New Wimbledon Theatre, Wimbledon – until 25 September 2021
Reviewed by Alexandra Sykes
5*****
After over 18 months of a lack of theatre, seeing Rock of Ages was exactly what was needed.
Set in the late 80s on the infamous Sunset Strip in LA, Rock of Ages tells the story of Drew (Luke Walsh) who falls in love with Sherri (Rhiannon Chesterman) with a soundtrack of 80s songs that have everyone singing along. Despite the love story between the pair, it is derailed with the arrival of rock star Stacee Jaxx (Kevin Clifton). The true star of the show is Joe Gash as Lonny, who regularly breaks the fourth wall to remind the audience and members of the cast that they are in a musical.
Like all good musicals, Rock of Ages has its bad guys, this time it’s in the form of German property developer Hertz (Vas Constanti) and his son Franz (Andrew Carthy) who plan on pulling down the clubs and bars on the sunset strip, much to the annoyance of Regina (Gabriella Williams) who protests to save the Sunset Strip by chaining herself to buildings and going on hunger strike.
With a basic set made to look predominantly like the bar of the Bourbon Room, smaller sets are rolled on and off stage depending on the location of the scene. The on stage band makes the music flow throughout and the encouragement from the cast to sing along makes this musical a firm favourite with anyone who loves 80s music or a good night out, grab a ticket whilst you can.