Stage Write

It was freezing outside, but School of Rock was heating up Clowes Memorial Hall last night. The Broadway Across America production is based on the 2003 movie of the same name. The musical stays close to that version, but comes alive in a different way. The plot focuses on Dewey, who is a bit of an immature loser. He thinks his band will make it big any day now, but doesn't really have a backup plan. When he finds himself substitute teaching a group of precocious kids he's surprised to find a new passion. The show doesn't really get moving until he meets the kids and discovers they love music as well.   Merritt David Janes takes on the role of Dewey, originally played by Jack Black. He actually does a better job in the scenes where he's not mimicking Black's mannerisms. His heartfelt moments are frequent, but they work well. Lexie Dorsett Sharp is Rosalie, the strict principal of Horace Green prep school. Her big number, "Where Did the Rock Go?", is a b...

Crimped hair, mega mullets and ugly cars; these are a few of the priceless trends revisited in the musical "The Wedding Singer." The modern love story is set in 1985, when greed is good and music is bad. Merritt David Janes plays the romantic main character Robbie. He's a wedding singer in love with the idea of love. After being left at the altar his views change. Erin Elizabeth Coors plays Julia. She is sweet and perky with a good voice. She fills the role nicely and deserves extra props for her ability to sings lines like "You're back in the dumpster, that's like a metaphor," with a straight face. Linda, played by Nikka Wahl, spends only a few minutes on stage, but manages to steal the scene each time. Her love-to-hate-her character brings a great skeezy quality to the show. Fellow supporting actor, John Jacob Lee is a delight as Culture Club-loving George. His attire and attitude are crowd pleasers. The music is fun, with big '80s style songs. Th...