There was a very enthusiastic standing ovation for the cast from the Tipperary Musical Society last night on the opening night of their production of Rock of Ages the Musical
The juke box musical entertained the audience to over 2 hours of hit songs from the 80s woven around the story of the Bourbon Room music venue in Los Angeles under threat from a property developer. Some love stories are included but with the band on stage for the entire show the focus was on the music and the dancing. A clever set design enables visits to the Mayor’s office, the nightclub toilets and the brothel. The show has a PG 13 rating due to some scenes in a brothel and the nightclub and has some occasional curse words.
James O’Donovan playing Lonny is the narrator and drives the show along with his contributions and gives a star turn as a motorbike! Cathal O’Donoghue is heroic as the club owner while Emmet Donlan and Emma Sunderland, the struggling musician and actor, take us on a roller coaster as their relationship progresses. Ailish O’Donovan leads the protestors against the redevelopment plans while Ian Purcell is terrific as the lecherous rock star Stacee Jaxx.
The show runs until Saturday with some limited balcony tickets available at the Excel Centre, Tipperary town, with an 8pm curtain each night.
