By DAWNE LEIKER
“Rock of Ages,” on its 10th anniversary tour, was a guitar shredding, big hair tossing night at Beach Schmidt Performing Arts Theatre. Tuesday’s Encore series show was a mix of risqué humor and grinding dance moves that rocked the theatre in ways I’m not sure it’s been rocked before.
Featuring the hits of Bon Jovi, Journey, REO, Poison and Twisted Sister, to name just a few, the show didn’t allow time for questioning its thin plot, as it moved from one hard-rocking hit to the next. Full of self-aware moments, in which the characters owned their on-stage personae, the audience was invited to be in on the joke, enjoying the moment, the music and a very noisy romp through the 80s.
Vocals were spot-on, from heartfelt power ballads, to intense heavy metal songs. The industrial set design had some hidden surprises, too, such as mobile room units (similar to adult-sized dollhouse cubicles) and a cartoonish, but visually effective, rolling car.
Nominated for five Tony Awards, Rock of Ages tells the story of rocker Stacee Jaxx, who returns to the stage of on Sunset Strip for a final performance. High energy choreography brought the music to life. In fact, the show almost devolved into chaos before the end of the first act, as story lines began to merge to a point where the show’s action and music bordered on cacophony.
Awesome harmonies saved the day, though, when the leading love interest, Anthony Nuccio and Katie LaMark gave their powerful performance of “Can you Take Me Higher.” All the characters, in fact, were strong singers and talented dancers who brought passion and color to every corner of the set.
On Mar. 24, the next Encore Series show, “The Havana Cuba All-Stars: Asere!” will celebrate the music and dance styles of Cuba. Tickets for the event go on sale Mar. 11 at 8:30 a.m.