Rock Of Ages Review (4/5)

Having seen the sensational We Will Rock You (5/5) up at the West End recently, my expectations for Rock of Ages, a new rock musical brought over from Broadway, were mixed. Thankfully, the major show is another potential hit for theatre goers, boasting all of the great classic traits of modern musicals and a general feel-good factor uncommon in many other productions in London. The plot, while as shallow as the kiddies' pool, provides a decent bridge between the variety of unique numbers in the play, focusing on the Bourbon Bar and two waiters within it who fall in love but find themselves separated by their lofty dreams of fame and rock. As you might imagine, this well-tread storyline is hardly going to win Ages any awards come next Spring, but in all honestly if you come to this expecting the next Inception then I think you may just need to straighten out your priorities: it's the music which literally takes centre stage here, a well thought-out and varied bunch of songs from throughout the 80s period sure to entice every member of the audience at some point. From iconic hits like The Final Countdown and Don't Stop Believin to lesser-known entries such as Every Rose Has Its Thorn and Can't Fight This Feeling, there really is a song for everyone here, and above all its that musical recognition that keeps Ages from descending into an array of occassionally tasteless gags that wouldn't hold their own if left to the comedy genre. Justin Lee-Collins and Shayne Ward, undoubtedly the show's headline celebrities, are appropriately given smaller roles to let the up-and-coming stars get their chance to shine, and believe me when I say that everyone will have their favourite character no matter what their overall verdict on the show- Franz's "I'm not gay, I'm just German!" came close to stealing the show for me! Yes, although this is hardly going to stand up with the greats of the West End- The Lion King and Queen's famous musical remain my favourite productions I've seen so far- every viewer will struggle not to be immersed into Ages in some way, be it through the super setlist, fantastic portrayals by the cast or even the simple urge to get up and dance (yes, you read right!). There aren't many shows nowadays that can still hold that claim, so I congratulate the team for bringing us such a unique performance here. Sure it blatantly takes cues from We Will Rock You, but Rock of Ages is a budding production unto itself, not perfect by any means yet filled with great moments of acting and direction that can more than warrant the awards it's been nominated for in 2012!