‘Rock of Ages’ fans the retro ’80s flame in Chicago tour stop
There are 22 1980s hairmetal bands listed for the stage production of “Rock of Ages” which kicked off Tuesday night at the Bank of America Theatre. In my day I’ve seen 17 of them, beginning in 1988, up to and including Def Leppard’s “Hysteria: Live at the Joint, Las Vegas” last year.
It’s safe to say I’m a fan.
From Pat Benatar to Whitesnake, and all musical points in between, there’s a wide range for the actors in “Rock of Ages” including the surprising upper registers that Drew (Dominique Scott) hits during the show’s finale of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. Mama’s (Kadejah One) performance of Poison’s power rock ballad “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” put every rendition since Brett Michael’s 1988 Poison tour (including the Bret Michael’s duet with Miley Cyrus, natch) on the back burner. But it may have been Stacee Jaxx’s (Joshua Hobbs) channeling Jon Bon Jovi’s voice with “Wanted Dead or Alive” that sealed it: “Rock of Ages” does indeed rock. And hard.
Read the entire review here.
Originally published in the Chicago Sun-Times March 12, 2014