BWW Reviews: Kids' A+ Performance Gives School of Rock a Passing Grade

Remember Andrew Lloyd Webber, the composer of such Broadway standards as JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, CATS, EVITA, and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA? You know the King Midas of the West End? The crown prince of Broadway?

That was then. This is now.

Webber spent most of the 2000s in the "Where Are They Now?" files with a string of commercial flops including THE WIZARD OF OZ, THE WOMAN IN WHITE and THE BEAUTIFUL GAME. Now Webber is trying to regain his footing with SCHOOL OF ROCK, a reimaging of the 2003 Jack Black comedy of the same name. The national tour of the musical rolled into the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State Street in downtown Columbus) on Oct. 10 and will exit stage left on Oct. 15.

A talented bill of the under 18 set turns the Webber piece from a sugary confection to something a little more substantial. The two-act play is a great showcase for some up-and-coming performers but does little to regain Webber's reputation in the pantheon of composers.

SCHOOL OF ROCK's script, which was written by Julian Fellowes (the writer behind DOWNTON ABBEY) with lyrics by Glenn Slater, faithfully follows the plot of the movie. Prospects look bleak for Dewey (Merritt David Janes) after being booted from the band, No Vacancy and being threatened with eviction from his friend's apartment. Alone in the apartment, Dewey intercepts a call from the prestigious Horace Green Academy for his roommate Ned (Matt Bittner), a substitute teacher. Dewey passes himself off as Ned and becomes a long-term sub at the school.

After discovering the musical talents of his students, Dewey abandons the school curriculum of mathematics, social studies, and English and focuses on the one thing he knows best - rock music. He turns his classroom into a practice hall and forms a band to challenge No Vacancy in an upcoming battle of the bands.

Webber shows that he can take a joke. One of the funniest lines comes when Summer (Ava Briglia) warbles her way through Webber's signature song "Memories" from CATS, Dewey deadpans, "Please don't ever sing that song again."

The pint-sized performers in SCHOOL OF ROCK are not the latest incarnation of the Partridge Family or the Monkees. These kids not only play their own musical instruments, but the band of Zack (Phoenix Schuman) on guitar, Katie (Theodora Silverman) on bass, Lawrence (Theo Mitchell-Penner) on keyboards and Freddy (Gilberto Moretti-Hamilton) on drums can really jam. Add into the mix the vocals of Shonelle (Olivia Bucknor) and Marcy (Chloe Anne Garcia) as backup singers and the reluctant star Tomika (Gianna Harris) as a second vocalist and you have a powerhouse band.

The band, however, aren't the only stars of the show. Lexie Dorsett Sharp shines as Rosalie, the high-strung principal with a fixation on Stevie Nicks. Sadly Sharp shows off her vocal talents only once in the ballad, "Where Did The Rock Go?" Bittner and Emily Borromeo as Ned's controlling girlfriend provide solid comic relief to Dewey's antics and Briglia delivers a stand out performance as the band's manager.

There are a couple of downsides to the musical. The first is Dewey's tendency to overshadow the performances. It is ironic that Dewey is let go from No Vacancy for upstaging the lead singer and in the end, he continues to force himself into center stage until the very end.

Secondly, it is surprising for Webber musical not to have a signature song. Sure, there are plenty of catchy numbers like rockers "You're In the Band" and "Stick to the Man" and softer ballads "Where Did The Rock Go?" and "If Only You Would Listen," it lacks that one with a punch that you walk out the theatre humming and you can't get out of your head for days.

Perhaps Andrew Lloyd Webber needs to enroll in THE SCHOOL OF ROCK to rediscover what made him great in the first place.

SCHOOL OF ROCK will be performed 7:30 p.m. Oct. 10, 11 and 12, 8 p.m. Oct. 13-14 and 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 15 with matinees at 2 p.m. Oct. 14 and 1 p.m. on Oct. 15 at the Ohio Theatre (39 E. State Street in downtown Columbus).

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