Treatment
Rock is a musical comedy-drama living the daydreams of Joel, a young hippie fresh out of high school in 1969. His father badgers him about daydreaming and not being responsible, and now his boss, Mr. Strickler, has just fired him for that. Seeking his dreams, Joel leaves his hometown and Suzie Sweetheart behind and travels until he comes to Anytown, USA. Trusting the wrong people, Joel loses his girlfriend to his best friend. Then his new band gives him a drug-spiked coke, and he has a psychedelic experience. Joel slowly discovers the true meaning of the word Rock. The rock ‘n roll music was written during these times. The lyrics are an authentic and original slice of life from that time period. The first song was actually written in 1964 when the author was 13.
The set is a theater in the round, and it extends out along the stage left and right. The drama comes at Joel from several directions. He first finds himself unable to satisfy his father. All he does is criticize him. When Joel does his best, he gets little support from his father, but his mother’s words come back to him at a time of great need.
Mr. Strickler, the theater’s boss, always brings the daydreaming to a halt. He has little patience with Joel. He was seen earlier arguing with Joel before the people were seated. This character begins and ends our performance. He is not aware of the audience.
Joel finds out just what is a friend but just something to lose in the end, when his best friend steals away his high school sweetheart. He never sees it coming, but Joel will learn who to love.
Joel is confused about what to do and has to find out who to trust in life. He dreams of being a rock ‘n roll star, but his father and boss don’t support him. Even his girlfriend gives up on him.
Joel begins traveling, seeking a better life. He picks up a rock from his hometown in Michigan and puts it in his pocket so he can always find his way back home. He heads towards the Golden State, but soon, Joel’s ideas of a perfect life are put to the test.
The drama intensifies when Joel finds himself with the wrong people in an uncomfortable situation that leads to a drug overdose. Joel remembers his rock in his pocket and finds his way back home through the music he sings.
Joel has a life-changing experience. He becomes invigorated and shares his enthusiasm directly with the audience by getting them to participate in the music. Taking his rock from his pocket, Joel shares a message with the audience and gives them something to take with them.
Comedy is happening all around the drama as an intentional distraction from the main storyline. The most noticeable character is Mr. N.E. Body, who sits in an easy chair watching the play on his TV and drinking beer. He continuously interrupts the performance by drinking beer, burping, and ordering pizza, which is really delivered to him. He is not aware of the audience.
There is a brightly colored multi-set of doors along one side that open and shut, adding additional punchlines and jokes. They say what someone might be thinking. The characters inside these Laugh-in-doors are constantly competing with each other for attention. They even shoot champagne poppers at each other like dysfunctional children during class.
Plant actors have been mixed in with the audience from the time they arrived. They act like normal people going to the show, but their job is to react to the jokes, punchlines, and audience participation during the performance.
The script calls for more than one actor to play the part of Joel at the same time. This is accomplished by having the second Joel character always having his back to the audience or behind a screen. The effect can be taken further by changing the actors who play the lead, Joel, right in front of the audience. When it’s time for this to happen, the first leading man takes off his vast or hat, and hands it to leading man number two who puts it on and begins to carry on with the main character. This not only spreads out the demand for the leading role amongst more talent, but it also shows the audience that anyone can be in the same shoes, vest, or hat.
The music and lyrics were written in the 1960s and 1970s. They capture the feeling of the moment and bring the past to life. Most of these songs were written for the commercial radio market and used the “to stay alive on a 45, 2:55 to 3:05” philosophy—in other words, they were around three minutes or less.
The music is hard-core rock ‘n roll with a good dance beat and catchy phrases. The melodic melodies are easy to sing to and quickly stick in the listener’s mind. The soundtrack will be released as a four-CD set. The artwork for the CD covers is posted on the website.
The lyrics were written by a young man coming of age seeking his dreams. They are the thoughts and feelings of a troubled youth with a desire to make things better. The lyrics paint a picture of what was in this young man’s mind during the hippie movement. The marketing ideas page will have more to say about publishing the music.
The performance starts and ends in the parking lot in the middle of the audience. They are immediately swept into the live-action circus atmosphere all around them. This continues until they get in the car to leave. Only then will they realize they have also been on stage and the play’s most important part.
The script should be considered as an outline, leaving plenty of room for improvisation. The set design must be within the producer’s budget. The small message we give the audience is more important than any part of the performance, the Rock of Ages.