School of Rock. Photos: Viktor Vella
School of Rock‘s Stick it to the Man is quite possible the most unlikely rebel cry to have ever seen the sound of day in any theatre. There – I said it. And yet, debatable as its anti-establishment credentials may be, this doesn’t mean that I’m above shouting along to the chorus with gusto. Which is exactly what I was looking forward to doing during Revamp.mt’s largescale production which is currently running at the Mediterranean Conference Centre (MCC) in Valletta.
Here are a few practical details about the show before I move on to the question of whether the Maltese theatre production helped me hit that happy zone where I don’t care about the foolish irony of screaming Stick if to the Man while seated in a lavish conference centre that’s the opposite of anti-establishment.
Table of Contents
School of Rock details
| Play | School of Rock |
| My rating | ⭐⭐⭐🌟(3.5/5) |
| Composer | Andrew Lloyd Weber |
| Book | Julian Fellows |
| Lyrics | Glenn Slater |
| Director | Dorothy Bezzina |
| Musical Director | Edward Mifsud |
| Executive producer | Revamp.mt |
| Main Cast | James Ryder, Natassja Chapman, Alessio Buhagiar, Bertha Farrugia, Rachel Elizabeth Grech, Leah Grech, Michela Caruana, Jamie Sciberras, Matthias Zarb, James Papargiorcopulo, Jack Cauchi, Zelenio Zarb, Samwel Cremona, Elena Talya Zarb, Kristina Asia Garzia, Jack Hammett, Julian Zammit, Keira Farrugia, Kay Zammit, Mia Castagna, Nina Pearl Debattista, Ellie Galea Vella, Michela Deguara, |
| Band | Maria-Elena Farrugia, Steve Buttigieg, Luke Grech, Jason Spiteri, Chris Gatt, Shaun Abdilla, Robert Spiteri, Stefania Farrugia, Kyra Lautier, Cassandra Scerri, Matt Caruana |
| Choreographer | Samaria Bezzina |
| Dates | October 10, 11, 12 |
| Content warnings | None |
| Venue | Mediterranean Conference Centre |
| Duration | 3 hours including 15 min interval |
| Language | English |
School of Rock – the narrative
School of Rock comes with a plot that doesn’t exactly rock the boat, if you’ll pardon the pun. The narrative delivers what it promises,a 100% feel-good buzz, no alarms and no surprises. A ne’er do well with a Peter Pan syndrome impersonates his bestie to take up a teaching role for all the wrong reasons. Cue redemption, genuine bonding with the students and lessons learnt, with a potential for love.
Unlike, say, Into The Woods, School of Rock brings no hint of jeopardy or darkness. We all know that this is going towards happiness, and we’re all here rooting for it. The musical was written in 2013 and the film it’s based on in 2005, but the material isn’t dated. The formula is evergreen. The biggest banger in the book is undoubtedly Stick it to the Man, followed by Queen of the Night.
I did enjoy the nods to current pop culture, with Labubus earning a maligned mention, and a snide remark about Botox – though not quite sure why the reference was made towards the mother, given that men are equally keen on cosmetic enhancements. On that note, I also didn’t appreciate the stereotype casting of Patty (the bestie’s girlfriend) as the semi villain – neither in the original material, nor in this iteration. The joke possibly worked in the early noughties, but honestly, it’s time to retire it and to rework this part of the plot.
The cast
James Ryder took on the protagonist role of Dewey, the afore-mentioned unemployed, wannabe rockstar who has taken up permanent rent-free residence at the apartment of his best friend Ned and his girlfriend Patty. While being fully aware that this can be a double-edged compliment, I’ll say that Ryder inhabits the role extremely comfortably. He delivers a very natural Dewey, almost giving the impression that we’re actually eavesdropping on a actual conversation between friends. There are no fake affectations, accents, or anything that suggests he may be trying too hard – which is exactly what I want to see in a main role.
Ryder is an excellent performer, but his voice is not the most outstanding feature of his considerable portfolio of talents. An outstanding voice is, however, kind of necessary for the role. Ryder does acquit himself well, but a stronger singer would probably have had more impact with numbers like Stick if to the Man. Normally I’d be far more critical of this – a lot of the success of homegrown musicals like Il-Każin tal-Imqarbin, for instance, hinges on the fact that all four protagnists have a voice that can carry the plot. But Ryder’s charisma and affinity for the role is such that he makes it easy to forgive.
As far as vocal prowess is concerned, the opposite is true for soprano Natassja Chapman, who takes on the role of Ms Mullins and who stuns with her magnificent operatic voice. The interplay between her and Ryder, as she sings part of the iconic aria ‘Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart ‘ from The Magic Flute – while he warbles along – is one of the highlights of the show. A well-deserved shoutout to Alessio Buhagiar’s Ned Schneebly, who nails the transformation from put-upon boyfriend to “Satanic sex god”. Very reminiscent of Rent‘s Mark Cohen, though not as prominent a role. Bertha Farrugia as Patti De Marco, Ned’s girlfriend, also made a strong impact.
School of Rock included an outstanding ensemble of student performers, with two rotating casts – the comments here refer to the cast of October 10. There really isn’t much to criticise here as, on the night I was reviewing, I found an excellent crop of talent that hopefully will be dominating the Maltese musical theatre landscape in coming years.
Kay Zammit in the role of Tomika shone brightest of all and she more than did justice to the vocal demands of her role. What a voice and what a performer at such a young age, also nailing the transformation from quiet ‘wallflower’ to a leading lady. Michela Caruana’s Summer brings us an equally remarkable, if more nuanced, transformation – from a rigid over-achiever, to a more effective, more human leader.
Matthias Zarb, whom I last saw in the title role of Oliver! The Musical, didn’t have a particularly large role here as Zack Mooneyham. But the scene where he confronts his father towards the end had the right level of emotion, and he also stood out for his part in If Only You Would Listen.
Direction, music and staging
School of Rock was directed by Dorothy Bezzina with Edward Mifsud as musical director. Much like with the recent Amelie – The Musical, Bezzina executed her vision very well, with strong pacing that made the three-hour stint a breeze – a stark contrast from productions like The Full Monty, which faltered in this regard. I particularly enjoyed the way that she turned the MCC seating into a concert arena to great effect for the finale. As the parents ‘stormed’ the stalls and the student ensemble who weren’t ‘on duty’ on the night took over the front row of the dress circle, the transformation was credible and well-supported by lighting and sound. Musical direction was likewise on point – never out of sync and no notes dropped.
A word about the lighting. There were three or four occasions when these almost blinded the audience in the dress circle. I find this to be very common in productions in Malta – I experienced it in Lupu/Nagħġa and to a lesser extent (although audiences told me that the issue was fixed after the first night) in Wait Until Dark. I understand the need to make a strong statement, but if I’m uncomfortable enough to have to close my eyes at any stage then this is a problem.
Revamp.mt’s School of Rock – verdict
If a lovely evening with superb entertainment, a guaranteed feel-good factor and a solid spectacle is what you’re after, School of Rock delivers beautifully. It was evident that the audience, including myself, was having a blast and we tapped our feet, booed, sang along and clapped happily.
Apart from Chapman’s and Zammit’s considerable vocal talent, there were no particularly memorable moments to catapult this musical into the annals of most outstanding local productions. But sometimes, a relaxed evening enjoying a good performance is enough, and this was one of these evenings. There aren’t many tickets left, but if you’re looking for a fun night out, with or without the fam, go for it.
Affiliate/Advertising Disclaimer: How I Carry Out Reviews
I received no payment for this School of Rock review and I was offered press tickets. The opinions expressed here are purely my own and the producers had no input/control over what I wrote. There are no affiliate links contained within this page. To learn more about my policies and my reviewing process, visit my Affiliate/Advertising disclosure page. To better understand what my rating means, check out the details of the star system.
