For my 21st Birthday I had the pleasure of being taken to New York City. My brother got a surprise birthday present for his 21st which was a holiday to Dubai, but I already knew about my 'surprise' holiday considering that I had been planning my New York trip since I was 16. The one thing I still hadn't agreed on what what theatre production to see; as a drama graduate and musical theatre lover it was a given that I would have to go and see a Broadway musical. If I had it my way, I would have seen a different musical every night I was in NYC, but that couldn't happen; my parents did want to have a surprise for me though. So on a nice sunny afternoon after visiting the Statue of Liberty, I was told that the following night that I would be going to see School of Rock at the Winter Garden Theatre on Broadway (SQUEAL!!).
Located on Broadway, just off Times Square, the Winter Garden theatre has been home to multiple productions including West Side Story, Cats and Mamma Mia! over the years; but now School of Rock is gracing this magnificent theatre making its debut. I had high expectations of this musical; firstly because I know and love the film, Andrew Lloyd Webber's composition, its positive reviews.
If I wanted to write this review in 2 words then here it is: loved it! Why? Where do I start?! Firstly I want to praise Alex Brightman who portrayed the lead role of Dewey Finn, the characterisation was spot on and added his own spin to the film character, making Dewey a lot more sassy which really worked for the stage adaptation. All of the actors were great, especially the kids; there is that added bonus that everyone on stage was playing their instruments live which really made the whole experience something special. Every single performer has immense talent and skill, and all the children blew me away; really making me re-evaluate what the hell I'm doing with my lazy life when they are so skilled and talented at such a young age (all aged between 9 and 13). I can't get over how much some of the kids looked like the film characters; young Carly Gendell who played backing singer Marcy, for example, the resemblance was uncanny! Same with Summer (Isabella Russo) and Billy (Luca Padovan), they really stood out and added their own flair to their characters, adding a lot of humour and addressing current issues throughout the storyline; from the gender pay gap to Donald Trump!
What notably separates the musical from the film is character development. The opportunity to explore the lives of the kids outside of school and their relationship with their parents was embraced very well, noted in the song "If Only You Would Listen" (oh, it was adorable!), I liked how this broke the story up and changed the tone of the musical so it wasn't always rock music, adding emotional value and ideologies to the narrative. Tomika's parents were portrayed as 2 white males, it reminded me of Modern Family, but I thought it was a clever spin to add both humour and relevance to both the story and her character, the reason behind the way she behaves at school. There was also development in the adult characters; Ned and Patty's relationship in particular, giving Patty a more principal role highlighting her controlling nature as well as the friendship between Dewey and Ned portrayed in a scene where the two play Guitar Hero.There wasn't too many changes to the original story, Dewey and Rosalie's relationship is explored further, and there were some of the original songs from the film thrown in there. I did really enjoy the new music that was composed for the musical which enhanced the story lines, added dimension and made the whole experience something special.
I do need to offer my praise to the set designers, whenever I see films being adapted to musicals I always question the set design. I know first hand that when it comes to set design and staging, anything is possible in a theatre; but I did question how they were going to stage the final scene at the Battle of the Bands. Of course there was a way to do it! The attention to detail in the set was so fine; the school desks, the staff room, the rotating Battle of the Bands set, Dewey's bedroom were all very realistic. It was even funny, clever ideas involved in the set when all the instruments needed to be hidden when Rosalie came into the classroom.
So I have kept this quite brief and chatted about the elements that stood out for me, but all I would suggest is to go and see this. It really is one of a kind, even if you didn't like the film that much give the musical a chance. Kids play rock music live on stage, give them some credit! This is a musical which is suitable for everyone, the narrative has been made easy to follow and you will leave the theatre with all the songs stuck in you head. And don't worry, you don't need to go all the way to New York to see this... It is coming to London's West End and the cast has just been announced! No doubt I will be seeing this again!
Have you seen School of Rock The Musical? Are you going to see the West End production? Let me know in the comments or Tweet me @Elisa_A__
Elisa x
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