As one leaves the Winter Garden Theater after experiencing School of Rock: The Musical, it may take some restraint to keep from waving your arms in the air and chanting “Stick it to the man!” That’s the spirit and energy evoked by this new Andrew Lloyd Weber undoubtedly-soon-to-be major hit, the stage production of the blockbuster film, School of Rock. The superb performances, the well-written stage adaptation and of course, the awesome music, ensure that this show will not disappoint even the most ardent fans of the film who, like me, were skeptical that the fun and brilliance of the movie could be translated to the stage. School of Rock: The Musical pulls it off and then some!
I didn’t know what to expect when I walked into the theater to see this highly anticipated production. Growing up, the movie version was always a go-to in my house when someone was home sick and needed some cheering up, or on a family movie-night when nothing else was on. With that much cred in the film department, it seemed that the Broadway production would have a lot to live up to. Also, I couldn’t imagine that Andrew Lloyd Weber, despite being a genius Broadway musical composer of many musicals (including The Phantom of the Opera, Evita, and Cats) would be the right fit to add songs to this production in the rock genre. But Weber’s songs were amazing and added a great deal to the magic of this production.
Even after watching the film several times through the years, it never seemed to get old. I always enjoy laughing at the crazy antics of Jack Black’s character, Dewey Finn, and marveling at the talented cast of skilled child musicians. The story in the Broadway production is essentially the same as that of the film. Dewey poses as his roommate, Ned Schneebly, who is a substitute teacher, in order to steal his job at a prestigious prep school and make money for rent after being rejected by his band. He then forms the children in the classroom into his own band, once he sees their immense musical talents, much to the displeasure of their strict parents and the uptight school principal, Ms. Mullins.
When I entered the sprawling theater and saw the title of the play projected on the curtain along with an edgy emblem, a prep-school-esque plaque featuring a snake swirling through a huge letter “R”, I had an instinctive feeling that this show was going to be amazing; and I was not wrong. The show is enjoyable from the first to last moment. Led by the wickedly talented Alex Brightman (who is a dead-ringer for Jack Black in both facial expressions and comedic timing) as Dewey Flynn, the show stayed true to the film’s origins, keeping the original songs from the movie such as the catchy and hilarious “In the End of Time” and incorporating new songs to have that Broadway feel such as ”You’re in the Band” and the rambunctious show stopper “Stick it to the Man.”
Brightman is onstage for almost every minute of the show, and his character is “on” for each and every one of them. He sings, dances and performs brilliant and often acrobatic comedy so naturally and flawlessly that it’s hard to imagine that Brightman is not the original Dewey Flynn. The show also usually stars Sierra Boggess (who is known for starring in Phantom of the Opera and The Little Mermaid) as Rosalie Mullins. When we saw the show, however, her understudy, Mamie Parris, was performing, and she did a great job.
The children in the show are all exceptionally talented, and I enjoyed watching them play their respective musical instruments and sing with such skill. Tomika, a shy girl in the class who feels as if she has no place in the band, was particularly outstanding. Played by eleven-year-old Bobbie Mackenzie, Tomika barely speaks throughout the first act, but later belts out Amazing Grace with an unexpectedly strong and clear voice, shocking the audience and eliciting a round of applause and cheers that lasted for a solid minute.
Also portraying fabulous performances in the show as the prep school students were Brandon Niederauer as the songwriter and guitarist, Zack, Isabella Russo as the bossy but still cute band manager, Summer (played in the film by Miranda Cosgrove), and Dante Melucci as Freddy, the intense drum player. As in the film, each of these kids adds his or her own charm and special touch to make this production soar.
The roles of the children’s parents were also well casted and played, with interesting variations from the parent characters from the film. Watching the transformation of the parents from strict, forbidding adults who do not give their kids enough attention to accepting the children for who they are and embracing their gifts is heartwarming.
This show is still in previews. It’s hard to believe that the performance I attended was only the seventh preview performance, because the show was received as if it were a seasoned Broadway smash hit several years running. Previews end next week with the show’s official opening on December 9th.
Traditionally, it may be considered premature to assume anything when a show is in previews, but I predict that once School of Rock: The Musical opens officially it will attract fans of rock music and the original film easily as well as curious people who have never seen the film and will be a success all-around. I recommend this show and encourage everyone to try and see it with this amazing cast, especially Alex Brightman. I can almost guarantee that you’ll feel like “You’re in the Band”, too!