Playbill of The Week: Rock of Ages

26/53

On one of my visits to New York I somehow lost my wallet. My credit card, debit card, ID and cash had disappeared from my bag never to be seen from again. My first thought was "I hope my tickets weren't in there!" Clearly my priorities are in the right order. Thankfully I had hidden my passport and my tickets to Rock of Ages in the same place in my bag. That's how high up I hold theatre, right next to my passport. Who needs to pay for food? As long as I can see a Broadway show and be able to leave the country at the end of the day, I'll be ok. I decided to see the show 4 years after it opened, and on my last day of my trip. I still hadn't seen it, even when it had its long stint in Toronto. I must admit I've listened to the CR more times than I can count, jukebox musicals have a soft spot in my heart. Sometimes I just wanna go rock out to some 80's hair band music set to a cheesy Broadway storyline. I mean who wouldn't?

I was actually extremely excited to see Rock of Ages. Now I may have been a little out of it, the only thing I ate the entire day was a granola bar I luckily packed away in my backpack, and a coffee the Starbucks barista gave me out of the kindness of her heart. So by show time I was a little loopy. The couple beside me took pity and bought me a jello shot, which definitely hit me harder than it should have. But once the lights went down, and David Copperfields voice came over the theatre I was ready to rock. I didn't have too high of expectations, I mean I got through the entire movie adaptation, so I knew I'd be able to handle anything. But when Genson Blimline started singing "Just Like Paradise" I was 100% sold on the show and ready for whatever shenanigans they were going to throw at me.

My cast was absolutely fantastic. Aaron C. Finley led the troupe as Drew in his Broadway debut, and let me just tell you I was into whatever he was selling. He owned that stage as a wannabe rocker, he was able to portray the lost puppy and sex God rocker at the same time. His voice was perfect for the role and he was having a blast on that stage. Him and Kate Rockwell, who played Sherrie had such fantastic chemistry. They played so well together and were a convincing pair. Kate's dancing and belt was amazing. She proves time and time again just how talented she is and it's always a treat watching her perform. Her "Harden My Heart" was so emotional, more than I thought the song would be. I could talk about Sherrie's numbers all day. She's a role I'd love to play that I most likely never will. And Kate's performance just makes me want to do it even more.

I was also extremely lucky to see Hamilton native Nick Cordero premiering as Dennis on the day I saw the show. I opened my Playbill and saw the little white paper and could not have been happier. Anytime I get to see Canadians killing it on Broadway is a win for me. Nick is a solid performer who delivers show after show. It's impossible to be disappointed by his performance. His Dennis was solid and more then what I expected. The role stood out, his comedy was perfect and his disdain for everything that was going on was right on target. I'll watch anything he does, obviously.

The best surprise though, came in the form of Paul Schoeffler as Hertz. Most of you will either be like 'who?' or you'll wonder why on earth I care so much about this performance. Well kids, when I was little I had a few videos I watched non-stop. The first was my Cats vhs, the second was a Disney Sing-Along Song, the third was Grease 2 which my dad had taped off of the tv one day, and the fourth was the taped version of Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby as Peter. I watched it so much I had to get a second copy. And as you guessed it Paul Schoeffler was in the production as Captain Hook. When I was reading the Playbill before the show I actually gasped in my seat. I hadn't paid attention to the casting since Kerry Butler played Sherrie, so this was a major treat for me. I paid so much attention to Hertz, more then I would have if any other actor was in the role. But getting to see an actor I watched so often as a kid right in front of me made me smile.

The rest of the ensemble was absolutely fantastic. They do a remarkable amount of work on that stage. And can I just say everyone is in outstanding shape. It's one of the only show's I've ever walked out of going holy crap they're all ripped. Another cast member that caught my attention was Cassie Silva. The reason being I was absolutely obsessed with the competition show 'Legally Blonde the Musical: The Search for The Next Elle Woods.' And Cassie was a competitor on the show. Most of the girls have gone on to have pretty great stage careers, and I will always love seeing them in things.

This was a perfect example of a show that gave you a fun night out. It was a party that you didn't even need to participate in, but were included. The Helen Hayes was such a perfect venue for this show. A cosy, little theatre that brought the cast and audience together. You may think the storyline is silly, but you cannot deny the power a full ensemble singing "Here I Go Again" or "Don't Stop Believing" is. It was almost impossible to not sing along, I'm glad I didn't have any energy or else I swear I would have jumped up and started belting out. I'm glad this show ran for so long, and I'm really sad that the movie was such a wreck, cause I would love to relive the energy and fun I had in that theatre.

*I couldn't find a stock image of a Helen Hayes Playbill so I've used a Brooks Atkinson Playbill*