Review: Get Ready To Have ‘Nothin’ But A Good Time’ At Actor’s Theatre Of Charlotte’s ROCK OF AGES

August 4, 2021

Caryn Little,

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Get ready to have “Nothin’ But A Good Time” as Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte performs the jukebox favorites musical, ROCK OF AGES. The show welcomes local and regional actors and actresses back to the stage after a year and half of no live performances.

It will have you signing along to all the 80’s hits, from Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin'” and Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead Or Alive,” to Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and Joan Jett’s “I Hate Myself For Loving You.” The musical is performed with a live band and includes 32 songs total, which take up four pages in the digital program!

Let’s go ahead and get this part out of the way. I love music….like really REALLY love music. Yes, even 80’s hairband music. I’ve been to hundreds of live shows, so nearly two years of not seeing any live performances was pretty difficult for this music junkie.

When I heard Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte was going to host the first half of their Season 33 outdoors with a “Rock The Park” themed lineup….I knew I couldn’t say no! So I got my tickets, packed my lawn chair, doused myself in bug spray (don’t forget to keep your mouth shut when spraying said bug spray), grabbed some water, and headed over to The Barn on Monroe Road.

Several of you are probably wondering, what is the The Barn and why have I never heard of this venue before?? The Barn at MoRA is an old dairy farm owned by Levine Properties. It is located at 8300 Monroe Road (at the intersection of Monroe Road and McAlpine Park Drive). The Barn and silos offer an amazing backdrop for ROCK OF AGES. Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte partnered with Monroe Road Advocates (MoRA) and worked around the clock to set up the outdoor stage venue.I was a bit worried that finding the The Barn would be difficult, but as I was driving east on Monroe Road I could easily see the ROCK OF AGES stage and setup. As soon as I pulled down the entrance road, my eyes grew wider as I realized the whole show has been set to look just like a music festival. From the parking attendants and stage in the middle of a field, to the soundboard tents, food truck and beer tents….I knew my favorite place in the world was steps in front of me. What happened next was the icing on the cake!

After I was guided to my free parking spot, I grabbed my chair, bottled water, and my hot date and we headed towards the entrance. A quick scan of our tickets off my phone and we were inside the festival. With the cost of admission, you get to sit anywhere in the grass area in front of the stage – meaning there isn’t a bad seat in the entire venue.

The organizers have the ground painted in rows so you can socially distance from your neighbors. This is a BYOC – Bring Your Own Chair – event. Most everyone brought bag chairs but a few people opted for blankets. Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte is even paying to have mosquito treatments to keep the bugs at bay!Before the show started, I went and checked out the food trucks and beer tent. Nothing like having a nice, cold, local craft beer and a Philly Cheesesteak to get the show kicked off.

Shortly before sunset, the dulcet tones of an electric guitar played by Chris Michael Taylor captivated the field, and the audience was transported into 1987 as the actors and actresses began to make their stage entrance.ROCK OF AGES’ music is performed live by a 5-piece band consisting of guitarists Chris Taylor and Charlotte O’Boyle, bassist Harley Quinn, drummer Tim Scott, and alternates Dallas Dwight and Brian Quick. It is narrated by local Charlotte favorite Christopher “Ryan” Stamey – who plays the role of mullet-rocking Lonny Barnett. Lonny works at The Bourbon Room, a landmark rock-and-roll venue located on Sunset Strip.

Stamey kicks off the show by hitting all the right notes on Quiet Riot’s song, “Cum On Feel The Noize.” He is joined by the ensemble which gets the crowd ready for the next hour and a half of jukebox hits. Lonny introduces us to Dennis, who is played by Jeremy DeCarlos (a Carolina native with a theater performance degree from Winthrop University). Dennis owns The Bourbon Room and is trying to raise money to keep the venue open and out of the hands of German developers (Ryan Wesley Stinnett and Jamaas Britton).This is when we get introduced to Regina (Katy Shepherd), a local activist determined to keep the Sunset Strip just like it is, even if that means going to jail for her beliefs. Regina makes her presence known to the German developers by singing the fist-pumping jam, “We Built This City.” Regina surprises everyone with her love interest, but you’ll just have to see the show to get the rest of those juicy details!

The storyline also follows the love story of two other Bourbon Room employees, bar-back Drew (Grant Zavitkovsky) and waitress Sherrie (Lizzie Medlin). This duo steals the show with their standout vocals. Zavitkovsky – who delivered one of the best vocal performances of the night – did an amazing job singing challenging power ballads like “I Wanna Rock” and “High Enough.” Medlin also wowed the audience with her vocal range in songs like “To Be With You” and “I Want To Know What Love Is.”Dennis books popular band Arsenal to perform at the bar in hopes of raising some much needed quick cash to save the venue. Arsenal is led by legendary frontwoman Stacee Jaxx (Shea), but Stacee has plans to leave the band to pursue her solo career. Shea gives it her all on powerhouse songs like “Pour Some Sugar On Me” and “Dead or Alive.” She does a masterful job at getting the audience to dislike her narcissistic, self-indulgent character, all while belting her soul. Stacee is so full of herself she keeps her microphone strapped to her waist in a holster. Oh lead singers (insert eye roll emoji here).

When one of the opening bands drops out, Drew’s band, Wolfgang Von Colt, gets their big break to audition as the replacement, performing “More Than Words” and “Heaven.” After landing the gig, the only thing left for Drew to do is win over Sherrie. This proves harder than living out his lifelong dream of being the frontman in a band.

I can’t forget to mention the musical performance of Justice (Shaniya Simmons), the local strip club owner. Justice does her best to get Sherrie to try life as a stripper (don’t worry, Actor’s Theatre of Charlotte keeps this show PG-13 so you can still bring the kids without getting the side eye from your neighbors). In the process of trying to convince Sherrie of the wonders of stripping, Justice also convinces the audience of her vocal talents. Simmons proves she can hang with Zavitkovsky and Medlin by hitting note after note of the power chords from our childhood (okay, I just gave my age away).

Does Drew get the music career he has always dreamed of? Is The Bourbon Room torn down and developed into condos (something that happens all too often in Charlotte — RIP Tremont and Double Door Inn)? Will Drew and Sherrie find love? You can learn all the answers to these burning questions yourself, by clicking right HERE.ROCK OF AGES is performed Thursdays-Sunday, now until August 21st.