Musical - School of Rock

It's been a while since I've written one of these posts!  Exciting times again!  We had had a date in the diary for a while to meet the friend we saw Billy Elliot and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with.  Not until two days before did they decide and book tickets for us to see School of Rock.  I hadn't really been involved in the discussions for it so hadn't enjoyed the anticipatory build up, but I did find a dress to wear to school that day!

We met at a restaurant, Joe Allen, in theatre land and it seems to be the place for pre-theatre goers.  It was a big basement area covered head to toe in theatre land posters!  I'd like to go again and take it all in!

We headed over to the New London Theatre which John (jokingly, but accurately) described as an NCP car park.  I mentioned that it was the first ever West End theatre I went to to see Cats.  The theatre was boldly decorated on the outside but I'd filled the space on my phone so didn't manage to get a photo.  Just this (rather poor) one of the inside from our seats.

I loved our seats.  It really felt like we were so close to the action.  We could see all the spit coming out of the lead's mouth as he enunciated - yuk!  We were also the front row of the second part back of the stalls which meant comfy leg room.  It really felt like a great theatre for this show which was so much of a performance.  Not sure actually if that makes sense or is true, but I know I really loved it!

I had seen the film around the time it came out over 10 years ago now and I think I had vaguely heard that it was being made into a musical.  Two weeks ago I was enjoying an unknown song on Elaine Paige on Sunday and was then surprised to discover it was from School of Rock and that Andrew Lloyd Webber had something to do with it.  And that was all I knew!

On to the show itself...

It started with an announcement that I was surprised to find out was Andrew Lloyd Webber (felt I should have recognised his voice!).  He (pre-recordedly) welcomed us and said the question that is asked most often is 'are the children really playing the instruments live and the answering is a definitely "yes they are"!

Then the show started and it was a wonderful evening of enjoyment.  R noted at the break that the pace was really good and I realised that was exactly what I'd been thinking without knowing enough to put it in to words.  It was just continually enjoyable and didn't have any lows.  Most scenes slid from to another without ending for applause  and the scenery was always changing so it just kept rolling.  Not being a rocker myself ;-) I couldn't really buy the whole 'stick it to the man' thing, but I still had a great evening and sung 'stick it to the man' most of the way home!

I enjoyed the moment that the girls were auditioning by singing a snippet of song and the last girl sang 'Memories' and he said 'let's get one thing clear - that song will never be heard in this building again' and there was a great knowing laugh from the audience.  I'd love to know if that bit is in the film; I kinda feel that it is.  And I was very interested to find out in my wikipedia-ing that School of Rock was the first ALW since Jesus Christ Superstar in something like 1971 to open on Broadway before the West End, and that it's playing on Broadway in the theatre that housed Cats for 18 years!  Coincidence?!?

I loved watching the kids join the band 'you're in the band' and watching them play was absolutely amazing - another plus of our great seats being able to see them so clearly.  Katie on bass was great with her pout and I really enjoyed the energy of the backing dancers.  Tamika's singing in the second half blew everything out of the water for me!  I'd love to know how and when the kids started playing their instruments.

I couldn't really figure out how 'where did the rock go?', the song from EPOS was going to come in, but it did and I really enjoyed it.  That was the only song that sounded Andrew Lloyd Webbery to me and I feel it's right up there with my favourite of his ballads.   I like the thought of it becoming a classic.

I liked the way the kids were really the mean characters being on stage the majority of the time.  The adults were far more incidental and I feel only Dewey Finn and possible the headmistress should have got a curtain call ahead of them.  It was a really great ending of the show.  The children went to perform at the Battle of the Bands and while they were performing I absolutely loved the way the house band, who had been playing up at the height of the circle to the side of the stage, got up leaving their instruments behind and leant over the side and were basically cheering on the kids band and doing the 'rock moves'.  I thought it was a really nice touch to show them appreciating the kids.  Either at the end of that, or the next number, some audience were up on their feet and I was willing enough people to do so so that I could and eventually I did and they told us to stay on our feet which I loved!  They did their battle of the bands encore number and then it was the curtain call where it seemed quite natural for Dewey Finn (who I don't think of as Dewey Finn but more as Jack Black) to introduce the characters and then he introduced the 4 lead kid musicians by real name which I thought again was a splendid touch.

All in all a jolly excellent evening.  I would like it to win the Olivier for best new musical next weekend or at least the special award where the children's band have been nominated.  I want to try and find a list of the kids we saw.