A buzzing full-house filled the Cabot Theatre for Skylight’s opening night performance of School of Rock on Friday.
Four-time Tony-nominated musical School of Rock follows Dewey Finn, a wannabe rockstar living rent-free in his friend Ned Schneebly’s house years after their time in a band together. Finn gets kicked out of his new band right before the Battle of the Bands, and when Schneebly’s girlfriend gives Finn an ultimatum about paying up on rent or getting out, he takes advantage of an opportunity to get paid handsomely to substitute teach at a nearby prep-school. The only thing is, the school thinks he’s Schneebly, who’s an actual substitute teacher. Finn quickly learns that the uptight prep school kids have real musical talent, so he puts together a band of kids to compete in the Battle of the Bands.
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Finn (Joey Sanzaro) lit up the stage with his big, clumsy personality and awkward charm. Sanzaro brought energy and humor to the character, notably his facial expressions and physical comedy. He leaned into vibes of the Jack Black version of the character from the 2003 movie, but also made the role his own. His performance of “You’re in the Band” and his acapella version of “In the End of Time” were both standout!
The real stars of the show, though, were the kids. They stole the stage and brought so much talent that it’s kind of unbelievable. Zack (Elias Totleben), Freddy (Azure Schroeder), Katie (Annalise Nordstrom) and Lauren (Malia Brunner) played their instruments live the entire show – Totleben just absolutely shredding the guitar, Nordstrom rocking the bass, Brunner jamming on the keys and Schroeder absolutely owning the drums. It really made me think about what I was doing at 10, 12, 14 years old, and sure I was cool (was I?) but these kids are capital “C” Cool. They kicked butt, and I feel honored to have gotten to see them shine.
And oh my gosh. Y’all. Tomika’s (Kyla Andreson) voice made my jaw drop. The crowd went absolutely wild for her vocals. I can’t wait to see where she goes, because I have a feeling she’s going far. And the band’s manager, Summer (Emilia Kosek) brought all the sass, cuteness and girl power to her role. Her solo at the beginning of Act II was fantastic and she really owned the stage.
The kids ensemble was adorable, but they were also so powerful! My favorite number was “Stick it to the Man,” with Finn and the students. In it, you get to see the different students speak about what makes them angry – their parents not listening to them, all the pressure they feel and so on – and they become empowered as they sing and dance throughout. I was so happy to see the song was reprised later in the show, because I truly couldn’t get enough.
Some other notable moments: Schneebly’s (Jake Horstmeier) Guitar Hero dance (literally go to the show to see the wild dances this guy does – all legs!); the principal Rosalie Mullins’ (Stephanie Staszak) performance of “Where Did the Rock Go,” which was just beautiful; and every time we see the adult ensemble, who played the parents and teachers, bringing fun personalities to each of their roles.
There were some technical difficulties opening night – mostly the mics not turning on sometimes until halfway through some of the kids’ lines. It was a minor issue at first, but when it persisted after intermission, it did become pretty frustrating, and I’m sure it made it difficult for anyone who doesn’t have great hearing to understand parts of the show. I hope Skylight worked to get those issues fixed in the performances since opening night.
Overall, the show was high-energy, fun and absolutely entertaining from start to finish. I couldn’t help but to jam along and dance in my seat with a lot of the songs, and I definitely was whooping along with the audience as the kids took the stage and showed the world just how talented they are. The standing ovation at the end was well-deserved, and I honestly wish I could go see the show for the first time again.
School of Rock runs through Dec. 30. Tickets are available at Skylight Music Theatre’s website.
