Rock of Ages Rocks.
Shredding guitar solos: check
Journey: Check
Twisted Sister: Check
Quiet Riot: Check
Booze and Sex: Check and double check
Grab a $26.50 lottery ticket or rush ticket the day of the show, and let the crew at New York's Brooks Atkinson Theatre whisk you away to the wasteland of the '80s. By spending about the same amount one may spend on cover and drinks to a good club show, the performance ma
terial is placed in that facet of entertainment: Fun and Distraction. Had I spent more than $60.00 a ticket and expected to see a quality story near the likes of, say, Next to Normal, I may have been disappointed that most of the script was filler used to get to the next rockin' tune. Sometimes narrated as if a musical within a musical, and sometimes viewed as a straight up performance, Rock of Ages, is best if approached in the attitude with which it presents itself: Over the Top and an outrageous excuse to sing and dance to nostalgic rock.Personally, I was a little sad that Amy Spanger had left the show, and due to our last minute decision to drop our names in the lottery, had no idea there was an understudy performing that night. As a singer, Ericka Hunter soars and compliments the stylings of Constantine Maroulis at a chill-evoking level. But the energy level was a little low, leaving much of the audience wondering if she even wanted to be on stage.
Constan
tine is more than a post-American Idol. He is a well-trained actor with countless performances under his belt even before the Idol hype. He delivered the filler dialogue with much sincerity, and of course, brought his signature, raw need to perform to this role to a happily receiving audience. The rest of the cast is very well rounded with veterans and newcomers alike, with Lauren Molina as the hippie-feminist and Wesley Taylor as the "not gay" but "German" chocolatier.The live band on stage rocks. The choreography and its delivery really rock. And the fake lighters they hand you at the door to shine and wave during ballads rock even harder.
Oh yes, and so does the seat-side drink service.
