Students at Offaly school 'rock' in their annual school musical

THE students of St Brendan's Community School in Birr were really rocking last week when they staged their annual musical 'Rock Of Ages – Teen Edition'.

It was a rollicking good show which got a wonderful reception, which was a true testament to the wealth of talent on stage.

The show was lively and energetic with some terrific dance numbers and a cast which showed wholehearted endeavour from start to finish.

The show was packed with a string of well known musical numbers, principally from the rock genre, with the music of Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Journey and Twisted Sister featuring alongside that of Foreigner, REO Speedwagon and Europe. For the parents present of a certain generation, this music was part of the soundtrack of their childhoods and would have brought many happy memories for most.

Rock of Ages is set in 1987 on the famous Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. Drew, a city boy from South Detroit, and Sherrie, a small town girl, have both travelled to LA in search of their dreams of making it big and falling in love. This classic love story is set against the backdrop of troubles at the famed Dupree Room, 'a legendary temple of rock 'n roll excellence'. Developers want to tear it down and replace it with a mall, which leads to protests. Legendary rocker Stacee Jaxx is lured back to play the final gig at the place he started. His presence leads to Drew chasing his dream to rock with the best of them and he abandons Sherrie to chase that dream. Stacee then lures Sherrie away and it looks like the Dupree Room has seen its final show.

The show follows the story of Drew and Sherrie to see if their love can be rescued while the fight to save the Dupree Room leads to protests and unexpected outcomes. It was an entertaining story built around the great music of the era and it was certainly enjoyed by the audiences.

The performance of the cast throughout was excellent. It was a show that suited young people as they could let themselves go to an extent. The music and costumes were of a more modern variety than the more traditional musicals and that would have helped them feel more at ease on stage.

The quality of the acting was terrific and the school certainly isn't lacking in fine singers and that combination ensured very strong performances from the main players, who were backed by a wonderful ensemble who were seen at their best in some super dance routines. Overall it was a very slick performance, full of vitality and energy and the pace never slackened throughout.

Paul Norton was back in his familiar role as director for St Brendan's. His ability to draw the best out of the young cast ensures the high standard set by previous productions in the school is always maintained. This year was no different as the cast were very well schooled and carried off the production seamlessly.

Enda O'Connor has long been acknowledged as the driving force behind the school musicals in St Brendan's and once again under his tutelage there was no slippage in standards on this occasion. He had a good orchestra under his baton and they provided the backdrop for a musical trip down memory lane.

Julieanne McNamara was in charge of choreography once more and she utilised the vast space on the big stage at her disposal to the maximum. Some of the big routines, such as 'Here I Go Again', 'The Final Countdown' and 'Don't Stop Believing' were really eyecatching and the cast performed them admirably and overall the movement and dance was wonderful.

The main actors were very strong and contributed immensely to the overall performance. The part of Drew was played by Sebastian Lagace while the role of Sherrie was played by Cushla King and both did very well. Sebastian had good presence on the stage and he got the spirit of the character right. He sang well and combined well with Sherrie.

Cushla displayed a wonderful singing voice as evidenced by her rendition of sings like Exteme's 'More Than Words' and Asia's 'Heat of the Moment' to name just two, but she was also very natural in the role and came across very strongly.

The role of Dennis Dupree was played by Dinny Kelly. Dennis is owner of the Dupree Room which is under threat of closure and with the wig and costume, Dinny captured the spirit of such a character from the late 1980s and it was a good acting performance.

Kayode Agboola as Lonny captured the hearts of the audience. He was part narrator as well as being part of the scene at the Dupree Room and Kayode's all action performance was a treat. His duet with Dennis of REO Speedwagon's 'I can't fight this feeling' was wonderfully played by both of them and one of the highlights of the night.

The role of Stacee Jaxx was filled by Reece Swanepoel. He captured the essence of the rock and roll star fighting his demons like so many did and gave a strong all round performance.

Eabha McDowall played Justice, who takes Sherrie under her wing when she finds herself abandoned. Eabha displayed great confidence on stage and had great stage presence. She also sang very well in a strong portrayal of the character.

Anita was one of the protest leaders against the closure of the Dupree Room and Molly Hunt played this part with great conviction. Her performance of 'We're not gonna take it' with the ensemble showed another strong singer.

The mother and son partnership of Hilda and Franz Klinemann was played by Caitlin O'Neill and Adam O'Donovan respectively and both were very strong performances. Hilda is behind the development for the new mall and wants the Dupree Room closed and Caitlin depicted a feisty character determined to get her way with great assurance and command.

Adam's portrayal of Franz was beautifully performed as he displayed wonderful acting ability and command of the stage. He got the spirit of the character spot on and was a real favourite with the audience.

There were many other strong back up roles as well. Andre Mulcahy Vegas as John Bovi and Matthew Ryan as Joey Primo looked the part of the hard rockers, while Harry Crowley gave a colourful portrayal of Ja'Keith, a music promoter.

The three Waitresses, Kirsten Ashe, Stephanie Qugan and Lucy Crowley, combined effectively together and sang and danced very well, while Ava O'Toole gave a lovely performance as The Mayor, taken in by a suitcase full of money!

Lauren Milne (Producer), Lucy Shanahan (Constance) and Jack Collins and Kayla Shalloe (Sherrie's parents) all did fine jobs in their roles and contributed to the overall performance.

It was a hugely enjoyable night that brought the audience back to an era almost 40 years ago and it will go down as another success for St Brendan's students.

Cast

Sherrie – Cushla King; Drew – Sebastian Lagace; Dennis Dupree – Dinny Kelly; Lonny – Kayode Agboola; Ja'Keith – Harry Crowley; Joey Primo – Matthew Ryan; Stacee Jaxx – Reece Swanepoel; Justice – Eabha McDowall; Anita – Molly Hunt; Producer – Lauren Milne; Sherrie's Father – Jack Collins; Sherrie's Mother – Kayla Shalloe; Franz Klinemann – Adam O'Donovan; Hilda Klinemann – Caitlin O'Neill; Constance – Lucy Shanahan; Jon Bovi – Andre Mulcahy Vegas; The Mayor – Ava O'Toole; Waitress #1 – Kirsten Ashe; Waitress #2 – Stephanie Quegan; Waitress #3 – Lucy Crowley.

Senior Ensemble – Alexia Albu, Maia Alves Smyth, Elmyra Barkovskyte, Faye Bennett Bergin, Oscar Boyd, Caragh Brophy, Abi Browne, Aoibhinn Burke, Aoife Burke, Clodagh Byrne, Katie Delaney, Meadbh Dooley, Callum Dywer, Josie Flanagan, Dara Franks, Siofra Ginty, Maeve Hanniffy, Grace Harte, Isabelle Harvey, Emer Hoyne, Madison Hudson, Laura Kennedy, Emma Kirwan, Julia Klisiewicz, Diarmuid Liffey, Alex Loughnane, Sadie Makim, Eve Maloney, Cara Mannion, Caitlin McAteer, Aibhe McDowell, Alfie McGrath, Ava McLoughlin, Pat Mulrooney, Claire Murphy, Ellen Nolan, Mia O'Donnell, Grace O'Hare, Aimee O'Keeffe, Aoife Owens, Harry Reynolds, Gerard Russell, Alison Ryan, Siobhan Ryan, Abbie Sheppard, Alexa Sinkevic, Sofia Slesareva, Katie Standish, Sarah Tierney, Ciara Walshe.

Junior Ensemble – Aisling Boyd, Shane Bradley, Millie-Eve Cooney, Anastasia D'Costa, Aisling Farrell, Darragh Hand, Kate Harris, Mollie King, Ryan Lagace, Tess Liffey, Shane Milne, Isaac Mullarkey, Bronagh Mulrooney, Cronan Murphy, Laoise Phelan, Ceola Scully, Ben Swanepoel.

Production Credits

Director - Mr P. Norton; Musical Director - Mr E. O'Connor; Choreographer - Ms J. McNamara; Assistant Musical Director - Ms V. Greer; Production Co-Ordinator - Mr E. O'Connor, Production Assistants – Ms R. Corboy, Ms A O'Hara.