast deserved!
All in all, I absolutely loved this performance of Rock of Ages, so much that I’ve booked back in to see it tonight! If you’re not afraid of a rude joke, a good time and loud music, Rock of Ages is the show for you and make sure you catch it before the end of the tour! Rock of Ages is running at the Kings Theatre in Glasgow from Tuesday 30th August – Saturday 3rd September 2022.
Link to buy tickets: https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/rock-of-ages/kings-theatre-glasgow/
Theatre Scotland 
Leave a comment