It’s September and school is back in session. That means a brand new Broadway season at the Wharton Center, which kicked things off with a (head)bang with the arrival of “School of Rock.” The production’s East Lansing tour stop runs now through September 23, 2018.
Get your rock fingers ready and put on your best concert tee, because “School of Rock” will be one of the most fun Broadway shows you’ll experience. Yes, there are some ballads and vocal acrobatics that are a part of most musicals, but make no mistake about it: this show is also a rock concert, complete with guitar picks flying into the audience, smoke machines, and shredding solos.
Based on the 2003 film starring Jack Black, “School of Rock” features music from Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and a book by Julian Fellowes. The story centers on Dewey Finn, a jobless, shlubby guitarist who gets kicked out of his band before assuming the identity of his roommate in order to become a substitute teacher at the prestigious prep school Horace Green. Dewey has no interest in teaching the privileged fifth graders in his classroom until he realizes their musical talents; he secretly forms a band with his students in order to compete in a Battle of the Bands contest. Continue reading “Review: “School of Rock” is a rocking good time”