Incendiary vocals, killer guitar riffs, songs that compel you to belt out their lyrics and the guiltiest of guilty pleasures, Rock of Ages at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre brings the L.A. rock scene of the 1980’s from the Sunset Strip all the way to Times Square. Big hair and glam rock have found a new kickass home on Broadway and it's nothing but a good time.

Opening in April 2009, Rock of Ages was nominated for five Tony’s last year and has continued to entertain audiences since. If it’s a show you have managed to miss, pull out your rocker tee and leather jacket, maybe some hairspray and a little eyeliner and experience the pure sing-a-long fun of eighties excess. Sit back, even grab a cold one before or during the show because in this arena the waiters even serve you while the rock is in progress.

It’s a simplistic story. Two young kids are looking for fortune and fame. A wannabe rocker from the Motor City meets an aspiring actress fresh from a farm in Kansas amidst the dirty L.A. nightlife at the Bourbon Room. But times they are a changing and the hard core rock life of the Strip is threatened when a greedy German real estate developer and his effeminate son plot to shut down the strip and rebuild for more profits. Although filled with showbiz clichés and the annals of sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll, at curtain it’s just a story about love and believing in and being true to yourself.

Set to a soundtrack of some of the best rock songs of the eighties, from Whitesnake to Poison, Pat Benatar to Quarterflash, Journey to Styx, the music weaves this arena-rock tale with pure farcical comedy and an endearment that keeps you rooting for the good guys while clapping along to the beat. Rock of Ages employs the genre’s stereotypes, but through great parody creates memorable characters that manage to engage and make us laugh, especially when they mock themselves.

Mitchell Jarvis, the loveable Lonny and tongue n’ cheek narrator, delivers a superb performance, skipping about the stage with his pristine mullet and gaudy t-shirts leading us through to the show’s inevitable happy ending. His stage presence and use of character keep the show fresh and fun without falling victim to much-used formula. Overall the cast excels at entertaining and the vocal feats of young Constantine Maroulis are well worth the price of admission. If you wanna rock and journey back to a decade of power ballads and lively locks, Rock of Ages is the show you have been waiting for.

by Shauna Horn