A night of jammin’ and slammin’ with the Rock of Ages
It was a night I didn’t see coming.
Fact: I’m not a rock fanatic. I’m unfamiliar with
most of the famous rock hits. And I’m not acquainted with rock stars. I’m not
into excessively loud music and heart pounding beats. But after watching a
musical heavy with rock, I realized I could do a compromise with the genre.
Last Thursday, Oct. 30, Rock of Ages premiered
once again in Manila. Held at the Meralco Theater, it is a musical that
highlights the dream of a simple boy at Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. Of
course, the story concluded with the usual happy ending, but the way the
characters dealt with their individual issues is moving.
Lonny Barnett (Jett Pangan) narrates the story
which is set in 1987. He assists Dennis Dupree (Jamie Wilson) who owns the
Hollywood bar “The Bourbon Room.”
Drew Boley (Nyoy Volante), on the other hand, is
an aspiring rocker who works for Dennis as a busboy. He meets and falls for aspiring
actress Sherrie Christian (Kayla Rivera) who is hired by Dennis as a waitress.
Meanwhile, two German developers come to West
Hollywood and lure the mayor into getting rid of the sex and rock-n’-roll
culture of Sunset Strip by offering a large sum of money. Much to the disgust
of Regina (Thea Tadiar Everley), the city planner who directly opposes the
development, the two Germans begin their dirty work.
The arrival of Stacee Jaxx (Mig Ayesa) shakes up the
lives of those at The Bourbon Room, especially those of Drew and Sherrie who
both think that they do not stand a chance at their romance.
A series of twists and turns and rocking and
rolling scenes ensue, building up the climax. Resolution comes with more rock
music.
The energetic performances, which created a lively
atmosphere around the theater, made the audience want to bang their heads.
Some dance routines, however, lack coordination,
but the cast’s natural skills made up for this. There were also unforeseen
technical glitches (two lapel microphones malfunctioned in the middle of the
first act).
Quite commendable is Pangan’s natural delivery of
his lines. His being naturally quirky, as attested to by Ayesa himself, is an
advantage. He has his own way and timing which doesn’t bore the audience.
Previously, I saw Volante perform in “Shrek the
Musical” and was amazed by his hilarious and convincing portrayal of Shrek’s
bestfriend, Donkey.
This time, I was awestruck by his stellar
performance as Drew. I’ve always admired his acoustic music which suits his
cool voice. That night was the first time I heard him sing rock. His undeniably
powerful voice range matches his powerful stage performance.
Kayla was also outstanding especially during her
daring scenes.
And who will ever forget Ayesa? He’s done his
acting so good and smooth one would think the character he portrays is he in
real life.
The satisfied spectators who clapped their hands
in between performances certainly enjoyed a great show. Well, I also found
myself singing with the cast, especially during their rendition of “I Want to
Know What Love is” and “Don’t Stop Believin’,” which concluded the musical.
After watching Rock of Ages, I felt like singing “I
Wanna Rock.”
Date of Performances:
October 31 (Friday) 8pm
November 1 (Saturday) 2 & 8pm
November 4 (Tuesday) 8pm
November 5 (Wednesday) 8pm
November 6 (Thursday) 8pm
November 7 (Friday) 8pm
November 8 (Saturday) 2 & 8pm
November 9 (Sunday) 3 & 8pm
Venue:
Meralco Theater
Ortigas cor. Meralco Avenue,
Ortigas Center, Pasig City
TICKETS ARE AVAILABLE AT TICKETWORLD. FOR TICKET PRICES, CLICK HERE.
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