Review: ‘Rock Of Ages’ at Grimsby Auditorium

The raunchy, tongue-in-cheek hit musical is being performed at the town’s Auditorium this week (Tuesday February 5 - Saturday February 9) and features none other than Grimsby’s very own Strictly Come Dancing star Kevin Clifton - singing and dancing as you have never seen him before!

A note for the faint of heart: Kevin’s antics on stage this week - in the role of self-indulgent rock star Stacee Jaxx, the unwitting villain who throws a spanner in the works of the blossoming romance between lead characters Drew and Sherrie - is a far cry from the quicksteps and foxtrots that you might be used to watching him perform on television.

The show overall is a wonderful parody of the 1980s glam rock scene, telling both the aforementioned love story and a community’s heartfelt efforts to save their beloved ‘Bourbon Room’ a bar in Sunset Strip, which is at serious risk of demolition thanks to some dodgy dealings between a pair of scheming German real estate developers and the local mayor.

You may be surprised to learn that the owner of the Bourbon Room, ‘Dennis’, is portrayed by former Coronation Street star Kevin Kennedy - a.k.a. Curly Watts!

Rock Of Ages would be incomplete without the fantastic story-telling of sassy narrator Lonny (Adam Strong), who guides the audience through the tale’s twists and turns with brilliant comic timing, frequently ‘breaking the fourth wall’ to indulge in a bit of light-hearted teasing of the front row, and to ridicule the deliberate transparency of the plot.

The show’s brilliant production, the star-studded cast, and live rock band - performing songs from the likes of Journey, Starship, Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, Europe and Poison - guarantees an evening of cheeky, nostalgic fun that will have you laughing out loud and rockin’ along in equal measure... with ‘Kevin from Grimsby’s homecoming being the icing on the cake.

Visit https://grimsbyauditorium.org.uk/show/rock-of-ages/ to book your tickets for £16-£36 each (Thursday evening and Saturday daytime) or £19-£40 each (Friday evening and Saturday evening). Premium seats are also available for £40 and £44 respectively.

Alternatively, call the Auditorium’s box office on 0300 300 0035.

The show is not suitable for children under the age of 14.