Rock Of Ages - 2021 U.K. Tour

It’s Selladoor which probably explains the lack of set with this production.

I did see both shows yesterday and I do agree with @allthingsstagey.

Also wasn’t quite happy with some of the changes they‘ve done: no David Coverdale welcoming us, no Candy, no Dream Sherrie (they did have a Dream Dennis in Can’t fight this Feeling though), no programme scene (just a short comment about how bad the movie was) - this reminded me once again how badly Simon Lipkin is missed in this and if it wasn’t for him and his ad-libbing, I wouldn’t have become the fan of the show that I am -, no “sparkle” during High Enough and they’ve cut Drew’s “I want something” between Oh Sherrie and The Search is over. Actually, the bum in the train station ruined the entire scene for me. I also didn’t quite like that the band is off stage most of the time.

All in all, I’m rather unimpressed. Seeing the show again in Manchester next weekend, hopefully they’ve changed some things until then.

Seeing it in all its one star glory this evening!

Indeed, the lady's intense preoccupation with the frank sexuality in the show makes it a one star "money" review.

The stage musical came long before the film!
Seems she just didn’t like the content... nothing about the performances were mentioned.

See I saw it last night and actually really enjoyed it. I loved the West End and 1st touring production so my expectations were rock bottom for this but I was pleasantly surprised.

The reason it worked for me is that they didn't try to "do a Hairspray", by which I mean a cheapened, knock off version of the previous tour. This was a new production in its own right.

The set is perfectly adequate for the production, and it really isn't that reduced from the last tour. The lighting design was great.

I thought the cast were fab! Lucas Rush was brilliant as Lonny. The best thing he could do was to not try and copy Simon Lipkin, I think he really made the role his own. He had the audience eating out of his hand and he actually was really funny.

In truth the entire cast were brilliant except perhaps Curly Watts. He was a little bit out of his depth if I'm honest.

I'm always front of the queue to criticise a crap show but I do have to defend this one. If you go in expecting the West End show them sure, you're probably going to be disappointed. But go in expecting a fun evening and a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, well you may just have a surprise

What an over sexualised mess. I've lost count of the number of times scantily clad women just have to bend over sugggestively and it's only the end of act one. I don't remember the first tour being this overt about it. And as for the German stereotyping....
Kevin kennedy can't act or sing and it's pitiful seeing Danielle Hope stripping to a bra to get laughs.
The staging is pretty spectacular but don't get me started about the use of light-up umbrellas and kid's toys for transport. It would seem Bat Out of Hell is influencing current choreography trends too.

Selladoor seem to be on a role at the moment with the UK tour of Fame featuring a terrific ensemble of young talent and it's much the same with this new production of Rock of Ages.

Great to see Danielle Hope as Sherrie in something very different to Maria/Dorothy mode. She can certainly belt out an Eighties rock classic or two and makes for a hugely likable lead! Her duets with Zoe Birkett are quite something. Just a shame that Zoe is relatively underused in the production as a whole, although I suspect the roof may no longer be attached to the Opera House if she had sung any more! I also really enjoyed Rhiannon Chesterman's Regina - great comic timing, sublime vocals and a nice sparky characterisation.

If Rhiannon and Danielle are the heart of the production, the man holding it all together is Lucas Rush. Lucas was the best thing about Thoroughly Modern Millie and he looks to be in his element here, his ad-libs with the audience ("Thank you, one person" as a joke elicited a solitary chuckle) being a particular highlight.

One thing I wasn't expecting was meta theatre jokes galore but the way the production doesn't take itself remotely seriously, knows it's cheesy as hell and makes no apology for it, is what makes it work so well. The use of kid's cars fitted with that approach rather well, I thought.  

As Daniel said, the lighting looks great and while there's minimal scene transitions, the different spaces are created effectively. The whole aesthetic works really well. ATG got into the spirit of things too, getting the ushers and box office staff to ditch the usual black trousers and waistcoasts for ripped jeans and t-shirts. Parsley may have left in disgust before even taking his seat.

Four stars.

Well that trailer was slightly headache-inducing, but the young cast look enthusiastic and perky which is good to see. Having seen Danielle as Sandy, it's so weird seeing her in a totally different role. Goodbye to Sandra Dee!

This wasn't even on my radar (& maybe the thread should be renamed or amended for 2019?), but a 5-star review on Reviewshub today attracted my attention. Either the new version is far better or was completely congruent with the reviewer's taste - or both - but it reads as "unmissable".

I saw his 1st show and he's excellent, he's got one hell of a rock voice. I've never seen the show before though so I don't have anything to compare him to.

I saw this last night for it's final showing in Eastbourne with Antony Costa as Stacee Jaxx and I found the whole thing quite bizarre. I don't know how Kevin Clifton was in the role but Antony didn't really live up to expectations and his singing voice although quite powerful didn't really hit some of the high notes. Lucas Rush definitely stole the show for me with his portrayal of Lonny. The show was fun and energetic but overly sleazy and although I loved the music I really didn't have a clue what was going on and struggled to hear a lot of the lines clearly. The set and lighting was good for a touring show but it did come across as being slightly amateurish and I half expected Benny Hill to come running out at some points, chasing scantily clad women around in circles. It's not my favourite rock musical but I did have a good laugh and there were certainly quite a few super fans in the audience who found it highly amusing, including one guy sitting behind me who seemed to know all the lines and was singing along very loudly until somebody told him to shut up.