Review: A Feel Good, Rocking SCHOOL OF ROCK

For those hardcore theater aficionados who have been wondering for years when Andrew Lloyd Webber would rediscover his rock musical roots: your prayers have been answered with his musical adaption of the hit film SCHOOL OF ROCK. His score for the show (lyrics by Glenn Slater), running through Nov. 19 at the Cadillac Palace Theatre, reminds you that at one time he was king of the rock musical for a reason.

It's a rocking good time. And as a musical, it's a bit of no brainer. The originally 2003 begged for a stage treatment. Former Chicago actor Rob Colletti stars as Dewey, a lovable man-child who refuses to give up on his rock star dreams and accept some adult responsibility. When he is confronted from his roommate/former bandmate Ned (Matt Bittner) and Ned's high-strung girlfriend Patty (Emily Borromeo) to pay the back rent or get out, Dewey takes a substitute teacher job at a prestigious private school that was meant for Ned. When Ned finds out that the kids can all play musical instruments, he forms them into a rock band and enters them in a contest.

The crux of things here is that Dewey won't grow up while the kids in his class are being forced by their parents to grow up too soon. Their response to their parents --the song "If Only You Would Listen"-- is one that every parent guilty of over-scheduling needs to hear. Somewhere along the way, many of us have forgot to let kids just be kids sometimes.

Colletti turns in a winning performance filled with high energy and pratfalls. As the tightly-wound school principal Rosalie, Lexie Dorsett Sharp also delivers an emotionally-charged performance of loss and longing in "Where Did the Rock Go?"

Still, it's the kids (who actually play their instruments) that steal the show. These include Phoenix Schuman as Zack (lead guitar), Theodora Silverman as Katie (bass), Gilberto Moretti-Hamilton as Freddy (drums). Ava Briglia also deserves a shout out as Summer, the over-achieving know-it-all and the band's manager.

It's a family-friendly evening that should please fans of the film.

SCHOOL OF ROCK runs through Nov. 19 at Cadillac Palace Theatre, 151 W. Randolph
Tickets, $27-$98. Call 800.775.2000. www.broadwayinchicago.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.