HEAD-BANGING BRILLIANCE: ‘Rock of Ages’ brings the house down

The ‘80s were an Era of Excess. Where the expression “Greed is Good” became God, self-expression, a brand, and an amalgamation of capital ran wild over the good ole US of A. The decade was like a second coming of the Roaring ‘20s, only fueled by cocaine instead moonshine. Though anyone who’s watched “Stranger Things” and seen the well-polished presentation of the time period, knows it wasn’t all bad. The movies were good, the economy was booming, war was cold, and the music was banging! 

It was an era of no internet though, “Sweet Child o' Mine.” So, if you had a dream it was with “Every Breath You Take,” you fought for it because “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” and “The Winner Takes it All.” A dream causes you to grow, it causes you to struggle, it causes you to change! For those reasons one needs to hold onto their dreams and “Don't Stop Believin” in them. 

It's that type of “Livin' on a Prayer” energy that this spectacular production of “Rock of Ages,” a love letter to the ‘80s, charges the stage. Helmed to near perfection by actress-turned-director Morganna Bridgers, showing an amazing understanding of both pace, and space for the stage;a truly honed talent already, for what is the director’s second show. It’s clear Bridgers paid attention to all the lessons learned over her journey to this point. This jukebox style musical is a fast, funny feast that, most importantly, is fantastic. 

The musical, set on the Sunset Strip during 1980-something, has as basic of a plot as any classic ‘80s movie you’re likely to call an old favorite. Sherrie Christian (Bella Efird) fresh off the bus from Small Town, USA  has made her way to L.A. to become an actress. At the same time, struggling rocker Drew Boley (Jakob Gruntfest) holds down a barback job at the primo venue for rock n roll, The Bourbon Room, owned by ‘60s burn out Dennis Dupree (Troy Rudeseal). 

The two young lovers’ paths cross after Sherrie is mugged and Drew comes to her defense, later landing her a waitressing gig at the Bourbon Room. Sparks are flying at first sight as Efird and Gruntfest pair well with a believable chemistry. Though the production is a heavy ensemble piece, these two serve as the audience’s POV into this rocking world and how it goes ‘round. As the de facto leads, they more than meet the production’s challenges at every turn. Efird’s voice fills the historic venue of Thalian Hall,when the actress belts out such numbers as “Harden my Heart” and “Hate Myself for Loving You” the audience feels the emotions in her words. 

The show boasts some incredible production design across the board. A piece of note was the car and rear-projection used to create Drew’s night out cruising the Strip. The pivotal first date for our two leads, underscored by “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” will make any Michael Mann fan happy. How this sequence is lit and staged brought to mind a vivid “Miami Vice”vibe. 

Photos by Bryan Putnam

In Act 2, when the two duet together as the characters are at their lowest points for the number “High Enough,” a genuine pain of lost love is felt. For what is an upbeat and fun show for the majority of its runtime, this singular moment struck the right cord. For anyone who has had love in their grasp only to miss out on it and realize it too late, the hurt will be real. 

As a jukebox musical, some of the finer plot details for the show can get lost between songs. To help counter that, the show incorporates a Narrator style character to carry the audience though, Lonny the Sound God! A failed rocker turned top-notch technician for the Bourbon Room. When Lonny isn’t breaking the 4th wall to gab with the audience, he serves as something of piss-poor Jiminy Cricket for Drew. The role is brought to electrifying life by living lightning bolt Brendan Carter. The performer makes nearly every line feel fresh, like a well-timed thought from the top of his head, shot straight from the cuff. Carter opens the production by providing the vocals to the hilarious curtain speech. Then he brings the audience into the Bourbon Room world with the combined number of "Cum on Feel the Noize/ Just Like Paradise/ Nothin' but a Good Time" accompanied with the Greek chorus-like dregs and regs of the noted venue. I seriously mean this, Carter’s ability to get an audience in the palm of his hand is amazing to watch.

While not in the forefront of the story, there is a sweet Father/Son-esque bond between Lonny (Carter) and Dennis Dupree (Rudeseal),hilariously depicted in the shared number, “Can't Fight This Feeling.” Though as Sherrie and Drew fight to save their love, Dennis and Lonny need to fight to save their bar/home from greedy land developers. An actual father and son team of Hertz & Franz (Anthony Lawson & Carson Sikorski), yeah their Germen. 

This pair is one set of antagonists for the show, who at the start have persuaded*bribed  the city's mayor to abandon the Strip’s long loved "sex, drugs and rock-n-roll" vibe for a more uniformed, clean living, conformity feel. Through the use of the projection again the massacre of the Strip is shown through wrecking crew stock footage and other images of demolition. The dollar-signs-in-his-eyes glee which oozes from Lawson as he is wheeled in, sprawled out, atop a scaffolding singing the number "The Final Countdown,” watching the desolation he has brought about borders on sickening. 

Luckily for the Strip, Hertz’ son Franz is an apple far from the tree. He has a change of heart and joins the protest to save the Strip! Carson Sikorski is hilarious in the Franz role, and when decked out in a zebra strip leotard during his number “Hit Me with Your Best Shot” the actor controls the number, the stage, and the audience’s attention. Speaking of protestors, ex-Hippie and current city planner Regina (Kaitlin Baden) turns "We Built This City,” and “We're Not Gonna Take It” as fight anthems, taking to the streets with signs and hunger strikes to save her home. 

Every story needs a villain, someone to come along to mess it all up for the leads and really earn the audience’s ire. Enter Stacee Jaxx, immaculately portrayed by Casey Burton. Introduced surrounded by a harem of women and rocking the greatest Dee Snider wig, Jaxx is the rockstar prick to the tenth degree. When Burton takes the stage for the song "Wanted Dead or Alive," women will swoon and men croon. To speak nothing of the impressive feat of balance and strength on display between he and Efird during the intimate shared number “I Want to Know What Love Is.” Burton mentions in his bio he is legally blind, that detail only adds to the mesmerizing work this actor put forth on the stage. 

I also want to highlight Kim Pacheco Beatty’s portrayal of the Madame to Club Venus, Justice Charlier. The prowess that Pacheco brings to the role paired with a blonde wig remind me of Tina Turner as Aunty Entity in “Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome.” Her utter control over the song “Every Rose Has Its Thorn” was, to me, the greatest version of the Poison song I have ever heard, it was moving. 

From a technical standpoint, the show is stunning. Again and again, Terry Collins proves to be a wizard of stage craft. Aged brick walls lined with band posters of many shows past plaster the walls of the Bourbon Room, which add to an authentic feeling for the venue. Its use of depth is also cool, allotting ample play room for the actors. Also, it features some of the steadiest stripper poles ever to be put on stage.

Mixed with Andrew Fishers’ lighting design the production feels less like a theater experience and more like an actual rock show! A detail rendered all the more accurate with the show’s band on stage as the Bourbon Room’s house band. The real star of this musical is all the awesome ‘80s songs, hit after hit, after hit, and Chiaki Ito directs her band like the finest tuned of instruments. 

I could go on and on about the production, but I’ll let the complete stranger who sat behind me put the final seal of approval on Opera House’s latest production, “Rock of Ages.” 

“This is the most awesome show I have ever seen here!”

Details:

Rock of Ages

Thalian Hall Main Stage

310 Chestnut St.

January 8-11, 2026

Thu.-Sat. at 7:30 p.m. | Sat.-Sun. at 2 p.m.

thalianhall.org