School Of Rock At Alexandra Theatre, Birmingham Review

Reviewed by Liz Squires

A 2016 adaptation of the totally rock and roll hit movie, “School or Rock” starring Jake Sharpe as the unscrupulous Dewey Finn, where he impersonates his friend and house mate (Ned Schneebly), as a teacher at the prestigious private school Horace Green. His journey through to the ‘Battle of the Bands’ sees Dewey crossing paths with the fiery, Stevie Nicks, loving, principal, Miss Mullin (Rebecca Lock). Being “touched by his class and touching all of the students in his class”, he impacts greatly on the personal and educational lives of the children in his care. He teaches them to build their own confidence and to stick it to the man. Breaking down barriers of communication between children and their self-absorbed, stubborn and inconsiderate parents. Backed by a host of fun, colourful and diverse characters. This show is by far the best show I have seen to date. With awe inspiring talent from young up and coming stars such as Eva Mcgrath, Logan Matthews, and Angel Lucero. Andrew Lloyd Webber has out done himself with this production.

The set was interchangeable and well presented, the attention to detail was impeccable, with every detail considered, right down to distant chanting. The costumes were wonderful, even though the majority was school uniform. There is some choice language used that I was not expecting my 9-year-old to hear in a production. However, it was not overbearing and was not crude.

As a drummer and a lover of music I left the show completely motivated to get back on to my kit and bust out some rock anthems of my own. I was hoping it would inspire my son but it inspired me more than anything.

The Alexandra is a short walk away from a multitude of NCP carparks including New Street, Town Hall and Grand Central Station. I made the mistake of using the venue post code rather than directing myself to the nearest carpark when I first visited the venue.

There are lots of roadworks around the venue at the minute, so I would advise leaving plenty of time to navigate them when considering your journey times. The show is roughly 2 hours and 30 minutes including a 20 minute interval.

The covid measures in place are very thorough, you will need your covid pass, a negative PCR or evidence of vaccination before you can enter the building. Masks are to be worn inside the bar and foyer areas, and hand sanitiser is dotted all over the venue.

Toilets were clean and accessible from inside the theatre and there is a number of refreshment areas both upstairs and near the Stalls. On my last visit I was able to order refreshments from my seat, but unfortunately on this occasion that was not a possibility which would have been more ideal considering I had my son with me at the time. Refreshment prices are fair for a theatre and in-line with what I would expect with 2 small pots of crisps a bottle of water and a bottle of fizzy pop costing £12.

Rating: 5/5

The School of Rock is at:
The Alexandra Theatre
Suffolk Queensway
Birmingham
B5 4DS

From Mon 31st January 2022 – Sat 5th February 2022

Remaining tour dates and venues can be found here https://www.atgtickets.com/shows/school-of-rock/the-alexandra-theatre-birmingham/ where you can purchase tickets directly, prices vary from £13 plus £3.65 transaction fee.