It’s time to take some new lessons in rock

“They are so inspiring to a new generation,” raves Jake Sharp, who stars as renegade music teacher Dewey Finn in the first ever UK and Ireland touring production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s smash hit musical.

“Lots of them have previously come to see the show and now they’re in it. The energy that they bring, the natural energy that young people have, is amazing and it’s a complete pleasure being on stage with them. It keeps the show real and raw all the time.”

Having previously played Dewey in the West End, the actor also feels School of Rock is the perfect show for right now. “It’s completely joyous,” he says. “It’s inclusive, positive and optimistic, which is what we all need after everything we’ve been through recently.”

Associate director Chris Keys, who has been with the show since it opened at the New London Theatre (now the Gillian Lynne Theatre) in 2016, couldn’t agree more, saying: “There’s such a feel-good factor to it. With theatres having been closed for so long, it’s great escapism. It’s fun, it’s funny and it really demonstrates the sheer power of music, for the characters in the show and also for giving audiences such an entertaining evening out.”

Based on the 2003 film starring Jack Black, the Olivier Award-winning musical follows wannabe rockstar Dewey as he poses as a substitute teacher at the prestigious Horace Green School and transforms a diverse bunch of students into a brilliant rock band – with three musical numbers from the film featured alongside 14 original Lloyd Webber compositions.

With a book by Julian Fellowes, the stage version is very true to the movie. “It’s got the same high-energy spirit and fans will recognise a lot of the lines and plot points,” Chris notes. “But we go more in-depth into the backstories of the children. You see why they need Dewey Finn in their lives and how it changes them as much as it changes him.”

Lloyd Webber’s wife Madeleine first discovered the School of Rock film when the couple’s three then-young children showed it to her in 2006. She fell in love with what she saw as “a charming, funny, irreverent” story about music empowering kids and adults and convinced Andrew that they should buy the rights to it.

Madeleine wrote to the studio, Paramount Pictures, and they turned her down. But she persisted and six years later got the go-ahead, with Lloyd Webber settling on Fellowes (of Gosford Park and Downton Abbey fame) to write the book because of his skills as a storyteller.

The musical had its world premiere at the Winter Garden Theatre, New York, in 2015 and was an instant hit, returning the composer to the rock roots of his 1970 smash Jesus Christ Superstar.

And like the first Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice collaboration Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in 1968 it showcases young performers, 42 of them in fact.

The cast features 19 adults, including four principals, and 12 youngsters rocking out at each performance – with the latter rotating across the tour and standbys always waiting in the wings, hence those 42 children on the roster. And the young rockers play all their own instruments completely live, highlighting Lloyd Webber’s passion about music in general and how it enriches the young in particular.

“One of the messages he would always instil when he was talking about this production initially was how he wanted the government to support music and the arts,” says Chris Keys, “so that every child has the opportunity to pick up an instrument, whatever their background and financial resources.

“And one of the key themes of the show is how much connecting with music and the arts can empower us and can give us the release that sometimes we’re missing. The joy that comes from music – you see it on stage and you feel it as an audience member.”

Assembling the young cast for the UK and Ireland tour was a lengthy process. Because of Covid restrictions they were asked to send in video footage followed by Zoom auditions. Then when restrictions were lifted there were in-person sessions.

And as Chris notes: “You have to look a bit outside the box for this show. It’s not your usual stage school kids. Once you’ve seen they can play the instruments you have to nurture the other aspects that are required – the singing, the acting and the movement. It throws up all sorts of challenges but at the same time it’s so rewarding when you see the children make such huge strides from the first day of rehearsals to opening in the show.”

Having joined School of Rock in 2018 as a cover for the leading actor, Jake Sharp went on to alternate the role in the West End and now he’s headlining the tour.

Jake, whose theatre credits also include Mamma Mia! and Sleepless, is thrilled to be revisiting the character of Dewey Finn, saying: “He’s so playful, so childlike and so driven. Playing him is incredibly freeing. Because of the benchmark that Jack Black set, whatever you do – no matter how silly it is – still fits in with the character.”

Alex Tomkins, who plays Dewey at certain performances, agrees that he’s a great character. “I love his childishness and his belligerence, plus how he enjoys the kids’ company,” says the actor who was also in the original West End cast.

“There’s no teacher/student thing. These kids are his friends,” he adds.

School of Rock the Musical is at The Alexandra Theatre from January 31 to February 5.