Theater Review - The History of Rock n’ Roll: Roll over, Van Halen
Lessons learned at Dad’s Garage’s Top Shelf space
Rule of thumb: If you arrive at a show and someone gives you earplugs, take them. The History of Rock n’ Roll cranks up some high-decibel tunes from the cover band “Flyght Rysk,” which reverberate even more loudly in the close quarters of Dad’s Garage Top Shelf Space.
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In truth, you’ll probably be able to enjoy the show without ear protection, because Flyght Rysk performs just a handful of songs, chosen mostly for nostalgia, kitsch and head-banging potential. Instead, The History of Rock n’ Roll’s set list consists mostly of comedy bits and personal reminiscences. Directed by Mike Katinsky, History satisfies less as a conventional stage play than as a laugh-out-loud evocation of one of those endless adolescent nights in the rec room, hanging out with friends and rocking out to the record player.
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Conceived by Flyght Rysk guitarist Chris Blair, History presents amusing riffs on our collective experience with rock music and what it can mean to people, particularly young ones. Singer Z Gillispie, bassist Mike Schatz, drummer Jen Lowe and Blair share memories of discovering rock ‘n’ roll, some of which are surprisingly affecting. Blair offers a hilarious account of going to insane lengths to win U2 tickets from a Florida radio station, while Gillispie offers a humorous yet surprisingly touching tale of connecting to rock music at Southern Baptist Bible Camp.
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With occasional musical interludes, the members of Flyght Rysk offer straight-up comedy routines worthy of the likes of David Letterman or Conan O’Brien, such as Gillispie’s PowerPoint-style presentation and the audience-participation game show “Who Wants to Be a Rock Star?” Stumbling only a little through transitions, they walk the audience through dying aspects of the rock experience, such as the importance of rock-album art and the ingredients of the quintessential arena show. History features more shtick than it needs and succumbs to some second-act sag, but it’s nothing a little judicious cutting won’t fix. (Besides, the overage can be saved for the obscure British B-sides.)
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As musicians, Flyght Rysk’s members may bring the perfect level of raw enthusiasm and rock-god gestures, such as Gillispie’s midair split à la David Lee Roth during “Panama.” Perhaps the comic highlight comes in a discussion of the “unplugged” phenomenon, which features an acoustic, Dave Matthews-style performance of possibly the dumbest rock song of 1983 (to reveal more would be a crime equal to illegal music downloading). Flyght Rysk may not be the greatest band in the world, but it leaves History’s audience calling for at least one more encore.
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The History of Rock n’ Roll. Through May 26. $15. Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. Dad’s Garage Theatre, Top Shelf Theatre, 280 Elizabeth St. 404-523-3141. www.dadsgarage.com.