Review: ROCK OF AGES, Cambridge Arts Theatre - UK tour
Photo credit: The Other Richard
Last night we were rockin’ our socks off with the UK touring cast of Rock of Ages cast, which is currently playing at Cambridge Arts Theatre. It’s been a year since we last caught this production and it’s still bringing the house down and melting our faces off with its iconic 80s rock soundtrack.
Rock of Ages tells the story of small-town girl Sherrie (Gabrielle Williams), an aspiring actress who takes a bus from Kansas to the world renowned Sunset Strip in California in a bid to make a name for herself. Through a series of (un)fortunate events, she meets love interest Drew (Sam Turrell) who gets her a job as a waitress at the Bourbon Room, which is under threat of closure due to German developers wanting to demolish the entire Strip. Lead singer of rock band Arsenal, Stacee Jaxx (Cameron Sharp), is convinced by club manager Dennis Dupree (Kevin Kennedy) to perform at the club to try and raise enough money to save the venue…but leaves a path of destruction in his wake, including coming between the two young lovers.
Morgan Large’s set is simple yet effective and gives a very representative vibe of the somewhat sordid and grimy Sunset Strip, with Ben Cracknell’s lighting bringing it to life during the big, brash, in-your-face rock-n-roll musical numbers. Nick Winston’s direction is witty and well-paced, with tight choreography performed by the talented ensemble cast.
The entire cast are vocally magnificent. Sam Turrell presents himself as a solid and reliable leading man in Drew, capturing the audience’s empathy, blowing them away with his rock god vocals, and has great chemistry with counterpart Gabrielle Williams who is a strong Sherrie from the outset. Cameron Sharp is an impressive Stacee Jaxx who swaggers across the stage like he owns the joint - and he really does when he’s on stage, let’s face it! David Breeds as Franz has to be the comic standout, exercising perfect comic timing. He also has a fantastic rapport with Vicki Manser as Regina who has a voice which is a sheer delight for anyone listening. The real star of the show, however, is Joe Gash who plays Dennis’ mischievous assistant Lonny. He saunters around like a rock’n’roll Jonathan Van Ness from hit Netflix series Queer Eye, and holds the audience in the palm of his hand from start to finish.
Story-wise, the show has an extremely strong first act but the second half does fall a little behind by merely tying up loose ends and rushing through the plot points. This said, Rock of Ages is a thoroughly entertaining and enjoyable night out.
**** Four stars
Reviewed by: James Edge
Rock of Ages plays at Cambridge Arts Theatre until 8 October, with tickets for select touring venues available here.
