REVIEW: Rock of Ages at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (Tuesday, April 25)

WEST Bromwich Operatic Society’s latest production of the popular jukebox musical Rock of Ages is anything but amateur, writes Dan Sharp.

Over the years I’ve seen my fair share of Black Country based theatre groups, but never have I been taken aback by such a slick, well-rehearsed and professional-like production as this one which had the Grand Theatre rocking.

Everything from the staging, the lighting, the singing, the acting, the comedy and most importantly the music were top notch and – almost – faultless.

If you’ve not seen the musical, or the Tom Cruise-starring film, Rock of Ages tells the story of the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard at The Bourbon Room, one of the Sunset Strips last legendary venues.

Aspiring rock star – and resident toilet cleaner – Drew (played brilliantly by David Walters) longs to take to the stage as the next big thing. He also longs for starry-eyed small-town girl Sherri (an exceptional vocal performance from Olivia Jones), fresh off the bus from Kansas.

But the fairy-tale – all tied together with the rock and roll songs from the likes of Journey, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Poison and Europe – is about to end when developers sweep into town with plans to turn the Strip into a mall.

The story is predictable and never going to win any awards, but the music is what matters most here and I couldn’t write this review without heaping praise onto the live band, led by musical director and keyboard player Adam Joy.

Alongside guitarists Andrew Cooksley and Steve Sheldon, bassist Mark Greave and drummer Henry Rogers, the quintet create a sound that would not be out of place in any stage show or even rock concert I have seen. Simply outstanding.

All of the principal cast put in great performances, but special mention to Simon Pugh as Lonnie, the production’s narrator, and George Stuart as Franz, who both had me laughing out loud with their comic turns.

The only negative I could come up with was that there were occasional sound problems. Throughout some scenes I could not hear what the actors were saying over the music, but an easily fixable issue such as that was not going to stop me from enjoying a wonderful evening.

But for a ‘so-called’ amateur production, Rock of Ages is anything but, and credit must go to the entire company for creating a show that would rival many professional outings – 4 out of 5.

West Bromwich Operatic Society’s Rock of Ages is at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday (April 29). Tickets, priced from £16.50, are on sale at the box office in person, by calling 01902 429212, or online at grandtheatre.co.uk