Mom Theatre Blogger: SCHOOL OF ROCK: Show Review by Robin Gorman Newman
I have to admit….I have not seen the film…..but in a way, that made it all the cooler to experience School of Rock, the new Broadway musical by Andrew Lloyd Weber.
Those who know and love the movie starring Jack Black, (and there are many fans) will not be disappointed in this stage adaptation, which features both songs from the movie and new material.
The audience was packed with kids on the Friday night I saw the production, and there was total delight on their faces.
Based on the film of the same name, School of Rock—The Musical tells the story of wannabe rock star Dewey Finn, who poses as a substitute teacher at a prestigious prep school. When he discovers his students’ musical talents, he rallies the fifth-graders to secretly form a rock group (and practice at school instead of doing classwork) and enter the Battle of the Bands.
When the show opens, we meet scruffy Dewey who is ousted from his rock band, and is taking shelter with his pal Ned and girlfriend Patty who wants him out….or at least to get a job and help pay expenses. When Dewey, who is constant motion except for being an unemployed slacker, intercedes a phone call that Ned receives about a job opportunity, he decides to pose as him in order to get a paycheck. He fakes it as a teacher and pulls the wool over the bespectacled eyes of Rosalie, the stiff school principal, herself a frustrated singer, who he eventually woos and helps to bust loose of her prissy ways.
The immensely talented and appealing cast includes Alex Brightman (Dewey), Sierra Boggess (Rosalie), Spencer Moses (Ned), Mamie Parris (Patty), Carly Gendell (Marcy), Ethan Khusidman (Mason), Bobbi MacKenzie (Tomika), Dante Melucci (Freddy), Brandon Niederauer (Zack), Luca Padovan (Billy), Jared Parker (Lawrence) and Isabella Russo (Summer). At the performance I attended, Sofia Roma Rubino played the role of Summer.
We are told at the very beginning, through an announcer, that the kids in fact do play their own instruments, and that, alone, is something to see. Each young actor embodies their character, and some tug at our heartstrings. Star-in-the-making MacKenzie as Tomika, is too shy to speak, yet when she finds her voice in the form of singing, it is that of an angel.
The adult ensemble includes Natalie Charle Ellis, Emily Cramer, Alan H. Green, Michael Hartney, John Hemphill, Merritt David Janes, Lulu Lloyd, Jaygee Macapugay, Cassie Okenka, Patrick O’Neill, Tally Sessions, Jesse Swimm, Jonathan Wagner, and Jeremy Woodard.
The children’s ensemble includes Taylor Caldwell, Ava Della Pietra, Jeffrey Samuel Kishinevskiy, Jersey Sullivan, Hayden Wall, Corinne Wilson, and Shahadi Wright-Joseph.
Additional Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Glenn Slater, Julian Fellowes, Director –Laurence Connor, Choreographer – JoAnn M. Hunter, Set and Costume Designer –Anna Louizos, Lighting Designer –Natasha Katz and Sound Designer –Mick Potter.
Other than the spirit, energy and humor of the show, what I most applaud is the strong takeaway, which the beautiful song “If Only You Would Listen” embodies. That is that….Kids deserve to be embraced even if they march to their own drum…or play one. As the mom of a 12 year old boy, I couldn’t agree more. And, though we may not always be on the same page as our kids, we owe it to them to help them follow their dreams. School of Rock is a high octane, memorable testament to that. And, while the band numbers are a bit loud at times, we get the message loud and clear, and it rings true.
School of Rock is playing at the Winter Garden Theatre.
Visit http://www.schoolofrock.com.
