As in the 2003 Richard Linklater film on which this musical is based, Dewey Finn dreams of being a rock star. Unable to pay his bills, he intercepts his friend’s offer to be a substitute teacher. Totally untrained and unprepared to lead students toward higher learning, he lands the job and teaches the kids the one thing he knows best: rock music. What presents itself as a rock musical is, at its very core, a story about the value of music education.

If you look at Colletti’s bio in the program for the show you’ll see his credits (The Book of Mormon as Elder Cunningham, The 25^thAnnual Putnam County Spelling Bee and Grease.) But it was the last line that intrigued me most: “For Ms. Brady, my first music teacher.” So when I spoke with Colletti by phone it didn’t take too long for her name to come up. Though he didn’t tell me about his high school performances as Mr. Mushnik in Little Shop of Horrors nor Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Andrew Lloyd Webber said in an interview with NPR in 2015 that “every school has got a Dewey.” Did you have a Dewey in your high school? If so, who was it?

I guess Carolyn Brady was my Dewey. She was my first ever theatre and music teacher in high school. I went to a Catholic High School [St. Francis High School in Wheaton, IL] and she really went against what you would anticipate a traditional curriculum in a Catholic high school to be. She exposed us to the musical theatre classics, Buried Child by Sam Shepard, The Laramie Project. We actually got to read plays and we would do readings in our theatre class to see what the story would feel like. It wasn’t just theatre. She showed us video of operas and concerts by people who made a difference in her life. And art. 

Tell me how your met Ms. Brady.

I grew up playing sports my entire life and in high school I actually started acting by accident. I auditioned for a play my freshman year. I went with a friend who walked by my locker and said “do this thing with me.” I ended up getting the lead role. Ms. Brady said “You should do it. You’re really good.” I ended up doing every show the whole time I was in high school. I wouldn’t be here without her encouragement. She opened my eyes to how different your world could be by going out of your comfort zone.

Culture wasn’t an inherent part of your upbringing?

There’s sort of a culture within the world my parents came from where they just didn’t have exposure to anyone outside of their world. It’s a blue-collar community, it’s very white, very Christian and anything else is sort of abnormal.

How did all these things Carolyn Brady exposed you to prepare you for the life and career you have now?

When you expose yourself to anything outside of that, then you are not doing what’s expected of you.  I thought what was expected was to be there for other people. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I wasn’t living the truest version of my life. I wouldn’t have discovered the things about myself that I’ve grown to love about myself like music, art, politics. It’s very risqué to talk about politics in my house and my community. If you go against that you are a bit of a wild card and people notice that. To not have to carry that burden, knowing I would have found [the arts,] and then been stuck in that community, that would have been a very rude awakening. I wouldn’t have been happy.

Given everything Colletti has said so far, I felt it was time I looked up Carolyn Brady to get her point of view on her former student and the impact a teacher could have. Ms. Brady is Carolyn Jean Brady and she has a voice studio of her own after teaching at St. Francis High School for 16 years.

How did you get away with teaching some of the things you did within a Catholic high school?

They are a relatively liberal school, but I’ll be honest, nobody knocked on my door and asked to look at my curriculum. I felt like teens in Wheaton were so incredibly sheltered living so close to a big city [Chicago] and they didn’t know it was okay to be different. I remember being an angsty teenager and I wanted to give them an opportunity to be empowered.

What do you remember most about the time Rob was there?

I never imagined I’d be a teacher. I kind of fell into and I’m so happy I did. When I started working with Rob I had created that position at the high school. I was figuring it all out as I went. Rob’s just such a character and this was a kid who wanted to learn and know more and see more and learn outside of himself.

Rob has been on Broadway and is touring the country now. You must be thrilled and to see your name in the program must have been amazing.

It blew me away. I couldn’t even breathe. I feel like being a teacher is the gift that keeps on giving. I’m really humbled by it. I just want to spend the energy on them. I feel like I’m just giving them the rules and they are the ones doing the work.

Now back to Rob Colletti, who is finding out that teaching and inspiring people is something he may also be doing.

School of Rock plays like a rock concert. But isn’t advocacy of music education really at the heart of the show?

No question and especially timely given the current political climate. I think it’s so important to be able to relay that message on a nightly basis. People definitely see that. The most meaningful part of my job is there have been a few times when a kid has come to the stage door and even an elderly woman, who said they would take up an instrument the next day. To have that impact on one person is so gratifying. It’s pretty incredible.

All production photos by Matthew Murphy

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School of Rock is now at the Pantages Theatre  through May 27th. The tour continues to San Jose from June 5th to June 9th and San Diego from June 12th-June 17th. Next California stop is in San Francisco at the Orpheum Theatre from June 27th to July 22nd. The show will then be at the Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa July 24th to August 5th.

Dewey (Colletti) pretends to be his friend and takes on a teaching assignment in spite of having absolutely no experience nor any credentials to do so. What he does have is his lifelong dream of being a rock star. So rather than teach math, history and English, he opts for rock, roll and self-respect. Look for our interview with Colletti soon.

What makes this show unique is that the kids who have been cast in the show and play instruments are actually playing the instruments. There’s no pretending here. This is a crowd pleasing show that subtly advocates for music education while at the same time, sticking it to the man.

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School of Rock – Pantages Theatre

Now-May 27th

When this musical adaptation of Richard Linklater’s film opened last night at the Pantages Theatre, the show’s illustrious composer, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber was in attendance. This musical tells the story of a man who still dreams of being a rock star, Dewey Finn (Rob Colletti). He pretends to be his best friend Ned (Matt Bittner) when an offer to teach at Grace Academy arrives for Ned. Dewey suddenly finds himself a school teacher. Rather than teach the traditional curriculum, (after all, he’s not really a teacher,) he schools them in the ways of rock ‘n’ roll. The school isn’t happy. The parents aren’t happy. But check out that band! All the kids in the show are actually playing their instruments. No faking it.

Angélique Kidjo Remain in Light – The Theatre at the Ace Hotel/CapUCLA

May 5th

When The Talking Heads released their landmark album Remain in Light in 1980, they gave the world such great songs as “Once in a Lifetime,” “Crosseyed and Painless” and “Seen and Not Seen” and “The Great Curve.” Now the phenomenal Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo has put her own spin on this album and she will be performing live on Saturday night at the Theatre at the Ace Hotel. Kidjo is always a force of nature on stage. Her taking on this great album is both inspired and will certainly make for one of the best concerts of the year.

If this combination seems unusual, it’s best to keep in mind what Kidjo once told me during an interview: “I like unpredictable settings and pairings. Life is too short to be boring. Every music deserves to be heard and every truth of the music diverse to be heard. Expose people to that diversity of music that is part of the diversity of the human family that we all are. That’s all that matters to me.” No need to ask “How did she get here.”

Noises Off – A Noise Within

Now – May 26th

This backstage comedy by Michael Frayn continues to be one of the most popular shows presented by A Noise Within. Each time they stage the show it gets extended and the calls for another revival grow louder. If every show had the goings on that Frayn’s comedy depicts, nothing would ever work on stage. Thankfully the laughs reign supreme here because productions are more buttoned up. Noises Off is the perfect show to use to forget the world and laugh your butt off.

Quetzal with Flor de Toloache – The Soraya (Valley Performing Arts Center)

May 5th

Why stand in line at your local Mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo to prove you can celebrate like everyone else? Instead, head over to The Soraya to hear Quetzal perform. They are a local band from East LA who put jazz, rock and R&B into their musical blender to come up with a tasty blend. Flor de Toloache is an all-female mariachi band. They shatter stereotypes and impress with their music. And if that isn’t enough, there will be taco trucks at the venue serving up a wide array of gourmet tacos.

Honeymoon in Vegas – Musical Theatre Guild – Alex Theatre

May 6th

Jason Robert Brown’s musical adaptation of the film Honeymoon in Vegas was one of the most purely delightful shows to hit Broadway in a long time. Brown perfectly captured the wit and joy that Andrew Bergman brought to the 1992 film. Thankfully shows don’t have to disappear forever. Musical Theatre Guild is performing, for one night only, this utterly charming show (which, of course, has skydiving Elvis impersonators.)

I once asked the composer why the show didn’t succeed on Broadway. “We did get great reviews. The music was so much fun. People will appreciate Honeymoon in Vegas. I’m so grateful that it got done and it got done exactly the way we wanted it to. What can I tell you, our producers sucked.” He went on to say that “It will get licensed and it will be all over the world.”

The show is wonderful and I recommend you make your way to Glendale on Sunday to check it out. Here’s a montage from the New York production:

Angelia Kidjo photo by Danny Clinch. Courtesy of Shore Fire Media

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