Mr. and Mrs. BamaDan and Mr. and Mrs. Bo asked grandparents to keep children today, so we could make an afternoon and evening of Rock of Ages and Connors.  This was an idea BamaDan had month before last.

It was a good one.

Set in 1987, the musical is built around three dozen or so arena and/or hair-metal rock songs from my formative years (with an occasional slight reach back or forward).  The plot is rudimentary and trivial in this show, serving mostly as scaffolding for the music.  It’s a witty script, demonstrating knowledge of and affection for the period.  That’s a high bar to get over with me.  There are ample jokes, including several that break the fourth wall, and there are a few obscurities to reward the savants in the audience.  (I dug the female lead getting into a bit of Judas Priest’s “Eat Me Alive.”)

And the music does work.  The live band is of varying importance in the plot, but they’re always visible.  Most of the selections are in the correct key.  A few are substantially remade, but many of them respect the details of the originals.  There are a few song combinations that aren’t quite mash-ups, but more tandem back-and-forths.  Most of them work, but squishing Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself for Loving You” and Asia’s “Heat of the Moment” together sounded a little forced.

Perhaps it was characteristic of our attendance at a Sunday afternoon matinee in Huntsville, Alabama, but I was surprised by the crowd demographics.  I expected to be surrounded by fellow GenXers, and instead only about a third of the crowd fit that description.  (Among that third, however, was a fondly-remembered lady from two decades ago!  Great to see you, Graciela.)  The rest were not quite my dad’s age, but close.  What’s up with that?  I wonder how the dick jokes and the thigh-high vinyl boots went over for them?  Was this show mis-marketed?

The show’s run just ended here, so this isn’t much good to the locals, but to anyone Googling and looking for opinions:  go see it.  It’s a blast.

Don’t stop believin’.

8/10