“School of Rock”

What takes place at the school is that these “stuck-up” kids who are expected to get into Yale and Harvard, are in reality, unhappy kids. It turns out that they are musical and Dewey finds the idea irresistible- teach them some musical numbers and enter the kids into the “Beat The Bands” contest.

Watching him work with the kids, and teachers and confronting their parents right before the contest is a lesson in caring. The school is run by Miss Mullins ( a superb performance by Veronica Garza), who it turns out is into music and has quite a voice. She develops a relationship with Dewey, seeing that what he has done with the kids is very cool. The other main character in the school is Ms. Sheinkopf, played to perfection by Mary Robin Roth, who knows how to milk every laugh.

This show, in reality, is the kids. The show is about them and their story so let’s give credit where due. Yes,Druzbanski will probably be nominated for a Jeff Award, but the kids in this show are powerhouses of talent, grabbing us heart and soul. Julia Dale (bass guitar), Omi Lichtenstein (Summer Hathaway is a great character and she handles it like a pro), David Mattle(drummer), Jaxon Mitchell, Kayla Norris ( what a voice!), Leighton Tantillo ( keyboards), Julian Wanderer (Lead Guitar), Maya Keane, Charlie Long, Lily Martens, Gabriel Solis, Ana Silva, Elias Totleben. Genevieve Jane, Savannah Lumar, Levi Merio, Roxy Salzman, Eli Vander Griend, Meena Sood, Naya Rosalie James, Annabel Finch  and  Clare Wols.

The book by Julian Fellowes, yrics by Glenn Slater and new music by Andrew Lloyd Webber make this stage production far better than the film version. Those who know me, know that I always prefer “live” over film and to be very honest, while Jack Black was a wonderful Dewey, Nick beat him hands down!. The kids who sang and played instruments were top-notch talents and the entire group of kids were terrific and had great stage presence.

The set (Michelle Lily) was basic and allowed for easy changes. The lighting (Greg Hofmann) and sound (Adam Rosenthal) worked well. They do have a bit of a microphone problem that needs to be adjusted to avoid the tinny sound when the kids are speaking. Izumi Inaba’s costumes are divine and Jesse Gaffney’s props are spot on. The show  is technically perfect.

The only songs that one might be aware of before seeing the show are “Amazing Grace” sung by Tomika (the fabulous Kayla Norris) and “Stick It To The man”. The songs inn this production fit the story and work to propel it as well. Each number is unique and those with the kids are mind boggling and terrific! The Paramount band was conducted by Kory Danielson and the choreography was by Isaiah Silvi-Chandley.

If there needs to be a moral to a story, this one seems to be that if someone tells you that you are special and shows you why, then you should look towards doing the same when you mature. Often we do not see what our kids are capable of and because we have chosen a path thet we think is the correct one, we could miss the boat and they their opportunity. I know that I never stood in my kids way, letting them find their own path. It works! In this story, we see that Dewy, who might have been considered a “loser” wasn’t and saw things in the kids he worked with that changed their lives.