Review: You'll Have 'Nothin' But A Good Time' at CMPAC's ROCK OF AGES

Opening its 54th season, CMPAC puts on a rocking version of Rock of Ages. Rock of Ages tells the story of “small town girl” Sherrie, who dreams of becoming an actress and “city boy” Drew, who dreams of becoming a rock star. It’s love at first sight, when the two bump into each other at The Bourbon Room, a fabled West Hollywood rock club run by former rock impresario Dennis Dupree and his assistant Lonny. All seems well, until two German real estate developers team up with the Mayor of West Hollywood to demolish The Bourbon Room. With, rock, love and their dreams on the line, it’s up to this rag-tag group of performers to save the day.

For the last 40 years or so, commodity musicals have been on the rise. The great Terry Teachout coined the phrase commodity musicals when discussing musical adaptations of popular films. At this point, I think its fair to add jukebox musicals as an additional definition; especially since, films and song catalogues are the basis for many shows that open today. Case in point, there are 20 musicals currently playing on Broadway and 12 of them are commodity musicals. I’ve seen many of these types of shows, both good and bad, but this is the first time I’m reviewing a mix-tape musical. Typically, jukebox musicals are bio-musicals that tells the story of a famous musician/band through their song catalogue or are stories where an entire artist’s song catalogue is used to tell a story (a la Mamma Mia!). Rock of Ages takes the glam metal/hair band songs of the 80’s and uses the music to help convey the story. If you’re a fan of: Bon Jovi, Poison, Foreigner, Def Leppard, Whitesnake and Journey (to name a few and all featured in the show) then you will have a great time at this show!

While I was “rocking” out to the music, my eyes were “rolling” with the storyline. The book by Chris D’Arienzo is very weak and stale with silly, cliché dialogue. At times, the show does make light of itself, but that joke can only work for so long. The music is truly what saves this show, it’s the music that weaves the banal book and packs it with punch.  I found myself so entranced by the songs, I couldn’t wait for each number to be performed and began viewing the dialogue as an annoying pop-ad on Spotify that couldn’t be skipped. That’s when I realized I was having fun taking a trip on the nostalgia train. Not every show needs to be incredibly profound, sometimes you just need a show that is just mind-numbing fun, and that’s what Rock of Ages is; it’s mind-numbing fun that we all need in this day and age.

One thing is definitely for certain, CMPAC is always reliable for being “nothin’ but a good time”. Walking into the theater, you are immediately transported to 80’s nostalgia. John Mazzarella’s scenic design always amazes me. Mazzarella’s Bourbon Room is reminiscent of The Rainbow Bar and Grill on the Sunset Strip. He also invokes Beowulf Borrit’s original conceptual design by having the one set morph into various locations. I also thought it was a nice touch to have a fully functioning bar on the stage; it made the experience immersive for the audience (During intermission, the audience can walk up on stage for a drink at the bar). The entire cast did a wonderful job. Jason Steven Kopp and Danielle Pafundi as Drew and Sherrie were fantastic. Kopp hit some notes that put original Drew, Constantine Maroulis, to shame. I really enjoyed Pafundi’s vocal interpretations of 80’s hits like “More Than Words” and “Harden My Heart”; her riffs were beautiful and sweet. Honestly, Kopp and Pafundi should start a band and start touring this music as a side gig. Anthony Arpino is delightfully zany as the show’s narrator Lonny; his comedic talent rivals Jack Black. His performance of “Can’t Fight this Feeling” alongside the equally great James O’Connor, as Dennis, is a true showstopper! Will Logan and Sydnee LaBuda were effervescent as Franz and Regina. Just when you thought you heard it all, Ayana Jane graces the stage, opens her mouth, and blows the entire audience away with her powerful vocals.

The true star of this show though is the Rock of Ages Band led by Matthew W. Surico. It’s comprised of 4 insanely talented musicians: Surico on keyboards, Rob Curry on bass, Bill Dwyer on drums, and Tomas Bradbard on guitar. The entire band nails their performance and are on stage the ENTIRE time. They literally rock the house! Bradbard’s guitar solos alone will melt your face off.

If you “wanna rock” and take a ride on the nostalgia train, then be sure to catch CMPAC’s really fun production of Rock of Ages. You can purchase tickets here: https://www.cmpac.com/shows/rock-of-ages/

You can see Rock of Ages at CMPAC through Feb 1. CMPAC continues its season with Rent (Feb 15-Mar 1), Escape to Margaritaville (Mar 29 – Apr 12), Grease (May 3 – May 17), Anything Goes (Aug 16-Sep 7), Beautiful: The Carole King Musical (Sept 27 – Oct 18), Shrek the Musical (Nov 1 – Nov 22) and A Christmas Carol, the Musical (Dec 6 – Dec 27)

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