Being a proper Millennial and child/teen of the '00s, I have an honest love and appreciation for the classic Jack Black comedy School of Rock. Due to that, I absolutely did roll my eyes and question why the already great movie needed to be turned into a Broadway musical. Finding out it was written by the ingenious Andrew Lloyd Webber definitely quelled some of my fears before seeing it for myself, and I can say while it was a fun, high energy show, I've still seen better musicals by a long shot.
School of Rock is a musical with music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, lyrics by Glenn Slater, and book by Julian Fellowes. Based on the 2003 film of the same name written by Mike White, the show opened in 2015 at the Winter Garden Theatre (located on Broadway proper), where it remained in residence until 2019 after over 1,300 performances. The show has also seen success in London's West End District, Austria, and Japan, along with national tours in the U.S. and the U.K. and Ireland. The original Broadway run was nominated for four Tonys, unfortunately walking away with no wins from that ceremony. The original West End production did end up winning an Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music in 2017. One of the best facts about this show, however, may be that Jack Black himself went to a show and visited the cast backstage to let them know how much he loved it.
For this post, I will as usual focus on one song for each main cast member from the original Broadway cast recording. This time, though, I won't be doing honorable mentions just because the music in this show didn't grip me the way others have. Warning: potential spoilers ahead.
Dewey Finn (Tenor)
Spotlight Song: When I Climb to the Top of Mount Rock
Original Broadway Cast (2015): Alex Brightman
Dewey is the heart and soul of this show, and Jack Black definitely left some big shoes to fill for this role. Alex Brightman proved he had what it took to properly bring this character to the stage, and his chaotic energy has helped land him other iconic roles after this, such as Broadway's original Beetlejuice four years later. Dewey's a major man child, that can't be denied, but his growth throughout the show and how much he grows to love his students are a true pillar for what this story is actually about: finding yourself. Act I opener When I Climb to the Top of Mount Rock not only showcases Brightman's stellar vocals, but also sets the stage for the crazy, lovable rock festival we're about to head into as an audience. We love that Lloyd Webber can not only write sweeping, dramatic Broadway classics, but also some pretty bad ass rock music as well.
I'll be strumming my axe in a basement dive with my totally kick-ass band/When an army of A&R men will arrive with pens and contracts in hand/And they'll whisk me away in a big, black car and the record execs and the girls from PR/They'll know from the start what a major league star I will be, just wait and see/When I climb to the top of Mount Rock and I'm there, staring down from the heights/With the crowd at my feet and a 7-inch bulge and my lizard skin spandex tights/I’ll dive off the edge straight into a crowd that's screaming my name out loud/And the gates will unlock at the top of Mount Rock
Rosalie Mullins (Soprano)
Spotlight Song: Where Did the Rock Go
Original Broadway Cast (2015): Sierra Boggess
Rosalie, played in the original film by the one and only Joan Cusack, is your classic stiff, prim and proper lead female who gradually lets her hair down and shows off how cool she is by the end of the story, which was so common in films in the early 2000s but is admittedly a little tired nowadays in the 2020s. Sierra Boggess, a Lloyd Webber show veteran, shines as you would expect a former Christine Daae to do with her beautiful, clean vocals getting the audience to emotionally connect with her character. Unlike Dewey, it's not exactly that Rosalie doesn't really know who she is, but rather she's forgotten her true self under the guise of her polished, stuffy outward appearance she puts on for her job as private school headmistress. Act II's Where Did the Rock Go is a pretty standard musical ballad as far as the genre goes, but it's still nice to listen to and does a good job relating us to this main character. It's nowhere near as awesome as Jack Black and Joan Cusack jamming out to Stevie Nicks in the movie, but it's still pretty good.
Back when I was younger, wild and bold and free/I can still remember how the music used to be/Chords like rolling thunder, loud beyond control/Every note and lyric branded right across my soul/Where did the rock go, where's the rush of those electric guitars/Where are all those voices raised in heaven blazing down like shooting stars/Tell me, where is the passion, where's the rattle and the roar and the buzz/Where do last year's one-hit wonders go to/And what happened to the girl I was
Ned Schneebly (Baritone)
Spotlight Song: Variation 7 / Children of Rock
Original Broadway Cast (2015): Spencer Moses
Ned, played in the original film by the story's writer Mike White, is the decidedly more timid half of the best friend duo between himself and Dewey. Having been forced to "grow up" and give up his rock & roll dreams (and change pretty much every aspect of himself) by his girlfriend, you simultaneously want to empathize with and slap him. While it's a million percent wrong that Dewey impersonates him to get the substitute teaching job, we can thank him for helping set our story in motion since it literally wouldn't have happened without him. Act I's Variation 7 / Children of Rock is a spirited duet between Dewey and Ned, played here by Spencer Moses, as Dewey tries to convince Ned to get their act back together to enter and win the upcoming Battle of the Bands. Moses and Brightman's voices blend together extremely well and create fun hard rock banger in the midst of this show.
Picture the mayhem, I see it all/Maggot Death Mania, fans going off the walls/Amps overloading, energy exploding, us, being monsters of rock/Place feeling hectic, atmosphere electric, dude, we’ll be giants of rock/Raging and reeling, don’t ya miss the feeling, we could be titans of rock/Full throttle jamming, hardcore body slamming, death metal Children of Rock/And when it’s over, one mighty roar/10,000 voices, begging for just one more
Patty Di Marco (Mezzo-Soprano)
Spotlight Song: Give up Your Dreams
Original Broadway Cast (2015): Mamie Parris
Patty, played in the original film by comedic legend Sarah Silverman, is undoubtedly the physical antagonist of this show even if she doesn't have a huge amount of stage time. Refusing to allow her boyfriend Ned to think for himself while constantly berating him for being a doormat, she's honestly just a total bitch, even seen through someone other than Dewey's eyes. Mamie Parris does a great job at showing that in this character right off the bat, making us hate her the minute she opens her mouth. Act I's Give up Your Dreams is, to Patty and definitely other real life examples, a long overdue wakeup call to her boyfriend's loser of a bestie that she wants out of her apartment and, overall, her world. To the rest of us, she's cruel, intentionally mean just for the sake of it, and cares about no one else's dreams except her own.
You’ve always been a dreamer, you’ve always aimed so high/It’s truly been inspiring to see/And so we wanna give you a little free advice/And we mean this with complete sincerity/Give up your dreams, your dreams are lame and weak/Can’t you see you’re talent-free, you sad, deluded freak/Time’s up, you loser, and soon you’ll have to pay/Sound the vinyl, pawn the amps, and put your little dreams away
The Students (Various Vocal Parts)
Spotlight Song: Stick It to the Man
Original Broadway Cast (2015): Isabella Russo, Bobbi MacKenzie, Brandon Niederauer, Jared Parker, Dante Melucci, Evie Dolan, Taylor Caldwell, Carly Gendell, Luca Padovan, Ethan Khusidman, Jersey Sullivan, Corinne Wilson, & Shahidi Wright Joseph
The students (Summer, Tomika, Zack, Lawrence, Freddy, Katie, Shonelle, Marcy, Billy, Mason, James, Sophie, and Madison) are every bit as important to this show as Dewey, and as a music teacher myself I love watching their relationships with their teacher grow throughout the story. Knowing they recruited through real life School of Rock programs from around the country is so awesome, and such an awesome opportunity for these young talents. The Students are so much fun to watch both in the show as well as the original film (where the actors included the likes of an 11-year-old Miranda Cosgrove), and their energy aas they starat to come into their own and grow their confidence is contagious. Act I's Stick It to the Man is probably the best song in the show, at least in my opinion, largely because of how much fun everyone sounds like they're having. It's a verifiable banger, and really takes a huge step for both the Students and Dewey's character development.
When the world has screwed you and crushed you in its fist/When the way you're treated has got you good and pissed/There's been one solution since the world began/Don't just sit and take it, stick it to the man/Rant and rave and scream and shout, get all of your aggression out/They try to stop you, let 'em know exactly where they all could go/And do it just as loudly as you can/Stick it to the man/Parents overwork ya, stick it to the man/Hate the way they jerk ya, stick it to the man/Tired of the system, stick it to the man/Rise up and resist them, stick it to the man
Whether or not you've seen the movie, the show, or both, School of Rock is such a fun experience that I encourage you to try out for yourself. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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