Monday, November 17, 2008

Rock Of Ages - My Review

My friend's boyfriend (that word is getting more and more ridiculous as I get older - there really should be a better word than "boy- or girl-friend after thirty years old) is the understudy for the drummer in the off-Broadway musical Rock of Ages, which is a salute/parody of the '80's glam-metal music scene.

Though it's kinda absurd to parody an era that was that played out like a parody in itself*, the play's a lot of fun, assuming you either loved/love the 80's hair-metal scene or have a thing for star Constantine Maroulis, who by the way, was really good.

After intermission was over, and we were all settling back into our seats, the entire theatre was evacuated. I knew it wasn't anything serious for two reasons. Firstly, they didn't even lead us through the emergency exits...we all went through the front doors. Also, the ushers, who make little or no money, were performing crowd control. If you made $7 an hour and knew there was a fire raging through the building, would you risk your life for a bunch of heavy-set people from Kansas? Me neither.

While outside, we met up with my bud's boyfriend, who hung with us for a bit, until he, and the rest of the cast were instructed to meet at a local Starbucks. I'm not sure whey we didn't follow (heck, they couldn't restart the show without the cast!) but we didn't, choosing to stay in the freezing cold.

We imagined Constantine and the rest of the cast enjoying decaf cappuccino lattes (or whatever) while lounging by a window, watching us bounce from foot to foot in a futile attempt to stay warm....

"Wow, it looks cold out there."
"Yeah, nice of them to stick around, huh?"
"Yea...hey...Is that Stanley Tucci?"
"I think it is...let's invite him in...wait, no, this guy's nose is bigger."
"Maybe he got it enlargened for a role?"
"Who's he playing, Pinocchio?"
(Laughs all around)
"Nah, it ain't him... Forget it."

ANYWAY, we hung outside for an entire hour before being allowed back in. I think that's my new deciding factor in how good something is, as in, "Would you wait outside, in the freezing cold, for an hour to see it?"

For Rock of Ages, I'd say, "Yes."

Rock On,

Aitch

* In fact, outside the theatre, they displayed a printout of Sammy Hagar's demands when performing - you couldn't make up anything funnier.

2 comments:

Megan Crane said...

I saw Rock of Ages out here in LA. It was awesome. I think I hurt myself rocking out to the Heat of the Moment segment. Also, holding the lighters for too long is not a great idea.

Harris said...

hey megan crane,

i agree, but dunno who was in your version but i HIGHLY doubt they were better than Constantine Maroulis (though that sounds sarcastic, to my own shock, it's not).

Rock On,

Aitch