It is 1987-ish, and we are on Sunset Strip, a somewhat seedy area of Los Angeles which is infamous for clubs, loud music and debauchery. One such club, one that has reached almost cult status, is The Bourbon Room which is owned by partners Dennis Dupree and Lonny Barnett.
The show is a juke-box musical and a very loving parody of the times. With music from the famous Glam Rock bands of the 1980s throughout [although surprisingly not Def Leppard's 'Rock Of Ages'] the storyline takes second place. Although, unlike many musicals of this genre, the storyline here is actually quite prominent and strong, and is based, albeit very loosely, on a real scenario when the Strip was threatened with being demolished and the greedy fat cats could make a lot of money out of regenerating the area and clearing it of the 'scum' that inhabit it!
Barnett, played this evening with a cheeky glint in the eye and a hint of camp by Lucas Rush, is not only a protagonist but also the narrator of the piece as the fourth wall is continually broken and he (and sometimes others) will talk to and interact with the audience. They are aware that they are actors in a story and the show really glorifies in this never taking itself too seriously. Once you understand this, then the evening is hugely entertaining and a complete blast from start to finish. Corny jokes, both audial and visual abound and the whole show is sexy, sassy, as camp as a row of tents, and totally un-pc! Super!
The two main stories which underpin the show and the music tell first of a young country girl leaving her farm and coming to the big city to make it as an actress. She ends up waitressing in The Bourbon Room and falls in love with their toilet attendant who has dreams of becoming a rock star, Drew. Their romance takes us through the whole show, and of course it wouldn't be spoiling it any by saying that of course they get together in the end! Danielle Hope and Luke Walsh played these roles for all they were worth and gave highly polished and endearing performances.
The other story is that of German-born businessman and his son who petition the mayor (with a bribe) to allow them to demolish the strip and erect a new housing development. Vas Constanti as Herz was hilarious bringing in shades of Mel Brooks and Monty Python to his caricature whilst the overtly camp Franz (and yes, we ALL thought he was gay!) played with glee by Andrew Carthy found humour through both his gait and an accent shamelessly stolen from 'Allo 'Allo!
Kevin Kennedy's ageing rocker and co-owner of the Bourbon Room, Dennis Dupree was a lovely contrast to Rush's OTT Lonny, and with the rest of the cast belting out number after number with some lovely choreography by Nick Winston, who also directed the show creating with ease that difficult balance between a Rock Concert and a Musical, this is a musical romp of a lost decade that no-one who has lived through that era or has a liking for their music should miss!
I have only one thing to say on a negative note, and that is that the music this evening was pitched much too loud! Despite the music being of a specific genre and the musical giving the impression that this is a rock concert - it isn't, it's a Musical and it is in a theatre! I wore earplugs throughout the whole show this evening (sitting half way back in the stalls) and I could still hear all the dialogue quite clearly and could feel the floor jumping up and down each time the bass music started to boom. I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like without my earplugs!
This is a tongue-in-cheek Glam Rock spectacle with a heart! Super!
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 25/9/18
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