The stage is set: The production team stands proudly in front of the 80’s bar, “The Bourbon Room”, that they so carefully put together.
The actors stand tall, neon rock n’ roll outfits glimmering in the vibrant lights flashing across the stage. The smell of hair spray fills the air with a scent straight out of the 80’s. They daydream of a packed theater the likes of which Jordan High School’s theater has never seen before.
Mr. Midkiff, Ms. Villano and the rest of the theater department are finally ready for the biggest play that they had directed yet: The 80’s jukebox musical Rock of Ages, featuring nostalgic music from some of the biggest rock bands the world has ever seen.
As one of the two directors of Jordan High School, Ms. Villano has directed her fair share of theater shows, but even she admitted that this particular show was going to be an ambitious one. One that most other schools wouldn’t be able to achieve.
“When we were looking for a musical, we wanted something that was going to be fun, and exciting, and different from what other high schools are producing right now,” Villano said.
The point of this musical was not only to deliver a show that the directors believed would be a smash hit for Jordan High School, but to also translate the infectious energy of a rock concert to the theater.
“It’s actually a really immersive feeling of being at a rock concert. We’ve got the fog, we’ve got lights, we’ve got people playing guitar in real life. It’s really loud and fun, and it gives the audience a chance to hoot and holler and scream and dance, so it’s real different from a traditional musical where you sit and clap politely,” Villano said.
The most ecstatic students of the theater team were the actors, who shared the impact of the 80’s on their lives and how they spent a lot of time making sure that the vibe of this iconic era translated into their performances.
“Growing up, my parents always put me on these old 80’s movies, 80’s music—I grew up on a lot of rock music.” Said Shaan Syed, the actor of Drew Boley, the main lead of the musical. “Being able to take that emotion and references of all the 80’s movies I watched, and all the 80’s music I’ve listened to all my life, and be able to put that in this environment… it’s just amazing.”
Actress Ximena Molina, who plays a minor character in Constance Sack, also shared their love for the play.
“I love just like, putting all my energy into everything I do, and being just super crazy, super rock, super fun. So it’s like, everything to me, and I think that all that stuff is gonna help me channel all that energy into making this show like, super 80’s, super rock, super cool,” Molina said.
Some of the actors were nervous about the challenge of singing some of the more difficult songs in the play, however, like Foreigner’s 1984 smash “I Wanna Know What Love Is”.
“All those notes are like, really high. I can sing the notes, but it’s just like—I need to sing my previous songs in order for me to get comfortable up there,” actor Christian Olowookere said.
The actors were not the only ones who were challenged for this gigantic play: The production team spent weeks crafting backgrounds that had to feel straight out of the 80’s.
“Research was a big part of it—looking at inspiration pictures and videos.” Lights crew chief George Rhoades said. “I think the biggest challenge of this part was the excess that’s like rock and roll—so like going over the top with the lighting. A lot of the lighting fixtures that we’re using for this show I haven’t used before. So I had to figure out how to use those.”
Despite the many obstacles and hurdles the theater team had to deal with, everyone was prideful of what they had created in the end.
“We knew it was just a show that was a great fit for the kids. It’s definitely a crowd pleaser, you’re going to love it,” Ms. Villano said.
The final two performances of Rock of Ages are tonight, 10/11, and tomorrow, 10/12, in the JHS PAC at 7PM.
A correction was made made 10/13: An earlier version attributed the source of a quote to Victoria Vicuna. This has been corrected to Ximena Molina.
