Venue: Videocabaret – Deanne Taylor Theatre, 10 Busy St.
Showtimes: July 3, 5, 7, 11, 12 (various times, see Fringe site for more info)
It’s the early nineties, and Kenzie (Georgia Grant) wants to rock unencumbered by constraints like curfews. Kenzie’s dream is the setup for a rock opera paying homage to hard rock and the epic, convoluted storytelling of its music videos in the ’80s and ’90s.
With her bestie, Sheenah (Jamie Elliott), they sneak out and go on a voyage to Atlantic City with bad boy and love interest Silverman (Tristan Hernandez), scheming drummer Bowen (JJ Tartaglia), and a random man in monastic robes named Brother Nuckett (Stephen Flett).
The plot is delightfully silly, filled with charming rock cliches like babes in leather and lace, motorcycles, revolution, and a bit of the occult. It could use a bit more dramaturgy, and the plot left me with more questions than answers.
Tartaglia’s soundtrack, however, filled with catchy anthems, flawlessly performed by powerhouse musicians including Jonny Nesta, Anthony Pannozzo, and Oscar Rangel, made up for a lot.
Thunderor is raucous fun with shredding guitars and driving drums, so bring earplugs!
