Sunday, February 12, 2017

THEATER: Back to the 1980s at "Rock of Ages"

On Sunday afternoon we had a fun time at "Rock of Ages," a nostalgic trip back to the 1980s that's on stage at the Milburn Stone Theater at Cecil County Community College. It's one of those shows were the music is by far the main attraction, with the plot existing only to link the songs.
And what songs they were! The play was jam-packed with a few dozen mega-hits, like "Sister Christian,"  "I Want to Know What Love Is," "Can't Fight This Feeling" and a hilarious rendition of "Hit Me With Your Best Shot." The finale was Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'."
The singers and the on-stage band ("Twisted Snake Poison on an Extreme Starship") did a super job, and the cocky narrator was very funny. We loved the period cigarette machine on stage -- I couldn't remember the last time I actually saw one.
The ushers got into the spirit of the things, wearing outlandish 1980s-inspired costumes and makeup. We overheard one of them leading two patrons to Row D, which she called "Def Leppard."
A group of middle-aged women in the row in front of us got a bit too much into the spirit, arriving after the show started, coming back late from intermission, giggling, talking, and frenetically waving their arms at the stage. It was distracting to everyone around them, and I suspect their rowdiness had something to do with the wine glasses they were carrying.
The show runs through Sunday, Feb. 19, and is recommended for ages 13 and up due to some adult language, topics and vintage 1980s bad behavior. FYI, they offer a senior citizen discount, and they define "senior citizen" very broadly as 55 and up - ka-ching!

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