insideSUSSEX Magazine Issue 23 - January 2017 | Page 41

LONDON

London Theatre:

SCHOOL OF ROCK
THE MUSIC IN A MUSICAL SHOULD BREATHE LIFE INTO THE STORY, TURNING IT FROM AN
INTERESTING TALE INTO SOMETHING MORE SUBSTANTIAL. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT ANDREW
LLOYD WEBBER’S NEW MUSICAL SCHOOL OF ROCK DOES – IT ELEVATES A FUN STORY INTO
SOMETHING NEW AND WONDERFUL AND EXHILARATING. BY SARAH GREEN
PHOTOS BY TRISTRAM KENTON

The music gives the story soul.
School of Rock, based on the 2003 film starring
Jack Black, is all about seeing the best in
people, breaking through barriers (both real
and imagined), and discovering that music
comes in many different forms, but no matter
what, it bonds people together.
And that’s exactly how the audience feels by
the end of this magnificently entertaining
show.
Dewey Finn is fired by his bandmates and,
with nowhere to go, he steals his flatmate’s
identity to get a supply teaching job in a posh
prep school. He has no qualifications, no
experience, and absolutely no idea what he is
doing. Despite the unlikeliness of the premise,
this story works. Yes, Dewey might be a nohoper, but he made it. He’s in. And so are we
as we watch him. A slacker he may well be,

but the audience is rooting for him from the
beginning. He means well, he’s kind hearted,
and most of all he loves his music with true
passion. We can tell he’ll go far, but there will
be obstacles in his way. Therein lies the beauty
of this rollicking rock ‘n’ roll show; we know
it will all work out all right, but that doesn’t
make us worry less about the characters.
There wouldn’t be a school without children,
and these children are by far the most talented,
impressive kids you’ll see. Before the show
starts, a recorded voice (which happens to be
that of Andrew Lloyd Webber) informs the
audience that the children are all playing their
own instruments live. Once you see the
instruments – electric guitars, bass, drums, all
the real rock ‘n’ roll stuff anyone could need
– and the children playing them as adeptly as
any rock star who has fifty years’ experience
would is mind-blowing. These children are
in some cases tiny, and the guitars they carry
tower over them, yet still they play.

Since all the music is played on the stage by
the cast, it adds an extra element of enjoyment
to the whole show. Great characters, a happily
ever after kind of story, and superb live music
gives this musical a lift that make it stand out
from the others. It’s a special show, this one.
And the music itself… it ranges from pure rock
to silky smooth ballads, all with that inimitable
Andrew Lloyd Webber style, yet mixed with a
familiar rock anthem theme that reminds us
all of how much we’d like to rebel sometimes.
Dewey and the kids will win out in the end,
and they will learn lessons – we know this
from the start. But the audience learns
something too, and therein lies the magic of
School of Rock.
http://uk.schoolofrockthemusical.com

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