Encore! Rock of Ages and a Party of 13

Last December Joe and I saw an Off-Broadway musical. There’s nothing really remarkable about that statement. However, the little musical that could actually did turn out to be one hell of a hit show. And now Rock of Ages has landed itself on the Great White Way amid fiercely popular shows like Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, Chicago and pretty much anything with the name Disney slapped onto it.

Oh, the suspense!

Can the little show that could survive the competition? Does it have what it takes to make it in New York City? Is it the Brave New World of musical theater? I say to one and all, a loud and riotous ‘Hell yeah!’ to that question!

When we first went to see the show, I wrote about how I’d had my misconceptions about the likeability of a show wholly built around the words and sounds (noise) of the iconic 1980s hair bands, the female empowerment ditties and the lyrically corny power ballads. Certainly, the hit-makers of those times, Journey, Night Ranger, STYX, REO Speedwagon, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Poison, Warrant, and Whitesnake, never could have anticipated that their music and lyrics would one day form the foundation of a musical that is taking audiences for a roller-coaster ride of a damn ass good time.

If I am being completely honest, some of the words that actually came to mind, when Joe first suggested we go see this little gem of a musical, were things like crude, raunchy, stupid and pointless. It is crude and raunchy, but in that good old fashioned way things were crude and raunchy in the 1980s. Somehow it was all equated with good, healthy living and the wholesome entertainment of our youth. Yeah, I don’t know how they got away with it either. Perhaps if Tipper Gore had been around in the 80s to preach the good word, things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand. But then again, if she had been around, squashing all manner of creative juice flow, would we have Rock of Ages today?

Today I admit that Rock of Ages is neither pointless, nor stupid. For those of us in our mid- to late 30s (early 40s), it represents a sweetly nostalgic stroll down memory lane. Some lanes being more raunchy than others. However, if you spent most of the 80s drunk or high, then this show is like visiting a friend you’d heard so much about, but never really, quite remembered in detail.

Once I experienced (that’s right, I said experienced!) Rock of Ages, I ended up picking my face up off the floor because it was fantastic. I had to go back and erase all the negativity I had associated with it. I had to admit that I was...wrong. So taken was I with this show in its original incarnation, that I convinced my friend to surprise her raised-in-the-80s husband with tickets. They too loved the show. I am starting to believe it's a hit for the ages. Hey, I have to give them something to believe in...

Not surprisingly, since the show does have all of the musical elements that my husband would deem necessary for a good mixed tape, Joe wanted to go back and see Rock of Ages again, when it made its Broadway debut. However, wanting to share the greatness, he decided to make our second trip around the Rock of Ages May pole a big, old group outing! Yee Haw!

The wheels were set in motion. We wanted to qualify for the group discount (we’re not cheap, we’re thrifty!), which meant at least 10 people, but 13 was a nice number, too. I’ll admit I was slightly worried that Joe wouldn’t be able to pull it off, but as anyone who knows him can attest to, his organizational skills know no boundaries. He is the wizard, bar none, of the neat freak nation. You think that’s a great thing? Try living with Captain Clean-Up and his sergeant-like drills regarding such life-altering concerns like which way the mayo is facing in the fridge!! But that’s another blog entry all together. ;-)

Enter April 17, 2009 – P-Day for our group! Who would be among the privileged to attend? Could Joe pull off this venture? Would this be a total success, or a total flop? Those, and other thought-provoking questions were in the air on the pleasantly warm Friday afternoon! After all, musicals and plays are subjective. Opinions are called thus because they belong to each individual person. Was our Play-dar up to par? Could we predict this was a winner, once we saw it? At the end of the night, would people be thanking Joe for a grand old time, or cursing him for the loss of $60 during a recession? Would I be proudly holding on to my man, or discreetly stepping away from him? That guy? No idea who he is! At this point, all we could do was cross our fingers and hope for the best. And after a quick bite at House of Brews, which we used for a gathering place, the chunk of our gang headed out to the show. And amid the never-ending cranking sounds of City life, we walked.

From Business Wire it was the usual suspects: The new Mom and Pop taking a break from Baby Duty – Sandra and Tim. The culturally cool and ever-so-sweet Mitch (a.k.a as Richie), the always endearing lover boy and good-time chap, Kevin, the charming, witty and clever pal of the people, Sean, the Metropolitan Mom taking a break from kids and hubby, Sherry, the lovely, social butterfly, and worldly traveler, Rosie and last, but never least, the Puppet Master Himself, Joe Puccio.

Rounding out our gang from all points north and south, peppering our happy group for added spice, was the brother God forgot to give us, Patrick, his smart and sassy globe-trotting lady friend, Stacey, my real-life brother and sister-in-law, creators of a great child and child-in-waiting, Marc and Sandy (a.k.a Ellie’s parents) and yours truly. Let the good times roll…

Rock of Ages revisited was even better in its second time around. While its Off-Broadway production certainly deserves props for all that it was able to pull off on the limited budgets afforded to such ventures, its sophomore effort blew the roof off the place. It contained all of the same elements of its predecessor, just on a grander scale. No longer were they restricted from making the show bigger, better, bolder, brassy-er and all around Broadway-er. And they took full advantage.

The slapstick comedy was all there. The super clever, witty and not-so-subtle association with all things related to the decadent decade of the 80s was back in full throttle. The main attractions from the original cast were there on a more interactive level (Why, hello, there, drunk Stacee Jaxx. You're such a class act! So nice of you to swing by my seat, bottle in hand, to make me a part of the action!).

The show played out with a heightened sense of belonging. The stage became its oyster! The theater seating became its stage. The blending seemed effortless. Are we spectators or participants, or both? Yeah, it was that kind of show! The cast gave amazing performances and each person nailed it. So at the risk of repeating myself from a previous entry, the show rocked it out all over again!

Hard to believe Joe and I were able to laugh just as much, if not more, at jokes from a show we had already seen. It is that good. So I will refrain from doing a quick copy-and-paste job here with my original show review. Feel free to go back read that one.

I will, however, add that at the end of this performance, grateful faces abounded. Our gang was feeling the love! And the one thing Joe and I did feel, as the night wrapped up, was justified. Justified in promoting the show with the passion with which we did. Justified that all of our friends seemed to also enjoy themselves. Justified that when I leaned in my seat to my left and right in our long 13-seat row of giddy faces, I saw the knee-slaps, the heads thrown back, the recognition of the times and the outright ecstatic laughter of a good time being had by all.


Have I said enough to convince you? No? Well then...Here I Go Again On My Own...going down the same old road I've always known...and there is just one last thing that I can add: Get yourselves down there and…Enjoy the show!