LAMMPS presents Rock of Ages
Directed by Josh Wren
Stage One, 2nd-4th March
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase ‘Sex, Drugs, and Rock and Roll’, right? Well someone woke up one day and thought, ‘I’m gonna put all that into a musical’, and as of that moment, ‘Rock of Ages’ was born. The LAMMPS are back, and building on the success of last year’s show American Idiot, they had some big shoes to fill. Helmed by Josh Wren, Rock of Ages was an ambitious project for LAMMPS to take on. A show that would perhaps normally be reserved for SMS or MT. However, this didn’t stop the LAMMPS from going for it… and absolutely nailing it.
Narrated for us by Lonny (more on him later) the story tells us of the struggles of the legendary ‘Bourbon Room’ on the Sunset Strip in LA. Having come under financial troubles Bourbon Room owner, Dennis Dupree, is forced to hand over the deeds to his beloved rock music ‘Graceland’ to German businessman Hertz Klineman. However, the main story follows the young rock lovers, Sherrie and Drew, as they go on a rollercoaster of emotional twists and turns, including Drew selling himself out to make it big, Sherrie turning to stripping just make it by, and the presence of one Rock God, Stacee Jaxx, stirring the pot at all times.
Drew, or Wolfgang Van Colt as he would like to be called, is a young rock star in the making, who slaves away at the Bourbon Room, working on his own song material hoping to one day, get his big break. Played by Ben Marrow, Drew is meant to be the shining star of the whole play. The Axl Rose to Guns ‘n’ Roses, the David Lee Roth to Van Halen, and I just didn’t get that stage presence from Drew’s character at all. Tricky high notes didn’t help Ben’s character either, but it wasn’t as convincing of a performance as it perhaps could have been.
Then we have Sherrie, who was your typical out of town girl, an actress in search of her big break out movie role. Rhiannon Howells, who portrayed Sherrie, blew me away with a beautiful rendition of Extreme’s ‘More than Words’, and sensational vocals all the way through the show. Rhiannon completely made the character her own. Showing Sherrie’s journey from first stepping off the bus on to the Sunset Strip, to nearly giving up and going home, with a strong willed attitude, making her story a relatable and heart string tugging one
However, the show was stolen, pretty much within minutes of it starting, due to the extreme charisma and stage presence of Lonny, played by Ronan Pilkington. Pilkington took command of the stage whenever he was upon it, no matter how much or how little was needed of him during scenes he was in. This paired with an unmistakable on-stage chemistry with Haroon Malik (who played Denis Dupree), made their scenes the most enjoyable to watch out of them all.
Further notable nods must go to Indeera Shankla, for a stern and convincing performance as Justice Charlier, the Gentleman’s Club owner. Pin point characterisation, with the pipes to match, Indeera owned her role and was a joy to watch. Much the same can be said for Jenny Utting who played Regina, a freedom fighting outlaw, who believes in all things Rock ‘n’ Roll. Jenny nailed her character and couldn’t have made her any more likeable if she had tried. Alex Davison, who played the Rock God heart throb, Stacee Jaxx, equally got his characterisation spot on, allowing himself to be funny, whilst retaining a certain charm, that made you look forward to hear what he was going to say next, whenever he came on stage. Whilst Alex did struggle with a few high notes too, he managed to make up for it with his charisma and charm. George Vickers and Joe Sullivan where a perfect pair as Hertz and Franz Klinemann, with George playing the overbearing maniacal villain of the show, to Joe’s sweet, innocent and child-like Franz. The chemistry between the two was pure gold and performed brilliantly. The rest of the cast gave stellar performances too, most notably, Divolka Ganesh for a beautiful singing voice, and also the Principal Dancers, who brought the big numbers to life and also added another layer to a brilliant show. Hats off to choreographer, Charlotte O’Byrne too, for her fantastic work on all the dances.
At no point during this show was I not enjoying myself. Whether it was tapping my feet, singing-a-long, or laughing my socks off, LAMMPS put on a marvellous show. This Rock ‘n’ Roll Pantomime had something for everyone, keeping true to the tongue and cheek humour that comes with the classic rock genre. LAMMPS gave themselves a challenge after last year’s production, and they’ve got an ever bigger one next year.
Kieran Moran
The Scribe Review 