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Growing up, the movie School of Rock was one of my favorites. The idea of a fraudulent substitute teacher named Dewey Finn creating a rock band full of the kids he’s supposed to be teaching was amusing to me, especially when the charlatan was played by Jack Black. The movie was funny and filled with talented kids who change from straight-laced prep-school students to rock and roll stars.
I was intrigued by a Broadway musical that is based on my favorite childhood movie, but after those initial feelings of joy and nostalgia, skepticism set in. Why recreate something that was successful? I had the opportunity to find out when I was invited to attend School of Rock-The Musical, presented by Broadway in Cincinnati at the Aronoff Center in Downtown Cincinnati. Andrew Lloyd Webber’s adaptation of the beloved film begins suddenly and a sense of nostalgia set in as I prepared myself to watch the story I loved as a kid.
Although I enjoyed the show, I found myself disappointed by the end because of two main problems. I think the creators did not want to create just a show of the movie, but a musical that stood on its own. Sadly, this translated to many awkward scenes that, to me, contained unnecessary music. While I understand that the show had to keep moving and that there had to be enough music to constitute a musical, I would rather have seen more scenes with less music. The music they added seemed to concentrate on quantity over quality. For instance, a scene in which the prep-school teachers complain about Dewey brought the show to a halt rather than push the plot forward.
Unfortunately, the sound in the theater was not ideal, making it difficult to understand dialogue and lyrics, especially the scenes and songs that are not in the film.
The previous complaint also brings up another issue I had, which was more personal than a critique of the show itself. While I belly-ache about the unnecessary scenes, I feel that my impression of the show was tainted by my knowledge and nostalgia for the original movie. My brain was more concerned about the additions I noticed in the music rather than the art that was being displayed, which created unrealistic expectations.
There was, in fact, a saving grace for me during this performance that changed my opinion of the show: the kids. The children in this performance displayed pure talent, not just in acting the roles, but by performing at the level of professional musicians. While I was disappointed by the added scenes, my eyes lit up and my attention sharpened every time the children entered the stage. I could tell that I was not the only one. I was seated next to a large group of students on a field trip to see this performance. These kids sat rather quietly throughout the show, but still ended up talking during scene changes and louder sections. That was not always the case. When the children got on stage a sang their hearts out, the kids in the audience were as attentive as I was. They took in every melody and harmony, and despite this not being the best show I had ever seen, it impacted a lot of the kids next to me and that is exactly what the arts should do.
If you are interested in the show, School of Rock - The Musical, it is playing through March 4th at the Aronoff Center. Tickets can be found at https://cincinnati.broadway.com/
*Free Ticket was used, not an ad