Orange County Rocks Out

Traditionally, going to the theater is about exploring challenging themes, complex characters, and taking a profound emotional journey. But sometimes you just wanna chill out and have a good time, and that’s what ROCK OF AGES is...pure fun. As far as pleasures go, they don’t get any guiltier than a jukebox musical of 80’s standards, chock-full of strippers, pop-culture references, gay jokes and bathroom humor. The entire production is total cheese, but it doesn’t apologize for it. The narrator Lonny sums it up best when he calls ROCK OF AGES “a show with poop jokes and Whitesnake songs.” But is he happy about it? Hell yeah, and so is the audience.

The plot line is simple. Set in the “mid to late 80’s (roughly)” Los Angeles Sunset Strip, the children of the 80’s hair band revolution are at risk of losing their beloved rock mecca The Bourbon Room to German economic redevelopers who seek to renovate the city. As narrator Lonny points out, a love story is essential to any musical, so at the heart of everything is the blossoming romance between bar boy/aspiring rocker Drew (Constantine Maroulis) and waitress/aspiring actress Sherrie (Rebecca Faulkenberry). As expected, their relationship and careers hit several roadblocks, including the arrival of superstar rocker Stacee Jaxx (MiG Ayesa).

Creatively, the elements of this show are all top-of-the-line. As far as scripts go, Chris DArienzo’s writing is truly witty and smart. The characters are goofy, but endearing, and you find yourself genuinely rooting for each and every one of them. Beowulf Borritt’s set design is rather genius as well, particularly the fold out section which transforms from a dingy men’s bathroom to a “hip” (blue zebra print) record producer’s office, to a plush lounge in a strip club. Kelly Devine’s fun, athletic choreography breathes new life into what’s pretty much already the most enjoyable music ever. Under OC native Kristin Hanggi’s direction, the audience gets a precise, well-balanced blend of silliness and sincerity that makes for an overall fully-satisfactory night of entertainment.

Performance-wise, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a higher caliber lineup of talent. The entire ensemble is remarkably gifted and everyone, including the ensemble, gets their moment to shine. At the top of the bill is American Idol star and original Broadway cast leading man Constantine Maroulis as Drew. His character is a sweet, soft-spoken nice guy, but he turns into a vocal god the minute he starts to sing. Hearing is believing with this guy, and even then, the power of his voice is still hard to believe. Opposite Maroulis is newcomer Rebecca Faulkenberry as the perky, naïve, and slightly misguided Sherrie. A bonafide triple-threat with a deceivingly sultry, powerhouse voice, it’s no wonder she’s heading to straight to Broadway to re-open ROCK OF AGES as soon as this engagement in Costa Mesa ends. Also heading to Broadway after this tour stop is MiG Ayesa, who plays the lecherous Stacee Jaxx. Even though his character is primarily responsible for “effing” up things between the two romantic leads, you can’t help but love him because his performance is nothing short of comedic gold. It pays to keep an eye on him every second that he’s onstage (or on the video monitor or wandering through the aisles in the darkness) or else you might miss some of the best laughs the show has to offer. Patrick Lewallen, Nick Cordero, Teresa Stanley, Casey Tuma, and Travis Walker are all superb in their parts as well. They’re a remarkable bunch and definitely worth seeing before they go their separate ways.

To all of the skeptics out there, take heed. This critic was once among you. But this show is infectious and any doubts or misgivings are quickly laid to rest. Leave your theater snob fencepost at home and go into it with an open mind and the desire to cut loose and have a good time. You will. And look at it this way, if you’re given the choice between seeing an original story set to music that you know is fun and has stood the test of time, versus sitting through yet another good-movie-turned-watered-down-musical, that should really be a no-brainer. ROCK OF AGES is totally kickass!