“Rock of Ages" at the Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse -- September 16 through November 7.
Wednesday, September 16, through Saturday, November 7
Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, 1828 Third Avenue, Rock Island IL
Described by Time Out New York as an “insanely fun mixtape musical” and by Variety as a show that “gleefully apes the worst excesses of the era's pole-dancing, crotch-grinding, big-hair-tossing movies,” the Broadway smash Rock of Ages enjoys a September 16 through November 7 run at Rock Island's Circa '21 Dinner Playhouse, treating audiences to a celebration of 1980s chart-toppers that NY1 called “so cleverly staged and impressively performed that it's an irresistible, offbeat trip of a show that hits all the right notes.”
As Rock of Ages begins, it’s the tail end of the big, bad 1980s in Hollywood, and the party has been raging hard. Aqua Net, Lycra, lace, and liquor flow freely at one of the Sunset Strip's last legendary venues, a place where sex machine Stacee Jaxx takes the stage and scantily clad groupies line up to turn their fantasies into reality. Amidst the madness, aspiring rock star and resident toilet cleaner Drew longs to take the stage as the next big thing – and also longs for Sherri, a starry-eyed small-town girl fresh off the bus from Kansas. But the rock-and-roll fairytale looks about to end after German developers sweep into town with plans to turn the fabled Strip into just another capitalist strip mall. Can Drew, Sherri, and the gang save the strip, and themselves, before it's too late?
Only the music of iconic bands such as Styx, Journey, Bon Jovi, and Whitesnake hold the answer as Rock of Ages delivers a cornucopia of classics from the '80s, with the musical's characters belting out such unforgettable hits as Night Ranger's “Sister Christian,” Foreigner's “I Want to Know What Love Is,” REO Speedwagon's “Keep on Loving You,” and the Twisted Sister anthem “We're Not Gonna Take It.” The original Broadway production of Rock of Ages ran for 2,328 performances, closing on January 18, 2015, and is currently tied as the 34th-longest-running show in Broadway history. Since debuting in New York in 2009, the musical has also spawned replica productions worldwide in Japan, Australia, and the United Kingdom, among other locales, and the original Broadway production earned five Tony Award nominations including Best Musical.
Directing and choreographing Circa '21's Rock of Ages is frequent venue helmer Ashley Becher, whose recent productions for the Rock Island Dinner Theatre have included Chicago, The Addams Family, and this past winter's Quad Cities debut of Lucky Stiff. Area favorite Ron May serves as Rock of Ages' music director, with additional members of Becher's creative team including: production manager Jeremy Littlejohn; stage manager and props designer Kendall McKasson; technical director Rich Baker; scenic designer and artist Becky Meissen; costume designer Jeanne Nugent; lighting designer Nicole Blodig; audio engineer Dylan Dutro; assistant stage manager and deck manager Emmett Boedeker; and producer and venue owner Denny Hitchcocj.
Romantic hopefuls Drew and Sherry are portrayed by Tate Hilton and Avery Gallagher, with Chase Austin (Quad City Music Guild's Jesus Christ Superstar, the Spotlight Theatre's The Wedding Singer, the Black Box Theatre's The Shark Is Broken) playing rock legend Stacee Jaxx. A baker's-dozen of additional talents, meanwhile, complete the Rock of Ages ensemble: Bobby Becher; Jordan Bee; Kyle DeFauw; Owen Espinosa; Hanna Marie Felver; Kelsey Sylvia Flowers; Bear Manescalchi; Nicolette Mayer; Chandler James Pettus; Elly Rebeka; Tristan Tayne Tapscott; Aĭssatou Thiam; and Tariq Woods.
Rock of Ages will be performed in Rock Island from September 16 through November 7, and in addition to the show's 7:30 p.m. public previews on September 16 and 17, performances will be held on Fridays, Saturdays, and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Sundays at 5:30 p.m.; and Wednesday afternoons at 1:15 p.m. All shows will be preceded by plated meals and pre-show entertainment by the theatre's performing wait staff of Circa '21 Bootleggers, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)786-7733 extension 2 and visiting Circa21.com.
