“Rock of Ages”

**** If you were in Wrigleyville Friday night, along the Southport corridor, you probably thought the Cubs were whomping their opponent. Well it was a day game today and the reason the street was rumbling was because of the Mercury Theater’s latest production, “Rock of Ages”. This is a rocking good production written by Chris D’arieno and features the music of some of the greatest rock stars. The story takes you back in time, to a world before computers, where big bands did their thing. The music is from folks like Pat Benatar, Twisted Sister, REO Speedwagon, Night Ranger, Jon Bon Jovi, and much more. While Chicago has seen the Broadway In Chicago production, what the Mercury has created under the leadership of director Tommy Novak is a simpler, more intimate version, making us feel more comfortable with the characters and creating closeness with them. To be honest, I doubted that they could pull it off, but they did it!

The choreography( Laura Savage) also was astounding in that the Mercury stage is quite small in comparison to most major venues for musicals. In fact, from start to finish, the audience was swept into the magic created on stage. People forgot their problems or worries for two hours and went back to a time when they were more into music and fun. This show is certainly that. Our main characters are Drew (David Moreland has an amazing vocal range and great stage presence) and the young lady who becomes the love of his life, Sherrie (deftly handled by Kayla Marie Shipman). We see their relationship begin, then slip away and at the end, in order to have the “happy ending” they come to the realization that they were meant to be.

The fun is in getting there. There are other stories contained within the whole. One of them is the bar where the play takes place. It is a seedy nightclub with the band on stage from start to finish. A German developer, Hertz ( Jeff Diebold), and his son, Franz ( a great comic touch by Aaron Davidson) are buying up the strip to redevelop. The area residents and business owners are against this and continue to protest. They are led by Regina ( another comic role for Veronica Garza) who ends up becoming a love interest for Franz. I won’t say much more about this, but they are adorable together.

The bar is owned by Dennis (Steve Watts is perfect) and our show is narrated by Michael Metcalf as Lonny. He plays well to the audience and his energy level is about as high as one can get on any stage. The other major role is that of rocker Stacee Jaxx (played to perfection by Donovan Hoffer). The ensemble, as always, at The Mercury, makes the show complete. Many take on several roles, changing costumes, wigs, and personalities quickly. They are: Clayton Cross,Tafadzwa Diener, Julia Fleckenstein, Sharriese Hamilton, Darryl D’Angelo Jones, Jason Richards, Rachel Thomas and Sean Dennison White. Great work by a talented group of singers/dancers/actors.

On the tech side, the set (Bob Knuth) worked as did the lighting (G. “Max” Maxin IV) and sound (Stefanie M. Senior). The costumes were not near what the Broadway production had, but honestly worked better as they were more realistic((Bob Kuhn). Keith Ryan’s wigs ( of which there were many) were stylish of the times and the props (Lonnae Hickman) were spot on.

This is a slick production that truly rocked Southport and will do so thru September 10th with performances as follows:

Wednesdays  7:30 p.m.

Thursdays  7:30 p.m.

Fridays  7:30 p.m.

Saturdays  3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Sundays  3 p.m.

Tickets range from $39 and are available to www.MercuryTheaterChicago.com

The Mercury Theater is located at 3745 N. Southport in Chicago

Always check the Cubs schedule as night games make parking harder.

To see what others are saying, visit www.theatreinchicago.com, go to Review Round-Up and click at “Rock of Ages”