Review of School of Rock
by Waverly W. and Gavin M., 8 years old
foto_no_exif-126Waverly here!  What would you do if your teacher said you could have recess all the time?  If that sounds good to you (like it does to me!), you should definitely go see School of Rock on Broadway! 

Dewey (played by Eric Petersen) is a loser who lives on his friend’s couch.  He has no job, no money, and even loses his band right at the start of the show.  That is not good for his big dream, to win the Battle of the Bands.  Once day he picks up the phone and ends up pretending he is his roommate Ned and getting a job as a substitute teacher at fancy school Horace Green.  Uh-oh….

Let’s just say he doesn’t get off to a good start.  He even spelled his own name (well, his fake name) wrong!  Then he asked all the students for food and said he had a hangover!  All the kids, especially a super smart girl named Summer, are not exactly happy with their substitute teacher, even though he said they could have recess all the time!

That changes when he hears them playing music at band class, and he gets a big idea. He starts to teach them about music and then forms a band.  Here is where I should tell you that all the actors on the stage are really playing the instruments!  I couldn’t believe it, they are so talented!   The band is called “The School of Rock” and even the kids who don’t play are members, for example, Summer is the Manager.  

ALEXANDKIDS
The School of Rock – yep, they’re REALLY PLAYING! Photo credit: Matthew Murphy

That’s the basic story, but of course we can’t tell you the rest!  I can tell you that you will like going to THIS school WAY MORE than you will like going to regular school, that is for sure.  The kids are AMAZING, especially guitarist Brandon Niederauer, who plays Zack, and Amadi Chapata, who plays Tomika – a student who barely talks until…well, you’ll see!!  My favorite parts were when Summer (played by Olivia Chung) sang “It’s Time to Play” and also the best song that I still keep singing (but my mom says not so sing it in school!!) the song “Stick it to the Man.”  I also liked when all the kids sang “If Only You Would Listen.” I think all kids will feel the same way as that song makes you feel.

The_Childrens_Ensemble_of_School_of_Rock_-_The_Musical_Photo_by_Matthew_Murphy
Stickin’ it to the Man!! Photo credit: Matthew Murphy

Gavin here!  School of Rock ROCKS!!!  You have to see it.  The music is awesome and the story is really interesting and funny.  I really wish I could go to the School of Rock for real.  I also loved “Stick it to The Man,” and the part where Dewey formed The School of Rock and chose all the band members.  It gave all the kid actors a chance to show the audience what they can do! That song was called, “You’re in the Band” and it was really exciting to watch as he let the kids play their instruments and show off  (Waverly here! I liked that one a lot, too!).  The audience was going wild at this part! I want to go again and this time take my brother.  He will love it as much as I did!  And so will you…

Back to Waverly! This show really makes you think about your own talents and how everyone has something they can do well.  It turns out that Dewey was not such a loser after all.  He followed his heart and ended up doing something great even in a place where he did not fit in at all.  Every single song is fun and there are absolutely NO boring parts in this show!  So go tell your mom and dad that you really want to go to school.  School of Rock, that is!

The Mom Here!  Honestly, Wave’s not the only one who’s still singing “Stick it to The Man!”  The actors are all incredible and all the work those kids do is truly awesome and inspiring.  If you’re looking for a show that will definitely appeal to both adults and children, and if you have a hidden Stevie Nicks inside of you (don’t we all?) – go back to school.  School of Rock, that is!

For more info:
Instagram/Twitter: @sormusical
Facebook: @schoolofrockbway

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Rock on…